Last night’s Celebrate Recovery lesson was DENIAL. It is lesson one as we begin the start of this year–year 17. I always enjoy hearing each lesson as it is done and amazingly, God always has something new I hear from the lesson.

It is easy to think of denial as it relates to someone thinking their drinking habit has no real effect on anyone. “I do this in private so it’s no big deal.” It can be the same for someone using drugs, porn, overeating, and the list goes on. Last night though, I began to realize denial for me was the almost 60 years I wouldn’t let myself see the huge effect my father’s verbal/physical abuse had on my belief system coupled with my brother’s sexual use of me. I had believed the lies of Satan SO LONG!

CR always says it addresses Hurts, Hang-ups and Habits. I started CR to help others and address a porn addiction, in that order. After a year I was brought to the reality of my denial of my hurt. I spent 3.5 years in therapy to address this with the weekly support of our CR ministry. In so doing I began to discover the hang-ups I had developed. The biggest one was my tainted belief about my own identity–who was this man called Earnie? Over these 17 years in CR, with the help of so many of God’s kids, I can say that most days I know and believe what Psalms 139:14 says: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Moving out of denial to the lies of my hang-ups into the truth of God’s Word is one of the most humbling, yet fulfilling realities CR offers someone. I am one of those! How I thank GOD!