Understanding Step 2: A Power Greater Than Me

Understanding Step 2: A Power Greater Than Me

by | Aug 13, 2024 | 12 Steps, Counselling, Finding Help, Therapeuo

“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

Step 2, Alcoholics Anonymous

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

In the first step we came to the conclusion that our lives had somehow spun out of control – our addiction, behaviour or circumstances had taken over and chaos had ensued.

We made the brave decision to admit to ourselves that we had become powerless over these things, that there was no way for us to recover without reaching out – that we, in ourselves, did not have the solution and were unable to do it alone – but now what?

If I am unable to do it on my own, if I am powerless and helpless, maybe even hopeless – where will my help come from?

Simply put – we come to believe that a Power Greater Than Ourselves can restore us to sanity.

There are two facets to this statement. 

First of all, we need to realize that there is strength in numbers. Just like 2 is a power greater than 1, 3 is a power greater than 2 and so forth, we need to understand that the group in itself – our twelve step meeting, church fellowship or family support structure – is a power greater than ourselves. A good support structure is going to be vital in your recovery from sex, drug or alcohol addiction, compulsive shopping, gambling or even overwhelming debt.

The group keeps us accountable, offers an ear willing to listen and a shoulder to cry on – and even some good advice if we choose to be open to it.

I found a lot of strength in my early recovery from attending 12 Step Meetings. In these meetings I found a group of people who had weathered many of the same storms, lived the same struggles, went through the same stuff – people who understood where I was coming from. And through the trial and error of experience, experiences we shared, we would find a way forward.

One would share their current struggle and another would relate – and after a while the solutions would present themselves. We cried together, laughed together and learned together – we overcame together through a power greater than 1. There is strength in numbers.

Secondly, it is important that we find, for ourselves, that Great Power of Salvation which is God. 

For me, during my active addiction, I had backslidden – fallen away from the faith I had pre-active. I still believed in God, but my shame and fear had become a wall between me and Him. This was the situation of many I met in recovery. Others still never knew Him at all.

No-one goes to the support group looking to find God, but it has been my experience and the experience of others that it is hard NOT to find Him. It is important that we do – for I have come to realize that you can start your recovery without God, but you cannot sustain it without Him.

Ultimately, when we really look at the ‘power of the group’ we can see God between the lines. The love, the mercy, the grace of Jesus underlines the principles of the Twelve Steps – He is there, even though many never realize it. He is at work in the program. He wants to be at work in us. And all we need is just a little bit of faith – just a mustard seed of faith and the willingness to give Him a chance. I am so grateful that I did.

As I grew in my relationship with Him the walls of sin and shame started breaking down and falling away. Depression and anxiety started lifting. Real change started happening.

I started to understand the words of Paul to the Corinthians: “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Life did not suddenly become easier the moment I chose to turn to God – it was a process. 

Slowly but surely God started working in my life – restoring my sanity, helping me let go of bad habits and bad thinking, leading me to opportunities, turning my grave into a garden.

Slowly but surely God started working in my life – and I have found in Him, a peace, joy and hope that I would not trade for anything. 

And it all started with a prayer – a simple prayer: “Jesus, show me You!”

The Lord promises in the book of Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.“ (Jeremiah 29:13)

If we ask for Him to reveal Himself to us He will – and He can and will restore us to sanity.

If you would like to take this leap of faith today, pray  with me: “Lord, help me today to find you. Reveal Yourself to me and show me You. Show me Your love, mercy and grace! Remove from me my twisted thinking and addictive behaviour – and help me to pursue You instead.  In Jesus Name. Amen.”

If you have chosen to take this leap of faith or have any questions regarding this post, please reach out to me: andre@adlabuschagne.co.za / 0653703806. We would love to journey with you!

 

Gratitude: A Call to Worship

Gratitude: A Call to Worship

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Kingdom Finance, Kingdom Principles, The Pattern

The American essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once gave the following advice: “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

In Psalm 23 David makes it clear that even though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death we need not fear – in all our trials and tribulations Jesus remains our friend.

In the valley low, and on the mountain top – through oceans deep and rivers wide – God remains faithful. He is God in the good times and in the bad times.

Romans 5:1-5: teaches us that even in the storm God is faithful. He is always busy molding us, shaping us – in every situation He is with us. In the good times and the bad times He is faithful, and therefore in both the good times and the bad times we can praise Him for His goodness and His love.

The fact of the matter is that some days are better than others, but every day can be the best of your life when you adopt an attitude of gratitude.

As Christians we realize that through the Spirit of Adoption we have become sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are no longer enslaved by the bondage of fear and sin – but crying ‘Abba Father’. We are justified by faith and at peace with God through Christ. Through Jesus, also, we have access, by faith, to His grace – the marvelous, amazing Grace of God in which we stand, alive and rejoicing, in the hope of glory of God.

We are blessed and highly favored. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. He is our deliverer. He is our healer. He is the provider.

In Psalm 103 David declares aloud: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The word used for soul is the Hebrew ‘nephesh’ which does not just refer to our conventional understanding of a ‘soul’ as some sort of component of being, but rather a word that encapsulates all of his life – consciousness and the whole of life itself.

He is, in essence, saying: Let others praise you with their tongues – with their words – but as for me… Everything I am, all of me will honour you. All that is withing me – physically, emotionally and intellectually – will praise you, glorify you, magnify, bless and exalt you Lord – with everything I have – every faculty and resource I have to my disposal.

In verse 2 David repeats this phrase. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

As a guitarist I have to often tune my instrument before playing. The tuning peg needs to be turned until it is in tune. Often it has to be turned more than once.

David repeats this phrase on purpose. Deliberately and with good reason. It is not vain repetition – how can it be when your pen is guided by the Spirit of God?

David is thirsty. He is hungry. He is seeking the face of God – ardently and in all earnestness. With the repetition of these words he is stirring up a chorus within himself – a chorus in which all his faculties, emotions and capacities are joined in harmonious rapture.

The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, notes the following in his beautiful exposition of this psalm: These first verses are a tuning of the harp, a screwing up of the loosened strings, that not one note may fail in the sacred harmony.

David’s repetition is deliberate – for emphasis. Our praise must never be half-hearted. Our thanksgiving must always be intentional. Although our praise is often spontaneous and emotional, it must also be intentional, and to a degree rational.

Psalm 103:2 encourages us to not forget His benefits. More than wealth or prosperity, God gives His children TRUE benefits.

The theologian, VanGemeren said: Praise is the response of awe for God, while reflecting on what the Lord has done for the people of God – throughout the history of redemption, for creation at large, for the community and for oneself.

If praise is a response to the awe of God, and David is calling his whole soul – all he is – to bless the Lord, it means that our thanksgiving is never just in word but also in deed. Our praise and thanksgiving becomes something tangible.

As author Amy Leigh Mercree said: Thanksgiving is a joyous invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.

The vanGemeren quote expresses this as well – our praise is not just about what God has done for the individual, but extends outwards.

And as David is led in writing the Psalm, his invitation to praise, starting with himself – the stirring up of his heart and soul – extends outwards to eventually include all of creation. All the earth and even the host of heaven is invited to bless the Lord.

All of creation. All of Heaven and Earth is invited to take their place in the sacred symphony of praise.

In Psalm 103:6 we see that God’s heart beats for the oppressed, the poor – the broken, lost and in need. God’s heart beats for the sinner, outcast and orphan. From reading the Gospels and about the Apostles, we see how God wants to use us as His hands and feet. We are to advocate for and actively pursue and effect justice for the oppressed, the weak and weary, the burdened. and heavy laden – we are called to make a difference. As the light of God’s love becomes alive in us we are to become a light – a beacon of hope – for those still in darkness.

The Psalms often make mention of an offering of thanks, or a sacrifice of thanksgiving. This was always a physical offering. I would argue that all our offerings, all of our praise and thanksgiving, are to be expressed physically.

We have so much to be grateful for today. He has saved us from death itself. He has paid for our healing and restoration. He gives us joy and peace – the kind that surpasses understanding. His grace carries us. His love enfolds us. His goodness and mercy follows us. He is our Shepherd and we shall not want. He is the Good Father who cares for His children. If His eye is on the Sparrow, surely He watches over you and me as well.

Let us stir up our souls to worship God today – in Spirit and in Truth. Let us call ourselves to worship and bless the Lord with more than just words.

This is the invitation.

Someone out there needs Jesus today.

This is the invitation, an invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.

An invitation to bless the Lord by doing something.

To bring a physical, tangible offering to the Lord, as a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

What is your sacrifice of praise today?

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Understanding the 12 Steps: Step 1 (Honesty)

Understanding the 12 Steps: Step 1 (Honesty)

by | Aug 6, 2024 | 12 Steps, Counselling, Finding Help, Therapeuo

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.”

Step 1, Alcoholics Anonymous

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Jesus, Matthew 26:41

The first step to overcoming – the first step towards solving the problem of addiction or any other compulsive behaviour/impulse – is to admit that there is a problem.

We cannot fix what is not broken – and we are all broken in some way or the other – we just don’t care to admit it.

Jesus said to His disciples that they must watch and pray to ensure they do not enter into temptation. The flesh, inherently, is weak.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous offers a set of simple spiritual principles that, if put into practice, will lead to freedom. This freedom is offered to Alcoholics and Addicts around the world but is not limited to the realm of drugs and drink. It can be applied to a myriad of problems. From compulsive shopping, pornography consumption, codependency, depression and anxiety, gambling and even love and sex.

The spiritual principle behind step 1 is HONESTY.

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says this: “Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.” (Chapter 5, Alcoholics Anonymous)

Jesus famously said: THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.

For us to overcome our spiritual malady and the weakness of the flesh we need to first of all be HONEST – admitting to OURSELVES that there is something that needs fixing – that our lives have become unmanageable and that we, in ourselves, are powerless.

We need to admit to ourselves that we cannot do this on our own.

Too often the shame of our secret has kept us sick – it is shame that keeps us from reaching out, it is foolish pride that keeps us from asking for help – and so we try to do it on our own.

But there is nothing to be ashamed about. Yes, we might have done things that we regret, we might’ve done things that we resent – and we might feel deeply ashamed about these things – but there is no shame in asking for help, and there is definitely no shame in expressing the desire to fix what is broken.

On the contrary, reaching out and owning our struggle is an admirable thing to do. It is a difficult task that shows much courage.

The First Step – this step of being honest with oneself – is probably the hardest step to take. Once we can make a decision to be honest about our weakness, our powerlessness, we can start taking steps towards our healing and restoration.

I came to the conclusion that something was wrong when I got arrested for drug possession. On that cold concrete floor I had nothing else to do but think about all the ways that my life was falling apart around me.

Is your addiction or behaviour causing chaos in your life? Is it leading to the loss of income? The loss of stability? The breakdown of family relationships? Is your addiction or behaviour affecting your health – physical or mental?

Are you tired and burdened? Heavy laden by guilt and shame? Do you feel powerless and unable to change?

From personal experience I can tell you that there is hope. You can overcome! But it starts with you being honest with yourself.

It starts by admitting that we are powerless over our situation or circumstance, addiction or behaviour – and this honesty then puts us in the position to seek the right kind of help.

Prayer: Lord, if there is anything in my life that needs changing, I pray that You will show me. I ask Lord that You will point out where I might’ve strayed from Your plan for my life and that You will help me get back on it. Give me wisdom, strength and the power to endure on the journey that lies ahead. In Jesus Name. Amen.

If you have come to the conclusion that there is something wrong, something in need of fixing – that your life has become unmanageable and chaotic – reach out: andre@adlabuschagne.co.za / 0653703806.

We will do our best to help you find the help you need.