Step 5

 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working."

James 5:16

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Psalm 147:3

 

National Recovery Month is a powerful tool of awareness.  During this month we reflect on our own walks in recovery, and also, the recovery of others.  Also during this time, we think of many other people that still may be walking blindly in their addiction.  These people are especially hurting.  But, during this month we choose to make special intentional time to reach out, offer services, and provide resources to help those in addiction recovery.  Maybe one of the best things this month can achieve is that it puts a name on the suffering.  Meaning we call it what it is, and shed light to a subject and situation that normally stays in darkness.  We talk about it, put it out there, and get others talking about it.  This brings us to step five in our walk through the 12 steps.  In the previous step we take a fearless moral inventory of all the wrong in our lives that we, or others, have caused.  We put it down on paper and we name it.  Which brings us to step five.  Here we put a name on it and tell others, just like we are doing with addiction recovery during the month of September.  We admit to ourselves, to God, and to another person, that we trust and who has our best interest in mind, the exact nature of all of our wrongs.  One of my good friends always says that 'God can't work with nothing you don't give Him', and I think he is right.  It is in this step where we give it to God.  We trust the process.  It takes a whole lot of courage and humility to tell others exactly all the mistakes in our life, but it is this exact process and action in step five that brings us freedom and peace.  In the scripture above, the Lord promises that if we tell others about the sin in our lives, where we are falling short, and have them pray for us, and likewise us for them, then He promises healing.  When we tell God the nature of our wrongs He gives us forgiveness and salvation from our sin.  But, the next level to this is when we tell others and have them pray for us.  It is then that we get the healing.  Forgiveness is good, but we want regeneration, we want true and full freedom, and we want healing and peace from our past and fully from our addiction.  In order to do this we CANNOT skip this step.  And we must pray for the courage to tell someone we trust, like a sponsor or mentor, the nature of our hurts and wrong doing.  This is the only way to get the healing God promises.  There is no short cut or easy way to do this.  But God, always makes good on His promises, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3).  Today, pray for the courage to take the next step.  Put on foot in front of the other, it is a WALK in faith, not a run or sprint!  Ask the Lord to send good godly mentors and sponsors into your life that you can trust.  And that can pray for you, and you for them, that you may receive healing from your pain.  Love you all!  Praying for you and yours!  Have a blessed day, it's your choice!