Yesterday was our monthly Celebrate Recovery leadership meeting. I was to bring the devotion and the training. I had decided to introduce the book I’ve mentioned a few times–Freedom Starts Today. I was amazed afterwards for every person wanted to have one so they could go through the 90 days addressing something they face in their own life. I had been hesitant to bring this book to the group since it is not part of the work of CR. Yet, I had felt God’s nudging so I did it. I know that no ministry in and of itself is complete. Ministries thrive when we can use them to complement one another and that is exactly what God was wanting.

I greatly appreciated the message for today in this book. It is addressing the fact that we often ask God’s forgiveness for a sinful step we have taken knowing it was taken out of our selfishness. Examples would be: taking the drink I know I can’t drink, looking at a website that I just can’t enter, eating just a bite of this, reacting to a gossip just because I had something to say, and the list goes on and on. I deeply appreciate that this book identifies so many “selfish things” we do and calls them out. If our freedom from sinful behavior is to take root, we have to go to the root of the behavior and that usually is “a selfish desire to indulge just one more time” but, only for a moment.

All of this certainly emphasizes the patience and love of God for His children. How grateful I am for His patient endurance as each one of us learns how to battle our own flesh by surrendering it and turning away from it.