Twelve Steps To Recovery Part 10
Scripture: James 1:21-25; 2 Timothy 2:1-8; 1 John 1:8-10
Introduction
To date in this series we have discussed the first seven steps in the twelve steps to recovery process. We began by admitting that we were powerless over our dependencies and that there was a God greater than ourselves who could restore us to sanity. After reaching that point, in step three we made the decision to turn our lives over to the care of God, a conscious choice that was made freely. In steps four and five we took a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves and came to the point of understanding our addictions and confessing them to ourselves, God and to another trusted individual. In step six, after recognizing our addictions for what they were, we came to the point where we were ready to have God remove them and in step seven we humbly asked God to do just that – remove all of our shortcomings. Step seven was the bridge from our focus on our inner self to our outward actions as we enter into step eight. Step eight involved our making a list of those persons that we have harmed through our addictions and work through our willingness to make amends to them when possible. In step nine we were to take action on the list we made in step eight, making direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. As we enter into step ten, we continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong, we promptly admit it.
I. Looking In The Mirror
There is not a day that goes by when many of us do not glance at ourselves in a mirror. Most of us do not only glance, but spend a significant amount of time in front of the mirror. What are we considering when we look in the mirror? In the morning when we first wake up, we use the mirror as a guide to getting cleaned up. We wash our face; brush our teeth, floss and comb our hair. If we did not have the mirror, we’d have to guess at what we looked like after we were finished, but with the mirror all of the guess work is removed. By utilizing the mirror, we are able to ensure that what other see is what we want them to see. While you think about this, consider what James wrote in James 1:21-25. “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
In the verses we read, James states that if we only hear God’s word and do not obey, it is like glancing at our face in a mirror and after we have walked away, forget what we looked like. Here is what James was saying, it is God’s word that is able to change our lives – but only if we do something with it. If we are only hearing the word and doing nothing with it, it will not affect any type of change within our lives. In order for the word to change us, we must act on it. For example, let’s go back to what James said about the mirror and I think I can make this clear. If you look into the mirror and you see that you have dried up sleep matter on your face (for those of you wondering, I am referring to the dried up drool that sometimes we see when we wake up in the morning), would you not make sure that you washed your face before you greeted the rest of your family? Would you not wash your face before you left the house? If you looked in the mirror and your hair was a mess, I am not talking what some would consider stylish, I mean a mess. Would you not take a comb and/or brush and comb your hair before you left your house? Why would you do this? Because you would not want to be seen in public with your face not washed or your hair not combed. This is so important that we seek feedback from others when we do not have access to a mirror? If you just had a salad for lunch, sometimes you ask your peers if there is any green “leftovers” stuck in your teeth. Or if you step outside and the wind is blowing hard, when you get back in doors you ask if your hair looks okay. All of these things we do because we want to look our best. This is what James was talking about when he referenced the mirror.
According to James, God’s word is like the mirror. When we read it, it reveals who we are and what changes we need to make. If we read or listen to God’s word and we do not do anything with it, it is like looking at your face in the mirror and seeing that your face is dirty and walking away – actually forgetting that your face needs to be washed. It is like seeing that your hair messed up and you do not care enough to comb it. We believe that anyone who does not care about their appearance must have some mental issues that are affecting their ability to comprehend the image that they are portraying. Well the same is true of us when we refuse to obey God’s word. When we read it and it exposes “dirt” in our lives, if we chose to remain dirty, something must be wrong with us. Can you imagine what you would smell like if you went one week without taking a bath? Imagine if you went one month without ever being around soap and water? Can you imagine the image that you would see in the mirror? When we are dealing with our addictions, our character flaws and/or our issues, if we have carried these things around for years, spiritually it is like not bathing for years. God’s word has the ability to change and cleanse us. One other point I want to make about the mirror before I move on. We do not just look in the mirror once a day or once a week. We do not look into the mirror one a month or once a year. We look in the mirror several times a day to make sure what we saw earlier is still what we see currently. And the same applies to God’s word. We cannot read it once or twice and think that will be enough to get us through our lives. We must continue to read it, daily to ensure that the image it brings out within us is maintained. In step ten, we continue to take personal inventories and when we are wrong, we promptly admit it. James’s illustration supports sensibleness in making a routine personal inventory. As we examine our life, we need to respond with immediate action if something has changed since we last looked. If we put off taking care of a problem, it may soon slip our minds. Just as we would think it foolish to go all day knowing there is sleep matter on our face, it is not logical to notice a problem that could lead to a fall and not correct it promptly.
II. Perseverance – Especially When You Fail
Recovery is a life long process and we will have times when we are doing well and we will experience times when we may temporarily fail in an area. During those times when we fail and are feeling like a failure, we must persevere with our progress. We cannot stop, we must keep moving forward. There will be times when we grow weary and want to throw in the towel. We will experience pain, fear, and a host of other emotions. We will win some battles but lose others in the war to achieve wholeness. We may get discouraged at times when we can’t see any progress, even though we have been working hard. But if we persevere through it all, we can maintain the ground we have gained. The apostle Paul used three illustrations to teach about perseverance in his writing to Timothy. Notice what he said in 2 Timothy 2:1-8:
“Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.”
In Paul’s examples, he was encouraging Timothy to persevere, to not give in to the discouragement that he was feeling about his pastoral ministry. Timothy was dealing with some issues in his congregation and he began to get discouraged. Paul used three examples to help Timothy refocus. In the first example, Paul talks about a good soldier. A good soldier focuses on the war at hand and does not concern himself with what is happening in the civilian world. He has a war to fight and his focus is on that war. Paul stresses to Timothy that a war can only be won if the soldier fights until the end. The war cannot be won if the soldiers give in to discouragement. In his second example, Paul uses an athlete. He stresses that an athlete cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. Part of the rules relates to how the athlete trains. I’ve known several people who have gone through the training necessary to run a marathon. There are certain rules that they follow. For example, you run a certain number of miles a day and you eat certain foods to prepare your body for the event. If you do not follow the rules during the training period, you expose yourself to potential bodily injury or not being in a position to actually finish the race. Paul stresses to Timothy that like the athlete, you cannot quit during the training period, but you must press on and if you are able to press on, you can win the race. The final example that Paul gave Timothy related to a farmer. What he said of the farmer was that because of their hard work, they should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. He was telling Timothy that just like the farmer, we go through seasons. During the planting season, you work hard to ensure that your seeds are planted. They do not grow overnight so you must be patient and wait. During the growing season, you continue to monitor the seeds and take care of your crop – even though you still cannot enjoy the fruit of your labor. Finally, your crop has come in and you harvest it and now you are able to sit down and enjoy them. What Paul was sharing with Timothy is that we cannot quit or give up and if we persevere through it, we will reap our harvest. If we stop working our program before reaching the goal, we may lose everything we have fought, trained and worked hard for.
III. Recurrent Sins
The last thing I want to focus on for step ten is the recurrent sins. We may feel awkward about bring our recurrent sins before God. I mean, how many times can we fail and God remains by our side to pick us up. We may be embarrassed by the number of times we have had to deal with the same issues – issues that stubbornly refuse to be washed away. We may imagine that God is collecting a long list of repeated offenses to be used against us. This is not the God that we serve. Consider what the apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:8-10: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar, and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.”
To confess means to agree with God that what He declares to be wrong really is wrong. This means that we need to recognize our wrongs when they occur. John says that God will forgive us and cleanse us of every wrong. Each time we confess a sin it is washed away. Our life is like a slate that has been wiped clean. Our sins are not recorded on some celestial list; they are gone forever. Even when we make the same mistakes over and over again, God keeps forgiving us if we are truly repentant. Some areas of our life need more cleaning that other yet God does not get angry when we come back to Him repeatedly.
Conclusion
In step ten, having made all of the progress we made in the first nine steps, we come to the point of maintenance. If you are on a diet and you reach your goal, you go into the maintenance part of the program. In this part, you begin to focus not on losing the weight, but maintaining what you have lost. In step ten, we begin to maintain what we have accomplished and continue to evaluate our lives to ensure we do not fall back. In step ten we continue to take personal inventories of our lives and when we are wrong, we do not hide it, but quickly admit it and take action to resolve it. That means coming clean, confessing to God, repenting from it and moving on. If our wrong involved others, we must also go to them and make things right.
I thank God you have made it with me thus far, two more steps to go. Until next time, God bless you.
