Life Recovery Bible

[dena_cat]

I did this once before. Posting from my Life recovery bible and thought that I would try it again. I will work on posting a passage every day. No promises. Here is the first one:

Step 1 Admitted we were powerless over our dependencies and that our lives had beome unmanageable.

No-Win Situations
Bible Reading: Genesis16:1-15

Sometimes we are powerless because of our stations in life. We may be in a situation where other people have power over us. We may feel that we are trapped by the demands of others and that there's no way to please them all. It's a double bind: To please one is to disappoint another. Sometimes when we feel stuck and frustrated with our relationships, we look for a measure of control by escaping through our addicitive behaviors.
Hagar is a picture of powerlessness. She had no rights. As a girl, she was a slave to Sarai and Abram. When they were upset because Sarai could not bear children, Hagar was given to Abram as a surrogate. When she did become pregnant, as they had wanted, Sarai was so jealous that she beat Hagar, and Hagar ran away. All alone out in the wilderness, she was met by an angel who gave her an amazing message: "'Return to your mistess and sumitt to her authority.' The angel added, 'I will give you more descendants than you can count.' And the angel also said, 'You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name Ishmael, for the Lord has heard about your misery''(Genesis 16:9-11)
When we are caught in no-win situations, it's tempting to run away through our addictive/compulsive escape hatches. At times like these God is there, and he is listening to our woes. We need to learn to express our pain to God instead of just trying to escape it. He hears our cries and is willing to give us hope for the future.

Dena

[dena_cat]

Sorry it has taken me so long to post again. I had computer problems.

Dangerous Self-Deception
Bible Reading; Judges 16:1-31

When we refuse to admit our powerlessness we are only deceiving ourselves. The lies we tell ourselves and others are familiar: "I can stop any time I want to" "I'm in control; this one won't hurt anything." And all the while, we are inching closer to disaster.
Samson was one of Israel's judges. As a child, he had been dedicated to God, and God had gifted him with supernatural strength. But Samson had a lifelong weakness - the way he related to women. Samson was espeacially blinded to the dangers he faced in his relationship with Delilah. His enemies were paying her to discover the secret of his strength. Three times she begged Samson to tell her his secret. Each time she set him and tried to hand him over to the enemy. Three times Samson lied to her and was able to escape. But each time he got closer to telling her the truth. Finally, Samson revealed his secret, was taken captive, and died a slave in enemy hands.
Samson's real problem can be found in the lies he told himself. By not admitting his powerlessness, he remained blind to the obvious danger that his pride and desire for beautiful foreign women were leading him into. This caused him to gradually inch his way toward an untimely death.
We need to be careful not to fall into a similar trap. As we learn to acknowledge our powerlessness over our addictive/compulsive tendencies daily, we will become more aware of behaviors that will likely lead us to destruction.

[Gregg]

I love the Life Recovery Bible! Post on!