LyndaLu wrote:I need all the help I can get! Can a person work on the program and CBT and
TEA forms and meditation and still add God into that mix comfortably. Can they
all walk hand in hand to assist me in my recovery?
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
If you are thinking in terms of "adding God into the mix" then you are missing the whole point of who God is. God is life itself and has everything to do with creating it and sustaining it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."--John 14:6. I say this not to be critical of you but to share with a loving concern for the understanding of the wonders of God. Anything apart from God is just about sin and selfishness. There may be momentary pleasure in sin but God is the real thing that is everlasting…life eternal. You cannot trust in anything else apart from God. This is why it is so important to know the truth of the Bible. You will be more readily able to discern what is proper and best to incorporate into your life—such as what programs and techniques used to better yourself. Everything you do should be in line with the Scriptures and developing a growing relationship with God by knowing who He is and not just knowing “about” who He is. In reference to knowing God, Jesus said, in speaking of and to God the Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”—John 17:3.
We cannot just add God to things or compartmentalize a spiritual aspect of who we are. God should be our all and everything. Jesus has to be the firm foundation on which we build on. Jesus said, “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”—Luke 6:47-49.
I can recall going through an alcohol rehabilitation program many moons ago. The main thrust of the group sessions seemed to be based on the idea of you being out in the middle of the ocean on a boat that had a rock on board. If you didn’t get rid of the rock the boat was going to sink and you would drown. The idea was for you to discover what your rock was and to get rid of it. Your rock, of course, was some major thing in your life that you needed to deal with and get rid of. When the six weeks were up and it was time to graduate I still had not discovered what my rock was and the counselor told me, point blank (for whatever reason) that she didn’t think that I was going to make it. In other words, I was destined to end up in the gutter, prison, or dead because of my drinking. But, as I look back, I can be thankful that I did end up finding my rock and it was a solid rock. It was, however, not a rock that I would want to throw overboard in the boat of life--that rock being Christ Jesus. The Bible mentions God as being a rock because He is a fortress, a stronghold. I discovered Jesus to be that anchor that I didn’t have before. Jesus was my answer to what life was all about. By the grace of God we can live the life He has for us and not just hear about it and give it some thought without acting upon it. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”—James 1:22.
The sanctified life that God has for us is symbolically represented in the holy place of the sanctuary with the three articles of furniture. I like to see them as three essentials of a healthy life—eating, breathing, and exercise. On the right side (north) as you enter into the holy place there is the table of show bread. The bread represents Jesus who is the bread of life. This is the eating for nourishment by feeding on the Word of God. In other words, reading and studying the Bible. The second item, the alter of incense, is found in the center (west) along the veil that leads to the most holy place. This represents our prayer life—the breath of the soul. It is the healthy breathing of life that we need to stay connected with God through the intercession of Christ. The third item to the left (south) as you enter is the candlestick with its seven lamps. The seven lamps represent the seven churches and the oil supplying the fuel for the lamps represents the Holy Spirit working in and through us to be a light unto the world as we live our lives and be witnesses for the glory of God. This is why I refer to this as the exercise part. It is putting into action what we receive from our feeding on the Word of God and the breathing of our soul in communion with God through prayer. We need all three of these to have a healthy and balanced Christian walk.
By God’s enabling grace we can unselfishly serve others and share the “Good News” of salvation with a lost and dying world. This in turn will keep our minds off of serving self which can lead to things like depression and anxiety. We have nothing by looking to ourselves while we have everything by looking to God. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”—John 1:29. When the heart is cleansed from sin, Christ is placed on the throne that self-indulgence and love of earthly treasure once occupied. The image of Christ is seen in the expression of the countenance. The work of sanctification is carried forward in the soul. Self-righteousness is banished. There is seen the putting on of the new man, which after Christ is created in righteousness and true holiness.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” needs to be at the center of any Cognitive Behavior Therapy. God has bought us, and He claims a throne in each heart. Our minds and bodies must be subordinated to Him, and the natural habits and appetites must be made subservient to the higher wants of the soul. But we can place no dependence upon ourselves in this work. We cannot with safety follow our own guidance. The Holy Spirit must renew and sanctify us. In God’s service there must be no halfway work. The upward progress of the soul indicates that Jesus bears rule in the heart. That heart through which He diffuses His peace and joy, and the blessed fruits of His love, becomes His temple and His throne. "Ye are my friends," says Christ, "if ye do whatsoever I command you."—John 15:14.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord."—2 Cor. 3:18. Beholding Christ means studying His life as given in His Word. We are to dig for truth as for hidden treasure. We are to fix our eyes upon Christ. When we take Him as our personal Saviour, this gives us boldness to approach the throne of grace. By beholding we become changed, morally assimilated to the One who is perfect in character. By receiving His imputed righteousness, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we become like Him. The image of Christ is cherished, and it captivates the whole being.
Give to God the most precious offering that it is possible for you to make; give Him your heart.
May God bless you on your journey to new discoveries found in Him.
GIL