POWER UP!
You Don't Need to Feel Powerless...Ever!
Do you ever feel powerless over your behavior? If so, how can you
become responsible? What do you have the power to do?
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the Bible,
teach that people must admit they are moral failures. Alcoholics
admit they are powerless over alcohol. They don't have the fruit
of self-control. Their powerlessness over addiction is similar to
Paul's frustration that "what I want to do I do not do, but what
I hate I do." (Romans 7:15, 19, 23)
Though you do not have the power in and of yourself to overcome
these patterns, you do have the power to do some things that will
bring fruits of victory later.
- You have the power to agree with the truth about your
problems. In the Bible this is called "confession." You can
say, "That is me." You may not be able to change it yet, but
you can confess.
- You have the power to submit your inability to God. You
always have the power to ask for help and yield. You have the
power to humble yourself and turn your life over to Him. You
may not be able to make yourself well, but you can call the
Doctor. The humbling of yourself, commanded in the Bible, is
always coupled with great promises. (1 John 1:9; James
4:7-10; Matt. 5:3-6)
- You have the power to search, and ask God - and others - to
reveal more about what is within your being. Ask for feedback
from trusted individuals who have the insight to your
character and can help you value what you already possess and
help you see the area that needs improvement.
- You have the power to turn from the evil that you find within
you. This is called "repentance." This does not mean that
you'll be perfect; it means that you can see your sinful
parts as aspects that you want to change.
- You have the power to humble yourself and ask God - and
others - to help you with your developmental insecurities and
leftover childhood needs. Many of your problematic parts come
from being empty inside, and you need to seek God, and
others, to have those needs met.
- You have the power to seek out those you have injured and
make amends. You need to do this in order to be responsible
for yourself and your sin, and be responsible to those you
have injured. (Matt. 5:23-24)
Taken from Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John
Townsend. Copyright (c) 1992 by Henry Cloud and John
Townsend. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1-800-727-3480.
© 1997 vinebranch@hotmail.com
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page