Celebrate Recovery - Turn - Lesson 5

Dear God, I have tried to do it all by myself, on my own power, and I have failed.  Today, I want to turn my life over to You.  I ask You to be my Lord and my Savior.  You are the One and only Higher Power!  I ask that You help me start to think less about me and my will.  I want to daily turn my will  over to You, to daily seek Your direction and wisdom for my life.  Please continue to help me over-come my hurts, hangups, and habits and may that victory over them help others as they see Your power at work in changing my life.  Help me to do Your will always.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

Now is the time to journal and discuss the following in the Celebrate Recovery - Post #8 - Turn topic:

1. What is stopping you from asking Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior?  (If you have already asked Christ into your life, describe your experience.)
2. How has relying on your "own understanding" caused problems in your life?  Be specific.
3. What does "repent" mean to you?  What do you need to repent of?
4. What does the declaration of "not guilty" found in Romans 3:22 mean to you?
5. When you turn your life over to Jesus Christ, you have a "new life" (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).  What does that "new life" mean to you?
6. What does the Principle 3 prayer (above) mean to you?

I gotta go with all 3 kids at home I don't have time. I do want to thank you for posting the questions and for the positive prayer.  Through God all things are possible and achievable. 

This prayer is worth repeating.   "Dear God, I have tried to do it all by myself, on my own power, and I have failed.  Today, I want to turn my life over to You.  I ask You to be my Lord and my Savior.  You are the One and only Higher Power!  I ask that You help me start to think less about me and my will.  I want to daily turn my will  over to You, to daily seek Your direction and wisdom for my life.  Please continue to help me over-come my hurts, hangups, and habits and may that victory over them help others as they see Your power at work in changing my life.  Help me to do Your will always.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen."

Although I have not participated by posting in this series, I still have been reading and appreciate the posts. 

Today, I have to agree with Lorraine.  This prayer is worth repeating.  It could be applied for ALL areas in your life that you are trying to controll by yourself.

"Dear God, I have tried to do it all by myself, on my own power, and I have failed.  Today, I want to turn my life over to You.  I ask You to be my Lord and my Savior.  You are the One and only Higher Power!  I ask that You help me start to think less about me and my will.  I want to daily turn my will  over to You, to daily seek Your direction and wisdom for my life.  Please continue to help me over-come my hurts, hangups, and habits and may that victory over them help others as they see Your power at work in changing my life.  Help me to do Your will always.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen."

This one made me think and seemed a little harder. So, I've rolled my answers all into one.  

I don’t think “asking Christ into our life” is an accurate statement of salvation. It makes it seem like it’s based on something we have to do – when in reality it is all based on what He’s already done and can more accurately be stated as “receiving His gift of Forgiveness, by believing who He is and what he did for us.”

I’m thankful for the verse 1John 1:9  If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   

So, repentance is not just a one-time deal – it’s daily.  It’s a daily decision to turn from my old ways and live out my new life in Christ.  Thursday’s  Our Daily Bread really hit home with me.  It talked about a man who created a Chimp Eden in order to save some Chimpanzees from being killed for meat.  He said when they were first captured, they put up quite a fight as they were restricted into small cages in order to be transported to their new home that had been set up for them.  It was a place where they did not need to fear and where they would enjoy the freedom to roam and be watched over and protected.  And in the same way, we baulk over the restrictions God places in our lives, when he is only trying to provide the best situations for us and get us out of harm’s way.   It ended with the thought that “Obedience to God is the key to freedom”  I’ve heard that, understood that, but now and ready to live that.