Key Verse – John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me.          

1. We Must STOP the Blame Game, & Take Responsibility for Our Words, Actions, & Re-Actions. 

Genesis 3:8-13 - 8 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. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

2. We Need to List Those We’ve Hurt, & Go Acknowledge/Own Up to Them the Wrong we Did & Harm we Caused, & Ask Forgiveness. 

Matthew 5:23-24 - 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Proverbs 28:13 - Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

*Start your List with Prayer – Ask God to Bring to your Mind Names of Everyone you’ve Ever Hurt/Harmed Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, Spiritually, Sexually, or Financially in your Life. Start with Friends & Family. Then add Names from your Resentment & Sexual Inventory List. You can even look through your Phone Contacts. If your List is Long, Ask a Friend later to Help you Comb through & Discover Ones you Need to Act On.

*Write Down: 1. Their Names, 2. Brief Description of How you Harmed them. 3. Thoughts about Why you Did What you Did. 4. The Specific Amends you Think will Restore Balance to the Relationship. 

3. We Need to Care about & Feel Sympathy Towards the People We’ve Caused Suffering to, & Take Action to Alleviate their Suffering.  

Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Mercy and compassion are closely related biblical concepts, often used interchangeably. While compassion is the deep feeling of pity (sympathy) for someone's suffering, mercy is the action taken to alleviate that suffering.)

4. Do NOT try to Make Amends with someone You Haven’t Already Forgiven 1st for Them Hurting You. Work at Forgiving Them 1st.

Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

5. If you Lack the Willingness or Ability to Make Amends or Forgive, Ask God to Give you the Willingness & Ability, Until He Does.

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Mark 9:20-24 - 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  (Then Jesus Healed the Boy.)

*We Make Amends to People we’ve Hurt, in order to Honor God & Make things Right with Others. However, this Also Frees Ourselves from the Shackles of the Past, & the Guilt, Shame, & Self-Hatred we feel about our Mistakes & Behaviors that Stoke our Addictions & Self-Defeating Tendencies. Eliminating these Corrosive Emotions helps us Recover. 

*Just as Important, we want to Free those who’ve had to Carry the Burdens of Resentment, Anger, & Sadness that Our Wrong Doings Caused Them. 

*Our Goal in Recovery is to Become Fully Useful to God & to our Fellow Sufferers. 

Here’s What I Want us To Do This Week

1. Make a list of all persons we have harmed, & become willing to make amends to them all.   *Write: 1. Their Names, 2. Brief Description of How you Harmed them. 3. Thoughts about Why you Did What you Did. 4. The Specific Amends you Think will Restore Balance to the Relationship.  *Read Chapter 8 – Step 8: List Those Harmed - Pages 75-84 in Black “The Fix Workbook” below to Left, & Answer the Questions in it in Writing. *Also, Attend your “Life Fix” Group this week. If you’re Not in one, Get the following Workbook, & Book or AudioBook, & go through them Yourself. *****Disclaimer – “The Fix” Books are NOT God’s Word, but Man’s. The Bible is God’s Word & we Filter Everything through it. However, the 12 Steps are Based on Teachings of Jesus. 

ß “The Fix Workbook: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone in Between.”

by Ian Morgan Cron. *Amazon carries the Paperback & Kindle Version of the Black Workbook. 

*This is the Workbook with Lots of Questions you will Write Answers In, Working you through the 12 Steps. 

                “The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between.” à       

                 by Ian Morgan Cron. *Amazon carries the Book Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, & Audiobook Version of this Book through Audible.

*This is the Crème Book – which gives much more detail & perspective of the 12 Steps & how to work them. 

2. Sign Up to Join our 3 Month (Sep 7 – Nov 23, Sundays 3-5 pm) - Fall Rooted Group Discipleship Experience Today @ Rooted Table @ Back of Worship Center, or Through our Church App. (Registration Deadline Aug. 31st) Make Rooted your 1st Group Commitment if haven’t done it yet!

*In Addition, you can Join a Small Life Group Anytime! (*Even This Week!!!): *Sun. Morning Bible Study @ 9 am, *Sun. Morning Prayer @ 9:15 am, *Sun. Overcomers - Right after Worship @ 12:30 pm, *Wed. Night Prayer & Worship @ 7 pm, *Fri. Night Young Adults @ 7 pm, *Sat. Night Bible Study & Supper @ 6:30 pm, *Men’s & Women’s Ministry Groups, & *And Various Other Short Term Groups.