Will a Recovery Group “Fix” Me?
Before reading this article, please read The Flywheel of Addiction for context on the addiction and recovery process.
I prayed that God would miraculously deliver me from temptation for over a decade, yet I did very little to “put to death” the sin I despised so much. (Romans 8:13)
I wanted to be free, but fear and ignorance kept me complacent. God wanted to deliver me, and He wants to deliver you.
If you’re like me, you didn’t get trapped in sin overnight—it was a process. And it will be a process to break free and become the man God is calling you to be.
Why Doesn’t God Typically Answer Prayers for Immediate Deliverance?
Because He wants more for you than just behavior change—He wants to redeem every part of you.
God wants to use this journey to forge friendships and help you become the healthiest version of yourself and to understand who He is at a deeper level. He wants you to become fully submissive to Him so that you can become the man you were designed to be.
For most guys, they never wake up one day and find they’re never tempted to look with lust again. This includes the day after group ends. However, as you heal/grow, you’ll be better able to avoid/resist temptation.
Group Is Not a Miracle Pill
Group is a meaningful step in equipping you with tools and a community that you can choose to continue leaning into long after group concludes. In fact, guys tend to join new groups after their initial group ends because they’ve come to desire the deep community and continued progress they’ve been developing.
If you watch the last two modules in the Breaking Free course, you’ll learn what progress looks like and how to expedite the process. Here’s a teaser:
This also means that those who join groups but don’t commit to being honest, doing the homework and investing in the process will see little benefit. Addiction is (among other things) a combination of unhealthy habits. To find freedom, we must kill the unhealthy and replace them with healthy habits until they become part of who we are.
Continuing the Journey
If, when you finish group, you resume your old behavior patterns, refuse to implement the tools you learned, don’t stay connected with a community that will help you continue pursuing freedom, and don’t continue leaning into confession, then you will find yourself trapped still/once again.
God doesn’t just want to set you free—He wants to transform you and your life. Will you let Him?
Will you take the first step, followed by as many steps as it takes to put sin to death?
Our groups at Courage Reclaimed primarily use Pure Desire’s 7 Pillars of Freedom curriculum
