Celebrate Recovery
Psalm 34:1 - I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Good morning. I’d like to introduce myself to you. My name is Randy and I am a believer in Jesus Christ who is overcoming issues of rejection.
1) Everyone has issues.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
(v. 14) Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
Thanks to Adam, the human race has to deal with a whole lot of pain, suffering, sin and much more. I am going to have a long talk with Adam when I get to heaven.
Most of the issues that we deal with can be placed in one of three categories.
Hurts – the pain we face due to the people we deal with and the circumstances we face.
Examples: sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, rejection, divorce, grief, abandonment.
Hang-ups – negative responses to the issues we face.
Examples: depression, fear, insecurity, co-dependency, guilt, anxiety, financial debt, controlling character, unforgiveness, jealousy, bitterness.
Habits – strongholds that control behavior.
Examples: alcoholism, drugs, gambling, anger, overeating, sexual addictions, overspending, lying.
Don’t think that you are exempt from facing issues in life.
If you think that you do not have any issues to deal with in life, then I want to pray for you because you are dealing with the issue of denial.
I praise God for the spiritual upbringing that I had growing up. I praise God for the calling God has on my life to be a pastor. But I am not exempt from having to deal with issue in my life . . .
2) You can overcome life’s issues – through the power of the Lord!
Psalm 34 is a psalm of deliverance. Four times in this chapter, deliverance is referenced. Let’s look at each of these references to the word Deliverance.
Deliverance.
a) Deliverance comes when you seek the Lord (v. 4)
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
b) The Lord desires to surround you with the presence of His angels. (v. 7)
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
c) Deliverance comes when you make the right choices. (v. 17)
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
d) The Lord can deliver you from anything and everything. (v. 19)
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
A few minutes ago, I introduced myself in the following manner. I said, “Hi my name is Randy and I am a believer in Jesus Christ who is overcoming issues of rejection.” You see, my identity is first in the fact that I am a believer in Jesus Christ.
Secondly, I identified myself as someone deals with an issue (rejection), but is in the process of becoming an overcomer!
You see, I am not perfect. I still have issues. Just because someone is a Christian, does not mean that they no longer have issues.
During our 40 Day Spiritual Emphasis, More Than Conquerors, we began receiving numerous reports from individuals who are facing major issues in life. Testimonies that are heart wrenching. And some of us are still dealing with these issues.
Because of this, we are responding to launch a brand new ministry here at Fortress Church that is called Celebrate Recovery.
Many of you are familiar with AA – Alcoholics Anonymous. They have what is called a 12 step program. The twelve step program has some good things about it and some not so good things. For example, they teach that you must believe in a higher power. But they do not specify what you higher power must be. Your higher power could be the clothes you wear or the chair you sit in.
Celebrate Recovery is not just a program, it is a ministry. There are many good programs around. But when the focus is God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, you don’t have just a good program, you have an anointed ministry.
This is what Celebrate Recovery is all about. Using God’s Word as a foundation of ministering to people with hurts, hang-ups and habits.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.