CELEBRATE RECOVERY CROSSROADS

 

Teaching Time: 20 Minutes

Principle 7: Reserve 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.

Step 10: We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Key Verse: "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV)

OPENING (5 minutes) - The Deadly Deception

Good evening, family. Let's start with a hard truth.

Have you ever watched someone with years clean suddenly relapse—even when they seemed solid, helpful, even inspiring? Relapse rarely starts with a crash. It begins with a whisper—skipped inventories, missed meetings, a slow drift from accountability.

Listen carefully: You may be in more danger tonight than someone with 30 days. Why? Because they know they're fragile. They're vigilant. But you? You might be thinking, "I've got this figured out."

That thought is your enemy. The person with 3 years who stops doing daily inventory is closer to relapse than the newcomer clinging to their sponsor. Pride kills more recoveries than the urge ever will. (pause 5 seconds)

"Some of you walked in tonight carrying a dangerous secret. You're protecting your image more than your recovery. The biggest threat isn't your struggle—it's dishonesty. One crisis could unravel everything if you keep denying the truth about where you really are." (pause 5 seconds)

Tonight could be the night that determines your freedom or your fall.

At this crossroads, you have two choices:

1. Keep coasting on past victories until they run out.
2. Embrace the daily discipline that ensures you never have to start over.

The T.E.N. is more than a roadmap; it's your daily lifeline:

• T – Take time to do a daily inventory (Your early warning system before the crash)
• E – Evaluate the good and the bad (Honesty that prevents spiritual blindness)
• N – Need to admit our wrongs promptly (The humility that keeps you free)

Let me show you what happens when someone thinks they're beyond this...

T - Take Time for Daily Inventory (6 minutes)

The What: "We continued to take personal inventory..." "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (Lamentations 3:40)

Meet Sabrina—18 months clean from meth, sitting in a Walmart parking lot with shaking hands. She'd stopped doing daily inventory months ago, thinking being clean was enough. But clean and free aren't the same thing.

Without inventory, resentments had been building like pressure in a pipe. Pride whispered, "You don't need that beginner stuff anymore." Single motherhood felt impossible. Her ex's demanding texts made her fantasize about escape. She was one bad day from losing everything.

This is what happens when we stop taking inventory: The warning system goes offline. Small fires become wildfires. The manageable becomes overwhelming.

Her sponsor's words cut deep: "Early recovery is giving up the drug. Real recovery means using the tools daily. Skipping this is like skipping heart medication."

Audience connection line: Perhaps you've known that moment—the pressure building until one more thing pushes you over the edge. Maybe it's not meth, but anger, food, control, or shutting people out. Can anyone relate to that tonight?"

That night, Sabrina almost relapsed. Instead, she opened her phone and started typing—desperate, afraid, but finally honest:

• How did I handle my triggers today? (I didn't—I let them build up until I wanted to use)
• Where did I see God protecting me? (I can't see anything good right now)
• What old behaviors am I slipping back into? (All of them—rage, control, isolation)
• Who do I need to make amends with? (Everyone—I've been a nightmare for weeks)

That brutal honesty saved her life.

Daily inventory became Sabrina's emergency brake. Some nights, she wrote pages; other nights, just raw sentences typed through tears. But every day, she showed up before God. She stopped waiting for explosions and started catching storm clouds early.

The breakthrough: She began steering around danger instead of cleaning up wreckage.

E - Evaluate the Good and the Bad (6 minutes)

The Why: "...when we were wrong..."  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us. (1John 1:8-10)

Two months later, Sabrina faced another terrifying realization: She wasn't using, but she wasn't free either. She still manipulated her kids, binged when stressed, and sought validation from men. The drugs were gone, but the diseased thinking remained.

Here's the deadly trap: We can stay sober while still being unwell. We can manage our behavior while our hearts are consumed by selfishness, fear, and pride.

Sabrina stared at her phone, afraid to write what she was seeing:

Where am I still relying on broken coping mechanisms?

• Using food like I used to use drugs
• Manipulating my kids' emotions to get compliance
• Seeking validation from men instead of God

What pain am I avoiding that I need to feel?

• The terror that I'm not enough as a single mom
• The rage at my ex that I've never properly grieved
• The shame that my kids deserve better than what I can give

Her daughter's question changed everything: "Mom, why do you always write about how messed up you are? What about the good stuff?"

Audience connection line: "Maybe you're like Sabrina—really good at beating yourself up, but not so good at noticing where God is already working. Does anybody else struggle to see the victories?"

Sabrina realized she'd fallen into the other ditch—self-condemnation instead of honest evaluation.

She rewrote her inventory questions:

God's Grace at Work (The Victories):

• Where did I choose recovery over old patterns today?
• How did I show up for my kids differently than when I was using?
• What triggers did I handle without falling apart?

Where I Still Need God (Growth Areas):

• What character defects showed up today?
• Where did I try to control outcomes instead of trusting God?
• What emotions am I avoiding?

Her next entry: "Thank You, God, that I helped Mia with homework calmly today. Two years ago, I would've yelled or checked out. But I said yes to my sister's request for money I didn't have, and then I resented her for it. I'm still afraid to set boundaries."

An honest evaluation reveals both God's transformation and the areas where the enemy still has a foothold.

N - Need to Admit Wrongs Promptly (5 minutes)

The Then What: "...promptly admitted it."Jesus tells us, Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. "(Matthew 5:23-24)

At Kroger on a Thursday night, exhausted from work with a frustrated daughter and a broken card reader, Sabrina snapped at the young cashier.

Storming out, her daughter's words hit like lightning: "Mom, you sound just like Grandma when she was drinking." (pause)

The woman whose verbal abuse had driven Sabrina to drugs. Now she was becoming her.

Her sponsor's voice echoed: "Promptly means before pride builds a wall. The longer you wait, the heavier the baggage gets."

This was the moment. This was the crossroads.

Option 1: Justify it. Let pride win. Build the wall. Start the slow slide back toward who she used to be.

Option 2: Turn the car around. Face the humiliation. Choose freedom.

Sabrina turned around.

She returned to the cashier: "I was here earlier and was incredibly rude. I'm sorry—you didn't deserve that."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh... It's okay."

"No," Sabrina said firmly, "it's not okay. You're doing your job, and I made it harder. I'm truly sorry."

Walking to her car, Sabrina felt something she hadn't felt in months—lightness. The shame and guilt were gone.

That night, she wrote: "Today I learned that 'promptly admitted it' isn't just about the person I wronged—it's about keeping my heart clean before God. When I let pride justify my behavior, shame builds up like sludge. But when I move quickly, I stay free."

Audience connection line: Family, can you think of someone you might need to make things right with tonight? A spouse you snapped at, a coworker you avoided, or maybe your own child?

Keep it simple: "I was wrong. I'm sorry." Act the same day when possible. This isn't weakness—it's the strength that keeps you free.

CLOSING – The Daily Choice Between Life and Death (3 minutes)

One year later, Sabrina sat in that same Walmart parking lot—but everything had changed.

Her inventory read: Today I'm grateful God gave me peace when Danny was late. A year ago, I would've raged. Today I cleaned and worshiped. I struggled with controlling Mia's college applications. I need to apologize to my coworker for being short with her.

She wasn't perfect. But she was free.

T.E.N. kept her free:

• T - Time for daily inventory (warning system)
• E - Examine victories and struggles honestly
• N - Admit wrongs immediately

The final truth: Relapse whispers before it shouts. Choose a daily connection with God through honest self-examination.

Your goal isn't perfection—it's prevention. Set aside time every day to check your heart before God. Face what's really happening. Admit wrongs quickly. This keeps you free.

Family, this isn't about guilt—it's about grace and guarding the freedom God has already given you.

Invitation:

If you need to start over or need courage to make amends, tonight is your chance.

Prayer: "Father, give me courage to be brutally honest. Keep my heart clean before You daily. Save me from pride that kills recovery. Help me choose You every single day. In Jesus' name, amen."