The A.B.C. Recovery Solutions:
Something in your life has gone out of control. You know you need help. Look
over the A,B,C's solution to your problem:
ADMIT Your Need
Until a
person is ready to seek help, there is very little that can be done for them.
It’s time to admit to God, yourself and someone you trust that you are
struggling. You may need help detoxing, stopping a bad behavior or finding a
support group. Once we admit that we are out of control and need help, we’re
ready to move forward.
God says that “all
people have sinned, they have fallen short of God's glory.” Romans 3:23
BELIEVE
Believe
that God has a plan to help you and He has provided His son, Jesus as a
substitute for our sins. This belief is a putting off of ourselves and our own
ways and accepting God’s plan for us. His sacrifice on the cross is the belief
that is life changing. When we receive Christ as our sacrificial substitute, we
find peace with God.
God says that, “as many
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to
those who believe in His name,” John 1:12
CONFESS
To
confess means to agree with someone. God says that if we admit our need, believe
in our hearts and confess Christ as our Lord, we are saved.
God says that “If you
declare (confess) that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to
life, you will be saved. By believing you receive God's approval, and by
declaring your faith you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
Steps to Sanity
Starting with
Decision
1. We admitted we were
powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had
become unmanageable. I know that
nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to
do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18
&
2. We came to believe
that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
For it is God who works in you to will and to
act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:13
&
3. We made a decision
to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
&
Searching for
Defects
4. We made a searching
and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let
us return to the Lord. Lamentations
3:40 &
5. We admitted to God,
to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16
&
6.
We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will
lift you up. James 4:10
&
Stepping into
Discovery
7. We humbly asked Him
to remove all our shortcomings. If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9
&
8. We made a list of
all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Do to others as you would have them do
to you. Luke 6:31 &
9. We made direct
amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them
or others. Therefore, if you are
offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has
something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and
be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24
&
Sticking with
Discipleship
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
&
11. We sought, through
prayer and meditation, to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only
for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Colossians 3:16 &
12. Having had a
spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message
to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who
are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be
tempted. Galatians 6:1 &
