Lesson 3 - Revisted - Hope

Hope starts off with Higher Power.  That has to be with Jesus.  It cannot be with another person, our own strength, or with any tools this world has to offer.  It has to be with Jesus.  He can do so much for us if we will only let Him.  According to Romans 11:36, "Everything comes from God alone.  Everything lives by his power." (TLB)

How can this apply to recovering from co-dependency?   More than you can possibly imagine.  What does a co-dependent search for?  The approval and acceptance of other people.  They look for others to give them a sense of self-worth and identity.  That is wrong.  It can only come from God.  The approval we need and the acceptance we crave needs to come from Him and Him alone.  He cannot fail us.  He cannot let us down.  He will not abuse us or reject us.  He loves us and cares for us.

Co-dependency can be very deceptive.  Most of the people the we are co-dependent to are close family members.  We cannot get rid of them so this becomes a difficult challenge in our recovery.  Because of that we have to rely more and more on God.  He needs to totally replace the other people in our life.  We are not defined by them.  We are defined by Him.

If you are a co-dependent, get into the Word more and get closer to God.  Let Him guide you and protect you when faced with those that you are co-dependent with.  He is the ultimate source of strength that you need.