NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition Quotes

“THE BIG PICTURE A. WISDOM: THE FOUNDATION OF RECOVERY (1:1-27) B. FAITH: THE SUBSTANCE OF RECOVERY (2:1-26) C. SELF-CONTROL: SETTING BOUNDARIES IN RECOVERY (3:1-18) D. HUMILITY: THE ATTITUDE OF RECOVERY (4:1-17) E. GIVING OF OURSELVES: THE EVIDENCE OF RECOVERY (5:1-20)”
― Stephen Arterburn, NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition: Addiction Bible Tied to 12 Steps of Recovery for Help with Drugs, Alcohol, Personal Struggles - With Meeting Guide

“13Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    Recognizing our internal weaknesses is the first step toward recovery. When we look beyond ourself, we see that there are others who have struggled with an addiction and recovered. We know that they, too, were unable to heal themselves, yet they now live free of addictive behaviors. We conclude that there must be a greater Power that helped them. Since we can see the similarities between their struggles and our own, we come to believe that our powerful God can restore us to sanity.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    Even those of us who have given our heart to God face new temptations and decisions every day.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“For some of us faith comes easily. For others, especially if we have experienced betrayal, it may be more difficult. Sometimes we must exhaust all of our own resources in trying to overcome our addictive “disease” before we will risk believing in a higher Power.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“Internal Bondage BIBLE READING: Mark 5:1-13 We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. When we are under the influence of our addiction, its hold may seem to have supernatural force. We may give up on living and throw ourself into self-destructive behaviors with reckless abandon. People may also give up on us. They may distance themselves from us, as though we were already dead. Whether our “insanity” is self-induced or has a more sinister origin, there is power available to restore us to sanity and wholeness.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“fell face down on the ground. 7Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8And”
― Stephen F. Arterburn, NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition: Addiction Bible Tied to 12 Steps of Recovery for Help with Drugs, Alcohol, Personal Struggles - With Meeting Guide

“20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
― Stephen Arterburn, NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition: Addiction Bible Tied to 12 Steps of Recovery for Help with Drugs, Alcohol, Personal Struggles - With Meeting Guide

“17He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.”
― Stephen Arterburn, NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition: Addiction Bible Tied to 12 Steps of Recovery for Help with Drugs, Alcohol, Personal Struggles - With Meeting Guide

“19But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.”
― Stephen Arterburn, NLT Life Recovery Bible, Second Edition: Addiction Bible Tied to 12 Steps of Recovery for Help with Drugs, Alcohol, Personal Struggles - With Meeting Guide

“1Let all that I am praise the LORD.     O LORD my God, how great you are!         You are robed with honor and majesty.        2You are dressed in a robe of light.     You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“We may have already chosen to follow God, letting him define the overall direction of our life. Even so, many of us still try to keep parts of our heart hidden from God. We have devoted these parts of ourself to gratifying our addiction, to doing things that are contrary to the will of God. This sets us up for living a double life, which can fill us with guilt, shame, and instability.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“15“If another believer* sins against you,* go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    Even though God may be unknown to us, he is near and willing to reveal himself. God has promised that “if you look for me in wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). Turning over our will involves accepting God as he is instead of insisting on creating him in our own image. When we seek God with an open heart and mind, we will find him.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“When we finally decide to submit our life and our will to God’s direction, our burdens will become manageable. When we let him do the driving, we will “find rest” for our soul. He knows the way and has the strength to turn us around and get us on the road toward recovery.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    In order to recover we must follow the example of this woman. We cannot afford to stand back, hoping for “cures,” and avoid deliberate action because of our lack of faith. We may have lived with our condition for many years, spending our resources on promising “cures” without success. When we can come to believe in God, a power greater than ourself, and have the faith to take hold of our own recovery, we will find the healing power we have been looking for.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“We may be afraid to admit that we are powerless and that our life is unmanageable. If we admit that we are powerless, won’t we be tempted to give up completely in the struggle against our addiction? It doesn't seem to make sense that we can admit powerlessness and still find the power to go on. This paradox will be dealt with as we go on to Steps Two and Three.     Life is full of paradoxes. The apostle Paul tells us, “This precious treasure—this light and power that now shines within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken” (2 Corinthians 4:7-8).”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“When we are confronted with the knowledge that our life isn’t under our control, we have a choice. We can continue in denial and self-righteousness, or we can face the fact that we have been blind to some important issues. If we become willing to be led into recovery and into a whole new way of life, we will find true power.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“A Humble Beginning BIBLE READING: 2 Kings 5:1-15 We admitted that we were powerless over our problems—that our lives had become unmanageable. It can be very humiliating to admit that we are powerless, especially if we are used to being in control. We may be powerful in some areas of our life, but out of control in terms of our addictive/compulsive behaviors. If we refuse to admit our powerlessness, we may lose everything. That one unmanageable part of our life may infect and destroy everything else.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“Many of us know what it is like to be a burden to others. It is a common side effect of being controlled by an addiction or compulsive behavior. Sometimes our behavior has made us lose our job. As a result, we have found ourself in financial need. This humiliation can affect our family in many ways. We may have caused our loved ones great stress and shame because we haven’t provided for their needs.     The apostle Paul taught us to follow this standard: “For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-8). “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands. . . . Then, people . . . will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).     It is important for us to think about how our irresponsibility has affected others. Much pain may have been caused by our failure to provide for our family’s needs. We need to reflect on how this failure has caused us to lose their respect and trust. The shame of not facing this aspect of our life can be terribly discouraging. Once we face this and become willing to make amends, our sense of self-respect will improve significantly. This step will help us get rid of some of our daily stresses, freeing us to proceed further with recovery.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“    14“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT

“   23Pride ends in humiliation,         while humility brings honor.”
― Stephen Arterburn, The Life Recovery Bible NLT