Celebrate Recovery

Dark Days   With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. — Matthew 19:26 Don’t let anyone fool you — recovery is tough. There are days when we feel like giving up, throwing in the towel. Days when it seems like the deck is stacked against us, and nothing is ever going to change. To be honest, I have these days a lot. I wake up in the morning just knowing the day isn’t going to go well. Old hurts, hang-ups, and habits keep pressing on my mind, and I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just give up. That’s when I have to purposefully stop and remember that I’m a child of God. I love the way that sounds. In fact, it’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever called me. We don’t have to give in to our old habits. All things are possible with God, and we are His children. God changes everything! Things that were once impossible are now well within our reach. We’ve already seen that this is true. So let’s kick those bad feelings and negative thoughts out of the picture. Let’s reclaim our dark days by bringing God’s light into them. Let’s thank God for making everything possible by making us his children. Prayer Thank You, Father, for making me Your own blessed child. I know that those things that were once impossible are now the best part of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.   * * * All Things   I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. — Philippians 4:13 This is the best remedy I know for those times when we feel stuck, discouraged, like change might never come. Try applying this scriptural answer to your greatest concerns: — I feel like I’m always going to fail. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. — I don’t think I will ever get better. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. — I know other people have found victory through Celebrate Recovery, but I don’t think it will happen for me. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. — It feels like this is too hard. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. — What if I try and try but I fail? I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. When things feel impossible, when you feel like you can’t do it, remember, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” It doesn’t matter if we’ve been in recovery for years or we just started. It doesn’t matter if we have lots of sobriety or if we’re still trying to figure out what that even means. We are going to have tough times when we feel like we can’t do it. And that’s a good place to be, because when we realize that we can’t do it, we allow God to have the room to move in our lives. On our own, we don’t have enough power. But... we can do all things through Him who gives us strength. Prayer Father, I can do everything You ask of me because of the strength You place within me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. *** Excerpt from Celebrate Recovery 365-Day Devotional by John Baker, Johnny Baker, and Mac Owen.