Step2: Not my power
As we move forward, which is very key in our recovery process, we get to step number 2.
We believe there is a power greater than ourselves that can restore us to sanity.
Am I insane? Do my actions and behaviors reflect insanity? Well, if you are like me, sometimes we continue to do the same things, over and over, expecting different results. Sound familiar? Let's take parenting. Counting 1-2-... and then hoping the kids will stop before 3, does it work? No. How about that drink to calm the anger, does it work? The outbursts at others who ignore your work, or defy your wishes. Does it work? Last night in church, a man described hatred as a debilitating condition. He compared to me taking poison so that you would die. It is self-inflicting destruction. Insanity. And its this madness where we continue to rely on our own power to change our bad habits, our silly hangups and those things deep inside that really hurt.
Phil.2:13 "For it is God who works in us to will and act accordingly to his good purpose."
You may have heard that verse from Purpose Driven study, but the key in the verse is not "good purpose" but "GOD WHO WORKS". God is not there to give us the power to work according to his will or even act according to his will. He is the most valuable part of the equation to produce His good purpose. And in order for HIM to work, we must get out of the way. We must admit that our power is worthless, its powerless (we see from step1) and our power only produces more work for us. But it is when God is allowed to work in us, that we begin to see his will and those actions guided on his Good Purpose.
A silly analogy, takes me back to my computer days. Ok, it's not that long ago, but there was this skit on SNL called Nick Burns your computer guy. And he would come in the office, and begin "fixing" computers. (Yeah, this isn't the perfect analogy but...) Finally, after listening to all the mess the "user" had dumped on the computer, and the inability to describe why it won't work or how they tried to fix it but couldn't, Nick Burns yells "MOOOOOOOVVEEE!!!!"
If we would just get out of the way, God could lend his hand to our lives, and help fix us. We sit and sulk, and try to explain away what happened without admitting that it's because we are leaving out the most important component to Living His Will, and that's Him.
We believe there is a power greater than ourselves that can restore us to sanity.
Am I insane? Do my actions and behaviors reflect insanity? Well, if you are like me, sometimes we continue to do the same things, over and over, expecting different results. Sound familiar? Let's take parenting. Counting 1-2-... and then hoping the kids will stop before 3, does it work? No. How about that drink to calm the anger, does it work? The outbursts at others who ignore your work, or defy your wishes. Does it work? Last night in church, a man described hatred as a debilitating condition. He compared to me taking poison so that you would die. It is self-inflicting destruction. Insanity. And its this madness where we continue to rely on our own power to change our bad habits, our silly hangups and those things deep inside that really hurt.
Phil.2:13 "For it is God who works in us to will and act accordingly to his good purpose."
You may have heard that verse from Purpose Driven study, but the key in the verse is not "good purpose" but "GOD WHO WORKS". God is not there to give us the power to work according to his will or even act according to his will. He is the most valuable part of the equation to produce His good purpose. And in order for HIM to work, we must get out of the way. We must admit that our power is worthless, its powerless (we see from step1) and our power only produces more work for us. But it is when God is allowed to work in us, that we begin to see his will and those actions guided on his Good Purpose.
A silly analogy, takes me back to my computer days. Ok, it's not that long ago, but there was this skit on SNL called Nick Burns your computer guy. And he would come in the office, and begin "fixing" computers. (Yeah, this isn't the perfect analogy but...) Finally, after listening to all the mess the "user" had dumped on the computer, and the inability to describe why it won't work or how they tried to fix it but couldn't, Nick Burns yells "MOOOOOOOVVEEE!!!!"
If we would just get out of the way, God could lend his hand to our lives, and help fix us. We sit and sulk, and try to explain away what happened without admitting that it's because we are leaving out the most important component to Living His Will, and that's Him.
posted by sirEller at 11:35 AM
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