Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition Quotes

“If God decides to mess with our plans, get ready. He will almost surely have something better planned for our day.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Spending the first early minutes of the morning with God, asking him to help us navigate through the known and the unknown in the hours ahead, will do more to get our priorities in place than hours of soul-searching and weighing our options.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” HEBREWS 12:1”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“My Truck Takes Diesel “‘In your anger do not sin’; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” EPHESIANS 4:26–27 I know she thought she was helping me when my wife filled my truck with gas. The problem is that my truck is a diesel. Now she was phoning me to come rescue her because the truck wouldn’t start! I told her I was on my way, but all I could think about was what my wife’s actions were going to cost me—anything from draining the tank to replacing the engine. I wish I could say I was just a little frustrated, but the truth is I was angry. I prayed and asked Jesus to help me respond in the right way. Then, because I need to be accountable, I called one of my brothers in recovery and told him what had happened and how angry I was. When I saw my wife, the first words out of my mouth were, “I am so sorry this happened to you. I know this wasn’t in your plans today.” It felt good talking to my brother later and telling him that God had helped me with my anger and given me a good response when I saw my wife. I had acted on, rather than reacted to, a bad situation. It turned out the truck was fine. I drained the tank, put diesel in, and it started right up. The best part is that because I made a good choice, I won’t have to make amends. PRAYER Father, thank you for helping me choose to be kind and forgiving rather than rude and judgmental. Things always go better when I surrender to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“The Alpha and Omega “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” REVELATION 1:8 The third step of the secular version of the 12 Steps says, “We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood him.” I don’t know about you, but when I got into recovery, I wasn’t looking for a God I could understand. I needed a God who was beyond my understanding, far beyond my limited, finite comprehension. I needed the one and only God—the Alpha and Omega, who is and was and is to come! As we make this difficult journey to recovery, we need a present-tense God who is to guide us in our everyday lives, giving us what we need to be victorious one day at a time. We also need a past-tense God who was there from the very beginning and who created us in his own image and likeness. We must have a future-tense God as well. Our God who is to come is able to make good on his promises to us. This is why Celebrate Recovery’s third step reads a little differently. It says, “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.” Our God is so much more than enough; he is incomprehensible. He helps us deal with our past, stay grounded in the present, and be filled with hope for the future. PRAYER Lord God, you are my everything. Thank you for touching my life from one end to the other. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“The basic test of freedom is not in what we are free to do but rather in what we are free not to do!”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“God often allows the natural consequences of our poor choices to play out. The miracle is that he brings good out of our pain by using it to demonstrate his goodness and grace.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Ronald Reagan said: “We are never defeated, unless we give up on God.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“DAY 137 Laser Tag “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” ROMANS 8:31 A few years ago my daughter was invited to a laser tag birthday party. She was little, and the laser tag vest and gun were huge, which made it hard for her to play. The first time through, she didn’t do well at all. She was an easy target for the more experienced players, and she got shot—a lot! She was pretty discouraged, but before the next round started, one of the dads handed me a vest and said, “Go get ’em, Dad.” I got the message. I followed close behind my daughter and picked off any kids foolish enough to come near her. By the end of the round, the kids knew that she was no longer an easy target. Her daddy was there, and he was not to be messed with. It was awesome. Her score that round vastly improved, bringing a big smile to her face. When we go into the arena alone, it’s easy to get picked on, singled out, and told that we are destined to fail. But when we go into battle with our heavenly Father’s protection and covering, everything changes. Not only do we have a chance to stay alive, we have a guaranteed win. PRAYER Thank you, Father, for fighting for me, keeping me safe, and helping me come through as a victor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” MATTHEW 11:28”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Yes, Lord, I don’t ever again want to have to hide from you. Thank you for inviting me to come before you, sins and all, and ask for forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Forgiveness breaks the cycle! It doesn’t settle all the questions of blame, justice, or fairness, but it does allow relationships to heal and possibly start over.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” ISAIAH 49:13”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“True change comes only when we die to ourselves and allow Christ to set the pace.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Father God, thank you for taking charge of my mess and helping me run my race with confidence. You are responsible for everything I am and ever hope to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

“Change”
― John Baker, Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional, 35th Anniversary Edition: Healing from Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups