CR 01-02 Principle One - Denial Lesson N-I-A-L

Principle 1 of the denial lesson states that we need to realize we are not God and admit our powerlessness to control our wrong tendencies. We must recognize our need for a higher power, Jesus Christ, to restore us. Denial isolates us from God and others, preventing us from true fellowship and important relationships. Remaining in denial only prolongs our pain, but facing it and working through the hurt in early recovery can lead to healing. DENIAL LESSON PRINCIPLE 1 They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Psalm 107, 13, 14 The power to change comes only through God's grace. Principle 1 states, realize I'm not God. I admit that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and that my life has become unmanageable. If we admit that we're powerless, we recognize our need for a power greater than ourselves to restore us. That power is our higher power, the one and only true higher power, Jesus Christ. In Principle 1, we discover that we've been in denial of our hurts, hangups, and habits. The next letter in denial is N, reminding us that our denial negates our growth. We're as thick as our secrets. We can't begin to grow in recovery until we're ready to step out of the darkness of our denial into the blinding brightness of the truth. God is waiting to take our hand and lead us out, though He'll never pull us out against our will. As we travel the road of our recovery, we'll come to understand that God never wastes a hurt, and He's not about to waste the darkness we've been groping our way through. He can't use it, though, until we take that first step. The next letter in denial is I. Go to Genesis 3, 7 through 8, page 5. Denial Lesson, Principle 1 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3, 7 through 8 The power to change comes only through God's grace. Principle 1 states, Realize I'm not God. I admit that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and that my life has become unmanageable. If we admit that we're powerless, we recognize our need for a power greater than ourselves to restore us. That power is our higher power, the one and only true higher power, Jesus Christ. Principle 1, we discover that we've been in denial of our habits. The next letter in denial is I. Denial isolates us from God. Adam and Eve are an unforgettable example of how secrets and denials separate us from true fellowship with God. After they sinned, the first couple's secret alienated them from God. Genesis 3, 7 tells us how they tried to isolate themselves from God because they were naked and felt ashamed. In verse 12, Adam tries to rationalize his sin. First, he attempted to transfer the responsibility to God. The woman you put here with me. Then he tried to push the blame onto Eve. She gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. But God's light shines on the truth, even while our denial keeps us in the darkness of isolation. If we claim to have fellowship with him, yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1, 6-7. The next letter in denial is A. Go to Ephesians 4, 25. Page 1475. Denial Lesson, Principle 1. Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. The power to change comes only through God's grace. Principle 1 states, realize I'm not God. I admit that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and that my life has become unmanageable. If we admit that we're powerless, we recognize our need for a power greater than ourselves to restore us. That power is our higher power, the one and only true higher power of Jesus Christ. In Principle 1, we discover that we've been in denial of our hurts, hangups, and habits. The next letter in denial is A. Our denial not only isolates us from God, but alienates us from other human relationships. Denial tells us that we're getting away with our secrets. We think that no one knows, but they do. While denial may shield us from the full force of the hurt, it also prevents us from helping ourselves or the people we love the most. We don't dare to reveal our true self to others for fear of what they'll think or say if they catch a glimpse of the real us. We're convinced that we have to protect ourselves and our secrets at any cost. So we isolate ourselves to minimize the risk of exposure and possible rejection by others. But at what price? The eventual loss of all important relationships. The last letter in denial is L. Go to Jeremiah 3017, page 928. L Lesson, Principle 1. I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord, because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares. Jeremiah 3017. The power to change comes only through God's grace. Principle 1 states, realize I'm not God. I admit that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life has become unmanageable. If we admit that we're powerless, we recognize our need for a power greater than ourselves to restore us. That power is our higher power, the one and only true higher power of Jesus Christ. In Principle 1, we discover that we've been in denial of our hurts, hangups, and habits. The last letter in denial is L, which reminds us that remaining in denial only lengthens our pain. We want to cling to the false belief that denial protects us from pain. But the reality is that it allows our wounds to fester and grow, multiplying the hurt by piling on multiple layers of guilt and shame. Denial only extends our hurts and multiplies our problems. Truth, like surgery, may hurt for a while, but in the long run, it cures. God promises to restore our health and heal our wounds. We're ready to complete Principle 1 when our pain becomes greater than our fear. When David's pain finally surpassed his fear, he was able to face his denial and feel the reality of that pain. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Psalm 6, 2-3. In the same way, if we want to be rid of our pains, we need to face it and work through the hurt in the early stages of our recovery. This is the final page of the denial lesson.