Celebrate Recovery! Pt. 2—Letting Go
Matt. 11:25-30

God is CALLING you

From the beginning, humanity was God’s focus as His highest and greatest creation (Gen. 2). Through His love for people and in His sovereignty, God calls people to come to Jesus and change their lives (John 3:16; Acts 2:38, 39). This invitation is for people to stop their pride and lay down their hurts, habits, hang-ups and anxieties (Ps. 55:22; 1 Pet. 5:7). Through it all, God calls!
You must choose to MOVE

Because of human dysfunction, life has burdens no one can carry—so God offers to help in salvation and sanctification (2 Cor. 6:1, 2). Instead of self-motivation or self-medication, people are called to self-mortification. People don’t get to choose if God exists—only if God matters. Choose to move toward Jesus!

You must LEARN a new life

Addictions are a way of dealing with pain in life without God. Pain is non-moral, but how it is dealt with can be immoral. Most people will not see the light until they feel the heat—often delivered through pain. God often allows pain that either brings return or retreat from Him. We end up hating our pain, hating the way we cope, and hating ourselves. But instead of turning to God or godly-influences for help, we turn to God-substitutes and un-godly people because they support our prideful need to control our lives rather than submit to God. People left to their own strength are often are too weak to overcome the cycle of addiction—action→guilt→anger→fear→depression→despair→action. Guilt is God’s gift of conscience, our response to guilt is anger of not acting differently, then fear that we might never change, then depression in feeling sorry for ourselves, then despair leading to actions creating guilt again (Rom. 7:15). Addiction is a non-essential, on-going habit that interferes with your relationship with God and others. Addictions of all kinds (religion, relational chaos, spending, eating, drugs, sex, co-dependency, fantasy-books/games, computer, TV, over-working, gambling, smoking, alcohol, social media, etc.) must be admitted, confronted, and dealt with (Heb. 12:1, 2). This cycle must be broken and replaced with the rest and relief found in Jesus. A new love of God brings a new way of life!