New 3 > D = Clean 3/02/2013
3 > D = Clean
I have always started out with practical tips in most of my video’s and articles but I reversed that trend in my last video and I liked it. Today I will once again start with the Spiritual and go from there. Some of you are already discouraged and you are thinking; I really don’t believe all that spiritual stuff. What I want to challenge you with is an idea of living 3 days in a Christian way. No addiction, no sin, no out of control emotions. Now some of you just don’t believe in God at all. That is OK, try it anyways-see if it is real. And just to be clear we are not trying to find some “higher power”. We are looking to have a relationship with Almighty God who created the universe and whose Son died on the cross for our sin.
So if you are going to stop doing things in your normal routine, what should you be doing? For these 3 days you should try going out of your way to praise God, worship Him, pray to Him, study His Word and also going out of your way to help other people. Please see my video “Finding joy” for more ideas on how to worship God.
Start your 3 days by developing a habit to be thankful for all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says; Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Many of us respond to hard times in our life by getting upset, then going back to our addiction. If we learn to thank God for all things and really mean it and trust Him, we will really be fighting addiction effectively. Psalms 100 says: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever.
Continue your 3 days by praising God often and enthusiastically. Psalm 150:6 says: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hebrews 13:15 says: Through Him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. Praise gives glory to God and opens us up to a deeper union with Him. It turns our attention off of our problems and focuses us onto the nature and character of God Himself. As we focus our minds on God and proclaim His goodness, we reflect His glory back to Him. The results can fill you with peace and contentment ( Isaiah 26:3) and transform your outlook on life. Very simply, we praise God because He is worthy of our praise ( 1 Chron. 16:25; Rev. 5:11-14). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Creator, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Judge, Defender and much more.
Another foundational reason to praise God is simple obedience. The Bible says God is a “jealous” God who demands and desires our praise. “You shall have no other gods before Me,” says the first commandment (Deut. 6:7). As we praise God, we will discover incredible benefits for our lives. That’s because human beings were created by God to praise Him (Isa. 43:7, Matt. 21:16). Due to man’s original sin, however, this relationship was disrupted. Praising God helps restore us to that right relationship, for God actually dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As we draw near to the Father in praise, He draws near to us (James 4:8).
Continue your 3 days by worshipping God often. After you have sincerely repented of your sins you can talk to God just like Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden. Pray to God saying: Father I worship you because you are a loving God and a great and mighty God. I will worship you only and not my addiction. I will worship you only and not money, or sinful movies, or sinful TV, or lust or – you fill in the blank with whatever things you have put before God in the past.
Continue your 3 days by going out of your way to help other people. If you are early in your recovery, sadly, you need to avoid certain people who have the same addiction as you. But find people you can help. If you can’t find anyone, go and visit your Pastor or Priest and ask them if there is anything you can do.
God not only wants you clean but he also wants you to be productive. Never have a goal of just stopping an addiction. Stop it, and then do something to change the world.