Lesson 3 HOPE

Principle 2: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Step 2: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

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Shane Pruitt said you’ll always feel like something is missing in your life as long as Someone is missing. His name is Jesus.

If you are willing and able please stand out of respect for the reading of God’s Word.

Luke 8:43–48 NKJV

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Pray

You may be seated.

lost in addiction

resources exhausted

searching for something that will just make it go away

hope in the world

if we could only touch His robe

One of my very favorite parables is in Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. Though the story is about a father’s love for his lost son, it is really a picture of God the Father’s love for you. God’s love is looking for you, no matter how lost you feel. God’s searching love can find you, no matter how many times you may have fallen into sin. God’s hands of mercy are reaching out to pick you up and to love and forgive you.

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s where you will find hope, and that’s why I call Principle 2 the “hope” principle.

H stands for HIGHER Power.

Our Higher Power is the one and only true Higher Power and He has a name: Jesus Christ!

In the past you may have believed in Jesus’ existence and you may have even attended church. But what you will find in Principle 2 is a personal relationship with Christ. You will see that Jesus desires a hands-on, day-to-day, moment-to-moment relationship with us. For He can do for us what we have never been able to do for ourselves. Romans 11:36 (TLB) says, “Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power.”

Many people today believe their doubts and doubt their beliefs! Have you ever seen an idea? Have you ever seen love? Have you ever seen faith? Of course not. You may have seen acts of faith and love, but the real things —the lasting things — in the world are the invisible spiritual realities.

This leads us to the first four words of the second step: “We came to believe ...” Saying that we “came to believe” in anything describes a process. Belief is a result of consideration, doubt, reasoning, and concluding.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (PH), Jesus tells us, “My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely.”

The next letter in hope is O, which stands for OPENNESS to change.

What is the process that leads to solid belief, which leads you to change your life? Let’s look at the first four words in Step 2 again: “We came to believe . . .”

• “We came ...” We took the first step when we attended our first recovery meeting!

• “We came to ...” We stopped denying our hurts, hang-ups, and habits!

91 / Lesson 3: Hope

• “We came to believe . . .” We started to believe and receive God’s power to help us recover.

Hope is openness to change. Sometimes we are afraid to change, even if our past was painful. We resist change because of our fear of the unknown, or, in our despair, we think we don’t deserve anything better.

Here’s the good news: Hope opens doors where despair closes them! Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what can’t be done.

Throughout your life you will continue to encounter hurts and trials that you are powerless to change, but with God’s help you can be open to allow those circumstances and situations to change you —to make you better — not bitter.

Ephesians 4:23 (TLB) gives us a challenge to that end: “Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better.... You must be a new and different person.”

How will you do that?

The letter P tells us about POWER to change.

In the past, we may have wanted to change and were unable to do so; we could not free ourselves from our hurts, hang-ups, or habits. In Principle 2, we understand that God’s power can change us and our situation. Philip­pians 4:13 (TLB) confirms it: “For I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.”

Power to change comes from God’s grace. You see, hope draws its power from a deep trust in God, like that of the psalmist, who wrote, “Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you” (Psalm 25:5, TLB).

In Principle 2, we begin to understand that God’s power can change us and our situation. And once we tap into that power, right actions —Christlike actions —will follow naturally as by-products of working the principles and following the one and only Higher Power, Jesus Christ.

The last letter in hope is E: EXPECT to change.

Remember you are only at the second principle. Don’t quit before the miracle happens! With God’s help, the changes that you have longed for are just steps away. Philippians 1:6 (TLB) expresses my heart: “I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.”

You know, you can’t do anything unless you get started, so how much faith do you need to get started?

Matthew 17:20 tells us, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

It’s reassuring to know that you do not need large amounts of faith to begin the recovery process. You need only a small amount, “as small as a mustard seed,” to effect change, to begin to move your mountains of hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

Application tying touching the robe of Jesus.

What’s controlling your life

porn/masturbation (Matthew 5)

food

comparison

depression

worry

statistics 34, 10, 4, 3

Eternity is way too long to be wrong about where you will spend it.

Invitation (if you died tonight where would you spend eternity)