| Micah 1 14-15 "Sin comes from the very bottom of our beings." |

| The 12 Suggested Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous 1.We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable. 2.Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4.Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5.Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6.Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7.Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8.Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9.Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. |
Read Luke 17 :11 The healing of the ten lepers by Jesus Leper No. 1- Once healed, this leper decided to do it on his own. He never called any of the other lepers, he thought that he could clean his own wounds, he eventually relapsed and caught the leprosy again. (Use the phone) Leper No. 2- This leper was so happy that he was healed, that he wanted to go to his old colony to save his old friends, he thought he couldn’t catch leprosy again, but he did. (Avoid old people, places, things) Leper No. 3- Now that he was healed, this leper wanted to change everything in his life all of a sudden, this worry and pressure about the future and the past caused him to forget that he needed to tend to his wounds, they reopened and bled.(Live in the day) Leper No. 4- This leper thought he could pick at his wound even just once. This started a chain reaction within him, in just a short time, he had reopened all his wounds and bled to death.(Don’t pick up the first drink or drug) Leper No. 5- This leper never kept coming back to the place of healing to keep cleaning the wounds. Only when they itched very badly did he come back. One time, however, the itch became so bad he fully relapsed onto the leprosy never to be seen again. (attend meetings regularly) Leper No. 6- This leper was accustomed to being shunned by his family, neighbors, and society. Now without leprosy, he was allowed back to those places. However he carried scars from the wounds and felt ashamed. He needed a leper who knew how he felt, to help guide him back. (Find a sponsor) Leper No. 7- This healing leper never bothered to slow down and reflect and commune with God. His anxiety and worry got so bad he started to itch. (pray and meditate on a daily basis.) Leper No. 8- This healing leper’s body was left in bad physical condition from the leprosy. He never took care of it. His hunger drove him to be mentally upset, his anger stole peace from him, his lonliness led to isolation, and his tiredness left him in despair.(H.A.L.T.) Leper No. 9- The only reason that this person had leprosy, was because of the relationship that existed with another leper. This lepers main focus was not their own sickness but that of their infected partner. This unhealthy relationship led to recurring bouts with leprosy.(avoid serious relationships for the 1st year, also sex can become a substitute addiction) Leper No. 10- Finally, the leper who kept coming back. This leper got his wounds completely cleaned and healed. He was the only leper who was humble enough to thank the healer, Jesus. Seeing his gratitude, Jesus gave him peace, love, joy, and happiness. This leper prayed to Jesus, served Jesus, studied about Jesus, and was in community with Jesus. He led a completely fulfilled life and was the happiest of all the Lepers. |
| 1. Don't pick up the first drink or drug: Admitting we are powerless when it comes to our addiction is the first step to recovery. Don't pick up the drink or drug, pick up the telephone and call the hot line. 2. Avoid other people, places, things: Stay away from all circumstances that will remind you of your past substance abuse. (This may even include family members who unknowingly or unwittingly may be the cause of a relapse. i.e. a family get together like thanksgiving or Christmas where alcohol or drugs may be present. Taking measures to avoid a relapse my include changing phone numbers or taking alternate routes to and from work, anything to avoid triggers.) 3. Find a sponsor: Someone you have confidence in. You must trust this person to guide you in your new way of life. Make sure that he or she is of the same sexual gender as you and has at least one year of being drug and alcohol free. USE THE TELEPHONE ON A REGULAR BASIS TO CHECK IN WITH YOUR SPONSOR OR OTHER GROUP MEMBER. 4. Prayer and meditation: Set time within your day to communicate with the Lord(morning, noon, and night) Use the Lord's prayer or the serenity prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. It is very important to remain spiritually centered. 5. Live in the day: don't project into the future: take your recovery one day at a time. 6. Easy does it: try not to change or fix everything you have damaged in your past overnight. Remember, just like it took time to get you here, some situations take time to recover as well. 7. Abstain from making major decisions the first year of recovery: buying a new house, changing jobs, getting into debt or going back to school. 8. H.A.L.T. Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired: Beware if you find yourself in one of these situations; call your sponsor or support group. 9. New relationships that lead to intimacy should be avoided the first year: This can distract you, and take time and energy away from recovery, Sex can also become a substitute for your addiction of choice. 10. Attend meetings regularly: Make Nueva Vida, AA, NA, your church cell groups and Bible study part of your normal schedule. 11. Service: Getting involved in service is crucial; this gives us the opportunity to give back what was given openly and freely to us by the grace of God. 12. Honesty: All these tools must be done with complete honesty. Honesty must be applied in all our dealings and relationships, including our relationship with God and ourselves. |
| Galatians 5 :16 Paul says, " I say then; live by the spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. |