Step/Week 11, Day 2 – Relapse and Gratitude: Listen to God
May 6, 2020 1140
“But test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it” (1 Thess. 5:21, TLB).
During your life of addiction, you’ll had many different voices and influences telling you what you should do; like “Go on, it’s okay to have a drink”, “You’ll never recovery from your addictions”, and “You’re a loser; you might as well give up”. You can add to the last those you’ve heard in the past. The world and people around you can have tremendous influence on your thoughts, words, and actions, especially in a negative way.
One way you can fight against these influences is to listen to God. Listening might not come easy to you. People think that because we have ears, we’ll be good at listening, but that’s not the case for many people, especially those struggling with addictions. Listening “well” is a skill that you can develop. More importantly, listening to God is an essential part of your process towards a full recovery. You can transfer the listening skills from what you’ve learnt whilst listening to God, as you listen to others.
The reading for today tells you to “test everything” to see that it is “true”. I like this teaching. You can test what you hear and test it against God’s Word. If it matches the teachings from God’s Word, then it is truth and you can accept it; if it goes against God’s Word, then you can discard it and move on.
Stay close to God’s Word and practice the skill of listening to Him and His Word. Take a daily time-out, so that you can spend time with Him. Develop this healthy habit for your life.
– Graham Hood
Personal Reflection: How good would you say your listening skills are? Do you find it easy to have a time of listening to God in prayer? Ask Him to help you develop your listening skills, especially as you listen to Him and His Word during your daily “quiet time”.
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