Journey Towards Recovery

Lesson 02 - Powerless
Principal 1: Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the
wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.
Step 1: We admit we are powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives
had become unmanageable.

We are ready to accept Principal 1 when our pain is greater than our fear. Psalm 6: 2&3
Our LUST for power is not rooted in our strengths but our weaknesses. When we keep
doing things that we Don’t want to do and fail to do the things we’ve decided we need to do, we
begin to see that we do not, in fact, have the power to change like we thought we had.
• “Can’t we stop talking about it? Talking only makes it worse.”
• “I need a few drinks to relax. It doesn’t mean that I have a problem.”
P – Pride - We see we are no longer trapped by our Pride – Proverbs 29:23, Pride ends in a
fall, while humility brings honor
O – If Only – When we admit we are powerless, we start walking in the truth, rather than
living in “fantasy land” of rationalization. Luke 12:2&3.
W – Worry – All worry is a form of not trusting God enough! Stay focused on what God can
do. Learn the tools of Celebrate Recovery, remind yourself of them. Matt 6:34
E – Escape – We’ve tried to escape by doing the unhealthy things that have brought us to CR.
Trying to escape drains us of energy. God’s power is our only path. Ephesians 5:13&14
R – Resentments – We suppress them and allow them to fester. It is an emotional cancer.
Ephesians 4:26 & 27. In CR you will learn to let go of resentment by offering forgiveness.
You won’t just free “them,” more importantly, you free yourself.
L – Loneliness – Loneliness is a choice.In CR you will learn that with Jesus Christ you’ll
NEVER have to walk alone again. Get involved, stay involved, come to CR, come to
Church. Hebrews 12:1 & 2 (sheep are safer when part of the flock)
E – Emptiness – When you truly admit we are powerless, that empty feeling deep inside, that
cold wind that blows through you, will go away. John 10:10.
S – Selfishness – Simply said, selfishness is at the heart of most problems between people. In
CR we will learn to set boundaries. Not selfish but not a pushover either. Luke 17:33 –
Those who try to save their own life will lose it; those who lose their life will save it.
S – Separation – When you admit to being powerless you also give up separation from God.
When we can’t find God, we need to ask ourselves, “Who Moved?” hint – it’s wasn’t God.
Roman 8:38&39 – For I am certain that NOTHING can separate us from His love: neither
death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor
the future, neither the world above nor the world below, there is nothing in all creation that
WILL EVER be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus
our Lord.

Pity me, O Lord, for I am weak. Heal me for my body is sick, and I am upset and disturbed.
My mind is filled with apprehension and with gloom. Psalm 6: 2&3
 Journey Towards Recovery
Lesson 02 - Powerless
Guidelines for Group Sharing
1. Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your sharing
to three to five minutes.
a. Focusing on one’s own thoughts and feelings will keep sharing short, eliminate
cross talk, and keep the person sharing from “wandering” to other people’s
problems or non-group related topics. Please be strict about the three-to-five-
minute rule. It is very frustrating for others in the group to miss an opportunity to
share because someone else spoke for a long time. Come up with a signal, if
necessary, and announce it was the start of the group. If anyone goes over the
time, give the “signal” so no one feels singled out.

2. There is NO cross talk. Cross talk is when two individuals engage in conversation
excluding all others. Each person is free to express their feelings without
interruptions.
a. Cross talk is also identified as someone making, “I can relate to you because….”
Or I can’t relate to you because….” Comments, laughing, asking questions,
touching them to comfort them, distracting behavior and so on. We don’t have to
be legalistic about it, but use care not to offend anyone. If this guideline is
abused, someone may get very hurt and give up on their recovery altogether.

3. We are here to support one another, not FIX one another.

a. We all have wonderful intentions, and want to share the wisdom we have gained
from being in this awesome program. Many times, a person is not at the proper
emotional state to hear or understand your advise. The members of your group
are going to look to you to protect them and enforce this guideline. Fixing can be
described as offering advice to solve a problem someone has shared, offering a
Scripture, offering book referrals, or offering counselor referrals.

4. Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirement. What is share in the group
stays in the group. The only exception is when someone threatens to injure
themselves or others.
a. It can be very hurtful to discover that someone’s sharing is being discussed
outside of the small group time. Most of the people in recovery have never been
able to “tell their secret” and they need assurance that this is a safe place for
sharing. When making phone calls to members of your group, you must be
careful about protecting anonymity when leaving messages…. Sending e-mails…
text messages and so forth.

5. Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group

a. Because many of us grew up hearing or using offensive language, this can be a
painful trigger to members of our group. If we are growing in recovery and our
walk with the Lord, we will never use foul language and will be diligent in
enforcing this guideline to protect the members of our group
Proverbs 11:13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Pity me, O Lord, for I am weak. Heal me for my body is sick, and I am upset and disturbed.
My mind is filled with apprehension and with gloom. Psalm 6: 2&3