Recovery from Depression and Dependency

The power of the tongue

May 16, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Speaking powerful words

Psalm 19:14 (NKJV) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart  be acceptable in Your sight,  O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

As we continue to move forward in recovery, an important commitment is speaking powerful words that will help us keep making progress. The first group that followed the twelve-step method was Alcoholics Anonymous, which was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. The success of these steps has helped millions of struggling people worldwide. The same steps have been adapted to many different uses in the recovery realm.

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I will find hope and encouragement as I hear my own voice making positive confessions. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

Knowing the power of the spoken word, I would strongly recommend reading these steps out loud as I have personalized them, as often as you see fit. Many people in recovery review these principles on a daily basis in order to keep absolute accountability.

Reading them silently is not as powerful as saying the words out loud:

I am nothing without God—my life is unmanageable without Him.
God can restore my heart, soul, mind, and body.
By an act of my own will, I am turning myself over to God’s care.
I will make an honest examination of my moral conduct every day.
I will admit the exact nature of my wrongs to God and another human being.
I am ready to have God remove all defects from my character.
I have humbly asked God to remove my shortcomings.
I am willing to make a list of all persons I have harmed and I am willing to make amends to all.
I will make amends to all of them, if possible—except when it would injure them.
I will continue to take a personal inventory and when I am wrong, I will admit it immediately.
I will pray and meditate to improve my conscious contact with God asking for His will in my life and the power to carry it out.
Because of my spiritual awakening and what following these steps has done for me, I will try to help others in their recovery efforts using these same principles.

Declaration: I will find new strength by regularly declaring my intentions as to my desire to recover from depression and dependency. I will find hope and encouragement as I hear my own voice making positive confessions. I will make better progress by submitting myself to absolute accountability.

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All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Restoration

May 15, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Making things right

Psalm 139:1-3 (NIV) You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.

There are some ways you can expedite the process of restoration in your recovery from depression and addiction. The act of keeping a ‘clean slate’ is extremely helpful and will make it easier for you to not become so easily overwhelmed by your circumstances. As someone comes to your mind who you may have an offense against, or who may have an offense against you—attempt to release the anxiety you associate with that person or the event they were involved with. By eliminating all thoughts of ill will and hatred from your heart and mind, you will not feel as annoyed and irritable. Sleep will come easier and you will experience less tension and anger.

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I will find new strength by having the humility and courage to work toward restoration with those who have offended me and those who may have been offended by me. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

Something that may seem awkward for you to imagine at first, would be the thought of actually doing something thoughtful for a person who has been a source of pain and bitterness in the past. By reaching out to someone who may not deserve it in your mind, you will make yourself feel better—whether their reception is positive or negative.

An act of kindness toward someone who may be undeserving can actually neutralize the level of emotional stress as it relates to that person—on your end and theirs. You may not receive any kind of outward recognition, but the knowledge that you made the effort will feed your own sense of well-being and will cause an improvement for you.

Doing nothing to work toward resolution or restoration generally leads to more alienation and misunderstanding. Making any kind of a positive move requires humility and courage.

Human nature tells us to retreat and ‘let the other person make the first move’. But, scripture encourages us to do the opposite. Romans chapter 12 exhorts that love must be sincere. It tells us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good.

We are further encouraged to be devoted to one another in love, and honor each other above ourselves. We are told not to lack in zeal, but to keep our spiritual fervor in serving the Lord. We are to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. We are reminded to share with the Lord’s people who are in need and to practice hospitality.

The chapter goes on to say that we are to bless those who persecute us and not curse them. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. It is recommended that we live in harmony with one another. We are told not to be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position and not be conceited.

In closing, we are commanded not to repay anyone with evil—even though they may have done evil to us. We must be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. As much as possible, we are told to live at peace with everyone and not take revenge. We are to leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Instead of seeking revenge, we are told to feed our enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty, we are to give him something to drink. In doing this, we will heap burning coals on his head.

In a nutshell, we are not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good. This whole philosophy is an example of how ‘upside down’ human nature is, compared to the spiritual.

You might believe that it’s beyond the realm of possibility in your case, but I would challenge you to attempt it. Ask God to give you an idea and the opportunity to try it out. Think of it as an experiment. All you need is some humility and a little courage.

The reason for restoration is not only so other people will feel better—it’s so that you will feel better, too. Your pride will often keep you from doing anything creative to work toward resolution. Prideful thoughts will give you the impression that any effort you make will be the same as admitting fault. Try not to think about that. How you may appear is not as important as your own peace of mind and wholeness. Think of your reason for making some kind of move as though it is for your own benefit, and maybe it will be easier for you.

If it’s still too difficult—imagine you’re doing your act of kindness for someone else, not the person you have been offended by. Imagine it’s someone you really like and enjoy doing nice things for. Do your best. Put your heart and soul into it. You will be surprised at the results as you push past your feelings of reluctance.

Declaration: I will find new strength by having the humility and courage to work toward restoration with those who have offended me and those who may have been offended by me. I will heed the words and encouragement of scripture, knowing I will receive the boldness to follow through, if I am willing to initiate.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Waiting on God

May 12, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Running with patience

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…

Running with patience is something I need to work on—how about you? There never seems to be enough hours in the day for me. My husband jokingly tells people my national origin is ‘Russian’, because I’m always rushin’ here and rushin’ there.

A person who has recovered from a history of substance abuse can easily switch over to other addictions that might not seem as ‘wrong’, but can be just as destructive. My own problem is not knowing when to quit at the end of the day.

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Balance is important in a healthy person's life who is trusting God and running with patience. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

I used to be a runner. I ran three miles a day, six days a week. It was exhilarating. There is a definite ‘rush’ you get when you push your body that way. I enjoyed the exercise, but I also liked the energy boost I experienced when my blood was coursing through my veins a little harder than normal. That ‘pumped’ feeling is what I get when I work. These days—and for a long time now—I tend to work harder than I should because of the ‘high’ I get when I’m able to accomplish a lot. I have a hard time stopping. I tell myself, ‘I just need to finish this or that first, and then I’ll stop’. Sleep isn’t a high priority for me, compared to finishing things I’ve started. Getting more rest is what I really need to work on. Especially, since I’m not as young as I used to be.

I’ve had the ‘over-achiever’ mentality all of my life. I remember my grandmother talking to me when I was in sixth grade and telling me I really didn’t need to work so hard, as I was in my room copiously re-writing my notes from school—while the other kids were playing and having fun. I was ‘driven’ from an early age. I liked the experience of getting ‘results’ from my time and couldn’t see much point in ‘playing’. I could spend hours working on a project of some kind, but was never very interested in a lot of the things kids normally do when they’re young. I see the pattern so well now, as I look back over my life. Jobs that were ‘all consuming’ and hobbies that got ‘carried away’. I’m still over committed—even though I’ve ‘cut way back’. I know I have a problem, and I’m working on it…but, I’m not there yet.

I have to remind myself, a runner who has a long distance to go, doesn’t run at full speed. They pace themselves so they can finish the race. They ‘run with patience’. They are always moving forward, but conserving part of their energy so they will have enough to finish the race. If they try to go too fast, they might not finish at all. What do running with patience and waiting on God have in common?

Often, we think of the act of ‘waiting’ as sitting still. Not moving. But, waiting can have a lot of different forms. Think of a pregnant mother. She is carrying a life inside of her that is under construction. Pregnancy is work. A pregnant mother can’t sit still and just wait for her baby to be born, she has to keep ‘doing life’ as she is waiting for her baby’s due date. The closer she gets to the end of the pregnancy, the harder it is to wait. She just wants to have that baby. But, she has to wait until the baby is ready. As much as she wants it to be born, she has to accept the fact that a full term baby will have a much easier time surviving and thriving, than one born ahead of time. There is a reason for the length of time a child is supposed to be in the womb. Important development is taking place every single day. A pregnant mother has to, in a sense—run with patience.

Most of the time, we think of ‘running’ as pushing ourselves to move forward. In some cases—like mine, the running comes naturally. It’s the holding back or, not moving ahead too fast—being patient—that’s the challenge.

When you are ministry minded and want to ‘help people’, running with patience becomes even harder. You want to serve the Lord and you have all of this passion and zeal. You keep saying ‘yes’ until your life is spent burning the candle at both ends. You tell yourself you’re ‘doing it for God’, but there needs to be a balance that allows for quiet time, personal time, time for family, friends, and your day job—if you have one.

When you’re running a race, ‘sleep’ can seem like ‘down time’. This is the area I need to work on most. Allowing your body and mind to rest is part of learning to ‘wait on God’. It can be a challenge to adjust your thinking to this concept if you’re a ‘workaholic’. The truth of the matter is—waiting on God is trusting God. Trusting Him to help you get what you need to get done in a reasonable amount of time…and not being such a perfectionist that you can’t ever see the end of a project that, in your opinion, could always be improved upon.

Declaration: I will find new strength by taking myself less seriously. I will give myself time to rest and time to play—knowing that balance is important in a healthy person’s life who is trusting God and running with patience.

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee as of the date they were written and posted. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog. This material will be published as a book in 2013, by the grace of God. To subscribe to New Strength, select ‘follow’ in the upper left corner of this page.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse:http://www.youtube.com/view_all_playlists

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Progress

April 29, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Progress that leads to blessing

James 1:25 (NKJV) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

It’s hard to believe how many people make a considerable amount of progress in their recovery from depression and addiction—and then ‘fall back’ into the same trap from which they struggled so hard to be free. To someone who hasn’t had problems in these areas, the ongoing fight seems futile and difficult to grasp. There are a number of reasons why a person in recovery can continue to be so easily drawn back.

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God's blessings for today and for my future are worth more than anything behind me. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

For starters, the fact that a person has made some improvement can cause them to feel like the battle is over and they don’t have to use as much self-discipline anymore. A false sense of confidence in their accomplishment sometimes leads them to believe they are ‘beyond’ ever falling as far as they fell in the past, again. With this attitude, they let their guard down. From there—it’s a short distance to where they were before.

Another reason is, the lifestyle of a person who has battled in these areas has usually led them to relationships with others who have the same difficulties. ‘History’ takes a toll on many who have made some progress in recovery—as they continue to associate with people who may not be trying to recover.

For a person who has spent a considerable amount of time in the lifestyle of depression and addiction—making the decision to work toward recovery is like moving to a foreign country. Everything in the past has been centered around their behavior problem. Their whole existence has become connected to their area of weakness. It is such a total involvement that even when the choice of recovery has been made—there can be a ‘loneliness’ for the past. No matter how painful the past has been—it is, after all familiar. The patterns and behavior tied to their weakness have become so ‘second nature’, the person no longer knows how to live any other way.

Making the decision to ‘look into the perfect law of liberty’ isn’t just a simple exchange of their old life for a new one. There is a need for constant exposure to the Word of God so that their mind not only becomes renewed, but maintained on a different level. Layers of complicated soul ties need to be broken. There must be an active pursuit of a new lifestyle that agrees with wholeness and righteousness.

Progress can only be measured at the end of each day—for that day.

As you are working toward your own recovery, you will experience many different emotions. Some days you will be stronger than others. You may go through periods of time where your past is the last thing on your mind and you are moving forward by leaps and bounds. And then without notice—you may wake up one day feeling melancholy and not as confident about your future and your ability to keep making progress.

After you’ve made some improvement—you still need to keep a sharp eye out for the tricks of the enemy of your soul. Remember, he can be relentless, and he doesn’t want you to win. He will try in any way he can to get you right back to the bottom of the pit. He has fooled people who were smarter than you into thinking they could ‘lighten up a little bit’, and that’s all it took.

James 1:25 is one of those verses you might want to print out and hang on the wall. It’s simple, but profound. What it really says is that God wants to bless you in your efforts to walk in liberty. He has made a way of escape for you through the power in the Word of God and the blood of Jesus that covers your past and all your failure. But in order to receive the blessing He offers—you have to do your part. You have to continue seeking liberty instead of bondage. You have to keep hearing the Word of God and not think you’ve already heard enough and you can just slack off on that. You need to be doing what the Word of God says in all areas of your life day after day.

‘Being free’ is a gift from God. It’s not something you can do on your own, but you do have to cooperate. Freedom and liberty are blessings, or ‘rewards’ given to those who sincerely want to recover from a past of failure and bondage. Blessings are for the present and the future. To live in the condition of being blessed by God means you are ‘being continually blessed’. It means you constantly have something to look forward to because the mercies of God are new everyday. God’s blessings for today and for your future are worth more than anything behind you.

Continue to work with God. He is ‘for you’. He wants you to win this. He doesn’t want you back at the bottom of that pit. He can help you keep a tight rein on your emotions and behavior. Stay close to Him and keep making progress.

Declaration: The blessing of God is more important to me than my old ways. I won’t take my progress for granted and be fooled into a relapse. I will take each day seriously and do my part to keep moving forward.

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For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse:http://www.youtube.com/view_all_playlists

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Becoming what God wants

April 28, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Right conduct

Matthew 20:27-28 (NKJV) …And whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

So much of the Word of God is in direct opposition to what we are taught in our culture. We are told: be a winner. Be number one. Live to lead…and so on. Not everyone can be a leader and not everyone is cut out to lead. We can’t all be leaders. But, it isn’t that no one should lead, either. Whether we are meant to be a leader—or not, there is much to be learned about having the right attitude and spirit—and the ability to conduct ourselves in the right manner—whatever we do.

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As I follow Jesus' example of servanthood in my life--the right doors will open, the wrong ones will close--and my future will be blessed. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

As we consider ‘leadership’—it’s clear there are many kinds of leaders. There are numerous philosophies about leadership and how it should be done. Some people spend years of their life studying world history and the ways various leaders have led. As they study, they learn that sometimes leadership has led to corruption and dominance. Many leaders started out with great ideals, but failed to follow through with what they originally set out to accomplish. Others were changed by ‘power’. Some people got too much control, and made life miserable for the ones they were supposed to be helping. Many leaders failed to lead. Others failed while leading…for a variety of reasons.

When Jesus came to earth, He taught a whole different approach to leadership than what the world had ever seen. He was a unique leader who led by example. In the time period Jesus lived here, it was common for most people to walk to where they were going. They often wore sandals or went barefoot. The dirt roads and paths were dusty, so people’s feet didn’t stay clean very long. It was typical for servants to wash the feet of guests who arrived at a household—as a way of offering refreshment and hospitality—but also for practical matters of hygiene. Some hosts washed the feet of their guests as a sign of humility.

When Jesus began His public ministry, He chose twelve men to accompany Him. As He picked them, He bid them to ‘follow’ Him…and they did. Jesus chose His disciples from among the working class. They were average men who said, ‘yes’, to His invitation. These men went with Jesus where He walked. They observed His actions and listened to His teaching.

One of the most profound things Jesus did to communicate His style of leadership—was wash His disciple’s feet. This was extremely humiliating for His followers. Jesus was the leader—they were the followers. It would have been right for them to wash His feet. But, Jesus insisted on washing the feet of His disciples to illustrate an important quality He desired for His followers to possess.

Not all of the disciples wanted to be leaders. Some of them had aspirations for leadership—but others didn’t. Jesus knew that. But, He had a standard He wanted all of the disciples to adopt, whether they were destined for leadership—or not. He wanted them to see themselves as ‘the least’—and He wanted them to be willing to serve.

You may have some failures in your background and you might be at a crossroad where your career is concerned. If you are employed—you could be frustrated with your current position because it is unfulfilling or not meeting your needs. Maybe you ‘picked’ a career that sounded good, but it didn’t turn out to be what you thought—and now you don’t know where you’re headed.

As you consider your own future and what God’s plan for you might be—it’s important to become acquainted with examples of ‘right conduct’ in the Word of God—and how they could apply to your situation.

Whatever God opens to you—remember the model of the Master, who came to earth to serve the needs of mankind. While you’re waiting for more revelation about what’s next, search for meaning in the words Jesus spoke. Ask God to open the eyes of your understanding so you don’t miss anything.

Most of all, don’t be afraid to follow Him. The disciples who Jesus called to join Him were all doing ‘something else’ at the time. Some of them were fishermen—who continued to ‘fish’. Others left their careers behind. When you open yourself to truly become what God wants you to be, you might be surprised at what happens. As the Holy Spirit enlightens your mind—a job that was mundane in the past could suddenly become meaningful and amusing.

The important thing is that you are willing to serve in whatever capacity you are called to. Take joy in doing things the way Jesus would—whatever you do. Live according to the right ways Jesus exemplified, and you will never go wrong.

Declaration: I will find new strength by studying the scriptures with an open heart. As I follow Jesus’ example of servanthood in my daily life—the right doors will open, the wrong ones will close—and my future will be blessed.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse:http://www.youtube.com/view_all_playlists

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

The power of the tongue

April 16, 2016 By Christina Cook Lee Leave a Comment

Focus: Believing the power of God can renew my mind

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Believing the power of God can restore your mind may be challenging if you have a long history of depression and addiction. You may want to believe—but, looking at the past may cause you to wonder if it’s really possible. If you have a desire to believe—that’s good enough. The Word of God can help you gain the faith you need to become capable of believing.

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God loves it when someone has even a tiny amount of faith and a willingness to believe. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength — Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version

Trusting your own mind to think that God is able to restore you might cause you to question…because you already know your mind is sometimes weak and hasn’t always led you in the right direction. However, the Word of God is everlasting and true. If you will focus on what it says about God’s desire and ability to heal and restore your mind, it will be easier for you to believe.

Looking at the past and your failures will always make you feel insecure—so, don’t do that.

You may look at the future and wonder how you will ever be able to stay on the right path everyday for the rest of your life. That might seem completely impossible—so, don’t do that either.

Instead, just look at today and your desire to believe. That is enough for now. God is pleased that at least you want to believe He can restore you. He loves it when someone has even a tiny amount of faith and a willingness to believe. He can work with that. He wants to work with that. That’s all any of the great saints had to begin with. They were all ‘losers’ before they knew the Lord…but they had a tiny amount of faith and were willing to believe.

Start reading these verses out loud. Listen to your own voice as you say the words and believe what you are reading.

Luke 1:37  (KJV) For with God nothing shall be impossible.

2 Timothy 1:7  (KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 1:16  (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Acts 10:38  (KJV) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.

Matthew 9:35  (KJV) And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Psalm 19:7  (KJV) The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 119:2  (KJV) Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart.

Matthew 5:6  (KJV) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Hebrews 7:25  (KJV) Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.

3 John 1:2  (KJV) Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Exodus 15:26  (KJV) …If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Declaration: I will find new strength by speaking the Word of God. As I speak the Word of God, my faith will grow and my mind will be restored by the power of God.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, browse:http://www.youtube.com/view_all_playlists

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Recovery from Depression and Dependency

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Now, you can listen and/or read!

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

Now, you can listen and/or read!

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

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If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

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