Celebrate Recovery: Lesson 19- Crossroads

December 27, 2023

Principle 7: Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.

Step 10: We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! – 1 Corinthians 10:12

This is the point of our recovery journeys where we are able to look back and see change in our lives. For many of us, the pain we had experienced at the beginning of our journey has subsided has healing has taken place. This is a crucial part of our recovery, because it is at this point where it is easy to become complacent and less aware of ourselves and our recovery.

At this point, it might be easy to sit back and relax. However, continued healing and growth cannot continue without continued investment. Step 10 addresses the need for us to continue to apply the steps to our lives. If we do this, we can continue to live in a place of peace and health as we address issues in our lives as they arise.

Take time to do a daily inventory.

Doing a daily inventory includes Principle 7- “reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer.” Set aside a time of day that works for you and your schedule, and stick with it. I will be honest with you and say that some days you may not feel like it or you will be pushed for time to make it happen. However, just like any relationship, your relationship with God requires time and investment in order for it to grow and be fruitful.

Self-examination on a daily basis can happen in a variety of ways. Some people keep a journal, while others simply take a few moments to think over their day. There are journals out there that are designed for a Celebrate Recovery model, however any type of journal or piece of paper will do just fine. The next steps we talk about will give you more of an idea about what you should write about or focus on.

If you have a participant’s guide for Celebrate Recovery, it will walk you through keeping a journal for one week. I encourage you to do this, even if you are not a person who normally would do something like this. You might be surprised at what you find after a week.

Bible reading on a daily basis is crucial for continued health and growth in the Lord. Don’t make the mistake of replacing Bible reading for reading books about the Bible. Additional resources are wonderful, however there is no substitute for the living Word of God. Celebrate Recovery has a lot of resources, including their own Bible and devotionals.

Additionally, there are many reading plans for free that you can download that help give you direction as to what parts of the Bible to read. If you are new to reading the Bible, the New Testament (starting from the book of Matthew to the end of the Bible) is a good place to start. Many new believers enjoy reading the book of Romans or the book of John.

Prayer can be intimidating, but it really doesn’t have to be. Prayer is simply talking to God. Tell Him your hurts, your worries, your hopes and dreams. Nothing is too small for Him. He cares about you deeply and longs for a relationship with you.

Evaluate the good and the bad.

We all have good days and bad days, but most of the time our days will be a combination of both. Celebrate Recovery suggests reflecting on the following questions:

What good did I do today?
In what areas did I blow it today?
Did I do or say anything that hurt anyone today?
Do I owe anyone amends?
What did I learn from my actions today?

We will make mistakes. We will disappoint ourselves, our friends, and our God. However, it is important to recognize that mistakes will happen. It is how we respond and react to those mistakes that are important.

Need to admit our wrongs promptly.

Let’s be honest- no one enjoys admitting when they are wrong. However, I have found that the people in my life who are willing and able to admit their wrongs are those that I most admire. It takes a humble, teachable spirit to be able to do that.

“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.” -1 John 1:8-10

The first step in admitting our wrongs is to admit them to ourselves. If we are not willing to see our shortfalls, we can’t admit them even to ourselves. Once we acknowledge our wrongs to ourselves, we should confess them to God. We should ask Him for forgiveness of the sin(s) that led to those wrongs.

Lastly, we should admit our wrongs to another person. As we have found through our recovery journey, sharing our sins and struggles with another, trusted individual is a key part to living a life of health and freedom.

If we have wronged another person, we should ask their forgiveness as soon as it is reasonable to do so. Refer back to the forgiveness step for ideas and guidelines in asking another person for forgiveness.

“Promptly” is an important word to this step. Pretend that our wrongs are actually weeds growing in a garden. If we pull the weeds when they first break to the surface, they come out easily and without much work.

However, if we allow the weeds to grow larger, it is much harder to pull them out. Their roots could entwine with other, beneficial plants in the garden. Their roots grow deeper into the soil. Pulling larger weeds, although necessary, could cause damage to the good things around it. The same is true of wrongs that we are unwilling to admit and eliminate from our lives.