Stephen Arterburn M. ED. - The One Year Life Recovery Prayer Devotional: Daily Encouragement from the Bible for Your Journey toward Wholeness and Healing

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The One Year Life Recovery Prayer Devotional: Daily Encouragement from the Bible for Your Journey toward Wholeness and Healing

Copyright 2021 by Stephen Arterburn, Misty Arterburn, Harrison Joint Trust. All rights reserved.

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Designed by Ron C. Kaufmann

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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For the many who fight the war against addiction

May the victory be yours

ADDICTIONS OF ANY KIND are life destroying. You know this firsthand. Thats why youre in recovery. Youre trying to shed your dependencies and recover a normal life. An important aspect of addiction recoveryan aspect often overlookedis the spiritual component. Recovery involves not only overcoming the physical and psychological compulsion of our addiction but also becoming strong spiritually.

Our hope is that this book of devotions will stimulate you to more dependency on God as you go through the recovery process. We want you to know that God is for you in your battle. He is able to strengthen you. He works with you to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. He does this through his Word, through your prayers, and through the encouragement of others on the same journey.

Our expectation for you is that youll not only recover from your addiction but that God has a post-addiction plan for you that will bring you fulfillment and joy. Others in history have walked your path. The man we refer to as Saint Augustine was surely sexually addicted. Augustine claimed that even at the young age of sixteen, the frenzy gripped me and I surrendered myself entirely to lust. William Wilberforce, leader of the abolitionist movement in England, was a solid Christian man who was addicted to opium first prescribed as a relief for his ulcerative colitis. More recently, its all too common to read of celebrities who have had to fight a serious addiction. Some, sadly, didnt recover. Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, and Michael Jackson come to mind. We dont want that to happen to you.

As you go through this year, remember that the devotions in this book are designed to supplement, not replace, your other recovery protocols. If youre not presently in a reputable recovery program, we hope youll search for one. Life Recovery, Celebrate Recovery, and Teen Challenge are three good options. You can find others on the internet or through recommendations from friends, but do check them out first and make sure theyre scripturally based and have a track record of helping people shed their addictions.

We say that because this book, too, is written from a decidedly Christian perspective and is part of Tyndale Houses Life Recovery resources, which include the New Living Translation of The Life Recovery Bible, the version most often used in the devotions on the following pages.

Many of the ideas, Bible references, and prayers will only make sense to a man or woman who has made a commitment to Christ.

We expect many readers are drawn to this book because theyre already Christians and want to follow biblically based principles in their recovery from addiction. We know, too, that many other readers may not have yet entered into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you havent entered into a relationship with God but want to, you can do this now by simply acknowledging your need for Gods intervention in your life and asking him, in faith, to forgive your sins and make you a new creation. That new creation identity is the basis for Christian recovery from addiction.

We read in the New Testament book of Romans, If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved (Romans 10:9-10). And in the gospel of John, we read Jesus words to Nicodemus, You must be born again (John 3:7). A wonderful verse affirming the believers new identity is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which tells us, Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Recovery is all about that new person you become when you confess Christ as your Lord. So if youre serious about your recovery and would like to commit your life to Christ, you can do so by simply praying in your own words or by praying this suggested prayer:

God, I have failed to live the life I should. Ive sinned and am in need of forgiveness. I ask you to forgive me for my sins, come into my life, and create in me the person youve always meant me to be. Help me as I recover my life from addiction.

If you prayed that prayer with even mustard seedsized faith, God has made you his child. For further reading on this new life or more in-depth reading to help overcome your old life, see a list of useful Life Recovery resources on page 399.

When one becomes a Christian through the new birth, there comes a fresh supply of power from the Holy Spirit who will indwell you as your teacher, counselor, and comforter. The Holy Spirit will help you see areas in your life where you need to turn away from destructive behaviors and walk out the new post-addiction life God has planned for you.

Whether youre a new Christian or a well-seasoned believer who has become addicted to a substance or compulsive behavior, we hope this book helps you in your recovery. Please know you are being prayed for as you go through the next twelve months with us.

A final word: Make no mistake, being a Christian doesnt make addiction recovery an easy fix. For most people, including Christians, recovery is a long-haul process. There are rarely quick fixes. You must enter into recovery planning to stay the courseno turning back. You must be wanting and willing. Wanting recovery and willing to go through the process of recovery no matter what, enduring the challenges.