So If You Think You're Standing Firm..


By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 9/4/19


“Teach my song to rise to you, when temptation comes my way. When I cannot stand I’ll fall on you, Jesus you’re my hope and stay.” (Lord I Need You by Matt Maher)

“So if you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”. No matter how well things are going, temptation can be waiting to trip us up and send us back to the very thing that we have sought so desperately to escape. Everyone faces temptation, and giving in to that temptation can result when we let our guard down. There are two common reasons we let our guard down and risk relapse.

Time & Distance from our hurts/habits/hang-ups
Many years of recovery isn’t a guarantee of continued sobriety. Yes, it makes it easier to resist the temptation, but it can also be the cause of a relapse as well. The longer we have freedom from our sins, the easier it is to think we have it beat. Satan knows this too! Paul warns us to be ready for battle. In Ephesians 6:11-12 he tells us to, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” When we put on the armor of God (His word and His truths) we can turn our temptations over to God and resist the desire to fall back into old addictions and sins. Satan’s attempts to exploit our weakness can’t happen if we don’t give into the lie that time and distance keep us from failure.

Pride and the “I can do this on my own” mentality
Pride in our ability to defeat sin on our own is a significant part of failures and relapses. Paul warns about this in 1 Corinthians 10:12 – “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall!” Once we get our lives under control, we can easily think we are strong enough to keep this problem at bay. We may start to think that we don’t need accountability partners, step studies, or anything else anymore. That’s when relapse can happen, and pride becomes our downfall. Don’t let pride be a barrier to continued freedom from sin and relapse. We need to stay close to God and His word with daily bible reading, and use our accountability partners and other Celebrate Recovery resources. There isn’t any shame in long term use/need of these things. It shows our dependence on God and His provisions.


When temptation comes your way, will you turn it over to God and avoid relapse?

Recovery is a life long endeavor. Seeking God and the resources He has provided to resist temptation and relapse, making a promise to ourselves that we each will lean on God and His provisions ensures that we can enjoy the fruits of living in recovery.  Have a great week!
Click HERE to listen to "Lord I Need You" by Matt Maher


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