Many years ago, I recognized that I was unable to quit drinking on my own. I had heard that Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) worked for many people, so out of desperation, I went to a meeting. At that meeting, a man received his 30-year sobriety coin. I thought to myself, “Why are you still coming to these meetings?” I was even more confused when he introduced himself and said, “Hi. I’m Bob, and I’m a grateful alcoholic.”
Grateful? GRATEFUL?!? Alcohol had been ruining every aspect of my life, so I couldn’t imagine ever feeling gratitude for it. I thought this guy either hadn’t experienced addiction as deeply as I had, or he was just a liar. Probably both.
Months later, I saw Bob at a different meeting where he was the scheduled speaker. During his talk, he shared that he was following a GPS in his life—a God Positioning System. Bob explained that his alcoholism and associated behaviors had led him far from the Christian values he had grown up with. He had become “lost.” During his search for lasting sobriety, God called him back into His flock.
When people recognize that they have lost their ability to control their drug of choice (chemical or behavioral) and surrender to God, they have accomplished the first three steps. They move to realign their will with God’s. Surrender isn’t just part of recovery—it’s everything in recovery. Steps 4 and 5 demand a deep dive into life experiences and honest confession. Steps 6 through 9 lead to a repentant new life, and Steps 10, 11, and 12 outline a new life in Christ. Those who diligently follow these simple steps can follow their GPS into a new, sober way of living. They have gone from lost to found, all because of the amazing grace of our Heavenly Father.
There are many stories in the recovery rooms about Christians receiving deeply needed redemption from their Maker. Over the last 90 years, millions of people have shared their journey up the steps set out by the creators of AA. AA was originally a Christian group, written for Christians, using the New Testament as their main resource. Unfortunately, as society has become more secular, so has the organization. Currently, mentioning Jesus in AA meetings can sometimes get you dirty looks or even outright scolding. As this shift away from Jesus developed, the effectiveness of AA decreased. In the 1930s, it was in the 70-80% range; now their effectiveness hovers around 10%.
The Dunamis Effect was designed to support churches, rehab facilities, and individual groups wishing to bring the 12 steps back to Jesus. We aren’t trying to change AA. That program serves a good purpose, and God bless all those seeking sobriety by any path. We just want to unashamedly say that our Higher Power is Jesus, and the God of our understanding is the God of the Bible.
The Bible teaches us that God knew us and had a plan for us before we were born. Shedding the false idols of addiction and healing our relationships with God and our neighbors is a commandment straight from Jesus. Doing so makes us available to live the life we are supposed to live, completely saturated with humility, gratitude, and joy. Jesus told us in Matthew 6 that if we seek God’s kingdom first, we will find all we need. The Holy Spirit will direct our steps.
In other words, a God Positioning System we can be truly grateful for.
Featured Resource
The statistics on drug and substance disorder are staggering. We've put together this FREE downloadable resource for your church to use to better understand what is happening in today's world.
Use this form to access the whitepaper.
By submitting this form you agree to receive updates and information from The Dunamis Initiative via email. We are careful with your information and do not redistribute it in any way.