Recovery From Addiction

Waterfall of Love

Lord I thirst for You
And the mountains tremble
Because God is in control
I found the waterfall of love
Yes I have sinned
Like everyone else
But God always takes me back
And my knees hurt
From praying so much
It is so easy to slip away
But I return to You
For a sunny day
Even the clouds look puffy
The sky looks clean
The waterfall is cleansing
Like a new day baptism
With YOU
I have been washed clean
The waterfall of love

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
(John 7:38)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I will do Your will as best as I can–
I know You can help me be cleansed and washed by the power of Jesus.

Newness of a Day

A new day
I am so excited
That I can live it
One minute-at-a-time
Enjoying and loving
God at the same time
The smell of the coast
And the pine trees outdoors
Confirm a God so sweet
Adds nature to our soul
That the birds and fish
Are friendly parts of His creation
Coffee cups bang against
One another
As we try and get ready
For work and school
Although our lives
Are recovering from abuse
Dysfunctional relationships
And co-dependency
Or addictions

Meditation

Today, Lord, I will meditate upon the Psalms or poetry–
Verses, which will make me cheerful and hopeful for a good life in Christ.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, I give my heart to YOU, and will live for YOU, as I struggle day-to-day in this recovery process. I know YOU are with me every step of the way!

The Scarecrow

I am not afraid of some dumb scarecrow
That stands outside the window
He is only trying to warn the birds
Of outside forces
That don't belong here
Yes, many people have suffered abuse
And I don't like
Everyone judging
Victims of terrible abuses
I am not afraid of some dumb scarecrow
That stands outside the window
He is only trying to tell me
That I am being protected
I am being protected
And I can be safe
Forever in Christ Jesus
Find Him now if you are ready

Meditation

Today, meditate upon your personal protection in Jesus Christ; He will never leave you.

Prayer

Thank You Father for caring for me and protecting me, I know I can always depend upon You.

Muddy Shoes

Muddy shoes
I have been to awful places
I have seen sinful faces
I was a drunk
I lied and cheated
I was not a good person
But then I met Jesus
I had muddy shoes
Walked in places
With dirty faces
I made many mistakes
But Jesus forgives sin
You can get a new life
Take off those muddy shoes
And come home to Jesus

Prayer

Heavenly Father: I know You saved me from destruction and You are my dearest friend. Thanks again for comforting me and reassuring that I am accepted into your family.

Read Scripture Verses

I John 1:9
Isaiah 55:7

You Can Change

A drunk falls to the ground
And she is miserable
Anyone can become
A terrible sinner
But God sees it
He is weeping for you
A gambler spends
The children's education money
On gambling debts
Lies to his wife
And also gets drunk
But he can change
Jesus sees it
Jesus sees it
A prostitute can change
And a Bible story says so
You can change
Quit being a victim

Prayer

Jesus, You know the pain & suffering I have experienced.
Now I come to YOUR arms for help.
Thank you for being there for me.

Residential Treatment Center

Man, what a job I once had
Helping the people
At the center
Pouring coffee to shaking hands
Like people in a foreign land
So confused of God
Ready to find Him
Cleansed in His blood
Whether you go to church
Or find Him at a 12-Step Meeting
God is a Higher Power you can trust
Is so satisfying to drink the coffee
And read little hymnal books
Absorbing devotionals
Clutching a Bible for the first time
Singing songs of praise and worship
Maybe was once with God
But is time to come back
Yes, He can save you
Do not run from Him
Find a place of recovery
Find some new people
Read a new book about self-help
Gain some new education
Maybe go back to school
Or enroll in a Bible course
There is much to do
In a life of recovery
Yes, you can do it–

Prayer

Thanks Higher Power for assisting me in finding spiritual growth and new friends and places to go, now that I have begun to recover.

Run From Depression

Anyone can be depressed
After living in dysfunction
Tormented by child abuse
Or living under an alcoholic's roof
Or being a battered wife
There are too many abuses
And too many victims
But you must run from depression
It is a green tunnel
That is long and narrow
Like you cannot get out
With panic attacks
At 3 AM
It is like an obsession
Once you are there
So run from it
If you can

Prayer

Dear God: Let me find help if I get depressed; I will contact a good friend to talk to–
I know I am ready to make an appointment with a counselor, pastor or doctor; the time has come to get out of this rut.

Meditation for Today

"Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
(Titus 2:13)
The LORD is my hope!

Help is on the Way

Forget what happened
Start over
Because help is on the way
His name is Jesus
Or you can choose a Higher Power
If you do not understand Jesus
But sooner or later
He will emerge and
Show Himself to you
Because 12-Step Programs
Offer a God of
Your understanding
And
Help is on the way
Choose Jesus as
Your Higher Power
He will give you
A strong tower
To hold onto
Help is on the way

Prayer

Jesus, I wish to know You even if I do not understand You right now.

Medicine

Jesus can be the best medicine–He is the Great Physician.

A Story of Drunkenness

What a mess it was last night
You even got into a fight
The neighbors came out
And you screamed and shout
You did not know what you were doing
It was awful
You were a handful
Cursing and swearing
Kicking the trees
Fell down on your knees
Even said there was no God
There was blood on your shirt
And at the bar you seemed to flirt
Going into places of evil
The car was all banged up
The headlights were knocked out
You seemed to lose another job
And went to the race track again
Ignored your children
Called them horrible names
And you wanted more beer
You even smoked a bad cigarette of some sort
Saying it was a legal herb
Then you fell down on the ground again
Cursed everyone is sight
You sure put up a fight
With yourself

Medicine

This individual sure needs some medicine and His name is Jesus.

Help Someone Today

Refer them to a Christian counselor.

Pet Therapy

Only a bark away
A nice Labrador
Wags his tail
And is your friend
With unconditional love
Salivating and navigating
Through life's storms
The dog can help you
He can lick your wounds
Take away your depression
Cuddle you with love
Give you a new outlook
So don't kick the dog
He is your therapist
He wants to sit in your lap
It is O.K. to tell him your troubles

Meditation

I will meditate upon Noah's Ark and the animals it contained.
(Genesis 6-9)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know you are the great Creator and you made all the animals; surely they can guide me to You. A warm animal often provides companionship in a time of need!

Praise Him

"But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me."
(Psalm 13:5-6)

"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise."
(Jeremiah 17:14)

Quit Using

Admit you cannot use drugs or alcohol
Admit you are a sinner
Acknowledge that addiction is a disease
Attend a Christian gathering or church
Go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting
Find a counselor
Other family members need counseling also
Make amends
Tell others you are getting help
Finally forgive yourself
You can be free in Jesus
Live One-Day-at-a-Time
Call someone if you have the urge to drink or drug
Depend upon a sponsor at the meetings for support
Read the assigned literature at the meetings
You can also find help in the Bible

More to Life

There is so much more to life
Than using drugs
You can have a new life in Christ
Can find a new job
Do volunteer work
Begin to exercise
Make new friends
Find a wife or husband
Find a boyfriend
Get a girlfriend
Find Jesus
Do something you want to do
Go back to school
Find a new hobby
There is much more to life
Now that you are off drugs

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to find the way.