A recovery program based on 8 simple principles
What is Celebrate Recovery?
The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in our lives through the 12 Steps and 8 Recovery Principles. This experience allows us to “be changed.” We open the door by sharing our experiences, strengths and hopes with one another. In addition, we become willing to accept God's grace in solving our lives’ problems.
By working and applying Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy, and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program, we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ. Welcome to an amazing special adventure!
Asking God for help is the first step
Prayer for Serenity
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
- Reinhold Niebuhr
The Road to Recovery
Eight Principles Based on the Beatitudes
Realize I'm Not God
I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step One)
"Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.” Matthew 5:3a TEV
Earnestly Believe
Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step Two)
“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 TEV, NIV
Consciously Choose
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3)
“Happy are the meek.” Matthew 5:5a TEV
Openly Examine & Confess
Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5)
“Happy are the pure in heart.” Matthew 5:8a TEV
Voluntarily Submit to God
Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7)
“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires” Matthew 5:6a TEV
Evaluate All My Relationships
Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)
“Happy are the merciful.” Matthew 5:7a TEV
“Happy are the peacemakers” Matthew 5:9 TEV
Reserve Daily Time with God
Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)
Yield Myself to God
Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)
“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” Matthew 5:10 TEV
Return to Life with Celebrate Recovery
12 Steps & Their Biblical Comparisons
- We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18 NIV
- 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 according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV
- We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 NIV
- We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40 NIV
- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16a NIV
- We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV
- We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV
- We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 NIV
- We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
- We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12
- We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16a NIV
- Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore them gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1 NIV
Lesson Presentations
The instructional content provided here was exclusively created by the Eastside Apostolic Celebrate Recovery ministry, aiming to enrich the Celebrate Recovery journey. For genuine Celebrate Recovery materials, please purchase directly from the official supplier.
Begin your recovery today!
Want to Get Started?
You can get started today! We have large group meetings every Thursday at 6pm, with small groups beginning at 6:30pm. Either reach out on our contact page or call 425-677-5951 to learn more. We look forward to meeting you!
Meeting Location
Eastside Apostolic Church
Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.
Celebrate Recovery Small Groups CAN:
- Provide you a safe place to share your experiences, strengths, and hopes with others that are also going through a Christ-centered recovery.
- Provide you with a leader who has gone through a similar hurt, hang-up, or habit and who will facilitate the group as it focuses on a particular Step each week.
- The leader will also follow Celebrate Recovery’s “Small Group Guidelines,” listed below.
- Provide you with the opportunity to find an Accountability Partner or a Sponsor.
Encourage you to attend other recovery meetings held throughout the week.
Celebrate Recovery Small Groups Will NOT:
- Attempt to offer any professional advice. Our leaders are not counselors. At your request, we can provide you with a list of approved counseling referrals.
- Allow its members to attempt to “fix” one another.
Small Group Guidelines:
- Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your sharing to 3–5 minutes.
- There will be NO cross-talk. Cross-talk is when two individuals engage in conversation excluding all others. Each person is free to express his or her feelings without interruptions.
- We are here to support one another, not “fix” one another.
Tom Lyman - CR Facilitator
