Dealing with Addictions
Discovering the "Discipline of FOCUS"
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- An important tool in your recovery is the "discipline
of focus."
- The tool of focus is only as powerful as the source you choose
to focus upon.
- The holistic approach to dealing with addictions recognizes
the importance of the spiritual in integrating physical and mental
health to your life. This Bible study takes that holistic view.
- Select your verse to study by clicking on its number. They
are divided into weekly segments and can be studied one verse
each day.
- Whether you are taking this journey to help a friend, peer,
associate, subordinate or yourself ... enjoy the power of these
verses! I am writing a verse or two a day, so keep checking back
if you get ahead. leg@skyenet.net
Study of Hebrews 12
- The Discipline of Focus
- This Bible study leads to the most reliable source of focus...
the Creator himself.
- Get a pad and pencil and respond to the questions below.
- Make lots of lists.
- Apply the questions to your personal situation.
- Share it with a friend.
- Study and or memorize a verse each day.
- Spread your study over four weeks.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses,
- It is important to know how your addiction impacts others.
Who are those in your life that you do not want to dissappoint?
For whom do you have great love and care? Who would get discouraged
or quit if you failed to be strong? Who is watching you and needs
you to be strong? By increasing your awareness of who is affected
by your addiction, you become stronger.
"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles,
- Not just your addiction needs to be focused upon, but also
those things which cause or support your addiction. What are
the tempters, triggers, places, friends, and tangible items that
pull you down? What starts your cycle again? Where are you when
you are most tempted? Who are you with (or who aren't you with)?
What time of day or week is it? List and study these items so
that you can avoid or eliminate them. By eliminating these
items, when possible, you become stronger.
"and let us run with perseverance the race marked out
for us."
- There is no giving up - ever! The constant vigil of
recovery is often discouraging. Won't you ever be able to let
your guard down? No! Like eating or breathing, it is a forever
thing. How can you keep it up? When do you feel like throwing
in the towel? What helps you keep your focus? Do you have your
goal written and clearly in your mind - to be free from your addictive
behavior - to enjoy an abundant life? Write out your goals and
desires. Write the epitat you wish to be remembered by when you
die. Be clear about how you visualize an addiction free life.
All races have a finish line. Where is yours? Seeing it as
a race needing perserverance helps you become stronger.
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Heb 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith,
- Jesus is the source of your focus. He is the source
of your faith origin. He is also the source of power for the perfection
of your faith. In a recovery process, you need something larger
than yourself. It is always better to fix your gaze on what you
want to become. We become what we focus upon. If we focus upon
our addiction, we inadvertantly sustain our image of being addicted.
Close your eyes and try not to think of something (say a green
elephant). Our mind produces the elephant inspite of our efforts.
That is the power of negative focus. Now try to imagine yourself
with the power that comes from faith in the Creator God, Jesus.
Imagine Jesus giving you a strong faith. Imagine him perfecting
your faith in every situation. The more you focus upon Jesus,
the more He will recreate your life and free you from your addictive
behavior.
"who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning
its shame,
- What experience does Jesus have with the suffering of an
addiction? He was perfect! Maybe He never fell, but he endured
temptation. He endured shame - a byproduct of all addictive behavior.
He even died to resist. Was it easy? No, it took endurance. Ah,
so does your recovery process. Jesus did this with hope of the
joy of victory. Right on ... you now can focus upon the joy you
will receive for enduring and suffering in your resistance and
success over your addiction. You can scorn the shame each time
you feel the strenght of Jesus lift you above your situation.
Visualize your victory, your endurance, and your future joy. You
can have joy again!
"and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
- What authority does Jesus have to give us strength over
our addiction? The ultimate authority! If you read the Gospel
of John, you will see that Jesus never forgot his role as the
re-creator. He was the Source made flesh to dwell among us. He
came to give us power from the very throne of power - the throne
of the God of Creation. How could re-creation be a problem? It
isn't. Thus, of all the sources we could focus upon for recovery,
this is the greatest. You must focus upon many things in your
healing, but this is the number one focus - the power Jesus brought
from Heaven. He re-created the hope for life in the greatest battle
of all times - the battle of death - and Satan's grave could not
hold him. He has a proven track record! He has the power and knowledge.
Make a list of how you can focus upon the power of Jesus in your
life. There is no greater focus than upon the One who can re-create
our lives.
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Heb 12:3 "Consider him who endured
such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary
and lose heart."
- Anyone who recovers from an addiction will have to overcome
lots of opposition. You would think others would want to help.
Some do, but most don't know how to help.
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Heb 12:4 In your struggle against sin,
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
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Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten that word
of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do
not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart
when he rebukes you,
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Heb 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those
he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
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Heb 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline;
God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by
his father?
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Heb 12:8 If you are not disciplined (and
everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children
and not true sons.
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Heb 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human
fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much
more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
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Heb 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for
a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for
our good, that we may share in his holiness.
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Heb 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant
at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest
of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by
it.
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Heb 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your
feeble arms and weak knees.
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Heb 12:13 "Make level paths for
your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather
healed.
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Heb 12:14 Make every effort to live
in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one
will see the Lord.
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Heb 12:15 See to it that no one misses
the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble
and defile many.
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Heb 12:16 See that no one is sexually
immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his
inheritance rights as the oldest son.
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Heb 12:17 Afterward, as you know,
when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could
bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with
tears.
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Heb 12:18 You have not come to a mountain
that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness,
gloom and storm;
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Heb 12:19 to a trumpet blast or to
such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that
no further word be spoken to them,
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Heb 12:20 because they could not bear
what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain,
it must be stoned."
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Heb 12:21 The sight was so terrifying
that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."
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Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount
Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You
have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
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Heb 12:23 to the church of the firstborn,
whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge
of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,
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Heb 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of
a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better
word than the blood of Abel.
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Heb 12:25 See to it that you do not
refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused
him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn
away from him who warns us from heaven?
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Heb 12:26 At that time his voice shook
the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake
not only the earth but also the heavens."
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Heb 12:27 The words "once more"
indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created
things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
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Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful,
and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
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Heb 12:29 for our "God is a
consuming fire."
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