A life-changing step happens in recovery during Celebrate Recovery lesson 15 because you gain victory over your character defects. You do this by making serious changes in your life. These changes will result in positive outcomes!
As the changes that you need to make are brought to light, get pumped up! Things happen for a reason, and overcoming your shortcomings can actually turn out to be a good thing!!
Celebrate Recovery lesson 15 is important as it helps you remove all your shortcomings and make changes that will benefit your life – from this day forward.
Lesson 15 goes hand-in-hand with Step 6 and Step 7 of the Alcoholics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery programs. It also relates to Celebrate Recovery’s principle 5 of the Celebrate Recovery 8 Principles.
If you are a newbie to Celebrate Recovery, go check out the first lesson – Celebrate Recovery Lesson 1: Denial. If you missed the last lesson, please refer to Celebrate Recovery Lesson 14: Ready.
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What is Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15: Victory?
Celebrate Recovery principle 5 is: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. This means that you should be ready for some change!
Step 6 says: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Get ready for some exciting change in your life! In Step 7, We humbly asked Him to remove all of our shortcomings.
Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires. – Matthew 5:6 (TLB)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up! – James 4:10 (TLB)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all righteousness. – 1 John 1:9 (TLB)
| Lesson | Principle | Step | Bible Verses |
| 15 | 5 | 6 & 7 | Matthew 5:6; James 4:10; 1 John 1:9 |
Since Celebrate Recovery uses acrostics, in lesson 15, we’ll be using the acrostic for VICTORY, which will tell you how to have everlasting victory over your character defects.
This acrostic is from Celebrate Recovery lesson 15.
- Voluntarily submit to changes.
- Identify your defects in character.
- Change your mind.
- Turn over character defects.
- Take it one day at a time.
- Remember, recovery is a process.
- You are thus the one who must choose to change.
Get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of our hearts. – James 1:21 (TLB)
What Does “Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15” Mean?
In the step study groups at the 12-step Christ-centered recovery program, Celebrate Recovery, you begin to work through the lessons from the CR curriculum created by Rick Warren and John Baker. This program is Biblically based.
When you meet with your step study group, you’ll work through the curriculum for several months. Celebrate Recovery is a program for those with hurts, habits, or hang-ups. Truthfully, this applies to anyone because we all have those trials in our lives!
Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15 comes straight from John Baker’s Celebrate Recovery Participant’s Guide. This is the fourth lesson from Getting Right with God, Yourself, and Others: Participant Guide 3. You can also purchase this at a Celebrate Recovery meeting.
The Celebrate Recovery leader guide may be slightly different from the participant’s guide, but all teachings are Biblically-based. They are straight from the Beatitudes in the New Testament. The Celebrate Recovery 8 principles refer to those verses in Matthew.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. – Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
How to Be Victorious in Recovery
You might wonder what it really takes to be victorious in recovery. The dictionary defines victory as the achievement in a struggle against odds and difficulties. You are victorious when you overcome an obstacle, for example. This is not to be said lightly!
Consider an Olympic gold medal winner. He or she probably spent years, if not their entire life, training to win. Thus, when they do receive a trophy, it is a representative of all that hard work. In recovery, we are given CR chips that show us our victories.
Sometimes, victory is just getting through one more day successfully – a day without using your addiction as a crutch or succumbing to the many temptations around you. When you are victorious, you have achieved much and should realize that you are a new person!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone and the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15 Highlights
Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15 Notes
According to the Celebrate Recovery curriculum study guide, you WILL gain victory over your character defects! This won’t be simple, but it will be life-changing. Just make sure you take the risk of making the needed changes in your life, even if they are difficult.
Let’s walk through this lesson’s main points to discover how you can go about achieving victory over your character defects. Get ready to make some changes!
#1. Voluntarily submit to change.
It’s time to voluntarily submit to every change that God wants you to make in your life. This is not always easy, especially if you have a vice you do not want to surrender. What you can do is humbly ask God to remove any shortcomings you have.
When you did Principle 3 of the 8 Celebrate Recovery Principles, you decided to turn your life over to God’s will. This means you are ready to have Him remove those nasty character defects because you want to be more like Christ in everything you do.
Understand one thing – Principle 5 is a PROCESS, not a quick step to gloss over lightly. It can take time; real change, the lasting kind, takes time and patience. As we walk through the rest of this lesson, God will guide you on how to make positive changes in your life!
He won’t leave you to fend for yourself; God is always present and wants to help you along the way. If you are in doubt about whether He is there, listen for His voice. You might not physically hear it, but you might see signs that point you in the right way.
Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him…let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. – Romans 12:1-2 (GNT)
#2. Identify your character defects.
When you completed and shared your moral inventory, you took a real look at your life. It’s time to do a bit of analysis. What kind of character defects did you identify? List out the wrongs, sins, and shortcomings you discovered when you did your moral inventory.
Once you have determined what you want or need to change, you can ask the Lord to remove those things that are causing you the most pain. Where are you suffering the most? What do you think about the most? In what areas are you struggling?
Don’t forget to be open and honest with your accountability team and sponsor about these things. That’s what they are there for! They’ll support you, lift you up, and help you determine how to get past these issues. Just remember that you are not alone in this!
In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. – Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
#3. Change your mind.
As a Christian, you are now a new creation; your old flesh (nature) is gone. However, miracles are not just going to follow you around. Rather, you must allow God to work within you by renewing your mind. It’s totally up to you to follow God’s lead for the changes in your life.
As you begin to understand the areas of your life that God will be changing, list those areas out. Look at what He plans to do with you. If you are ready to accept the changes that He will make, you might just be amazed at what He is doing through you. Be open to these changes!
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will. – Romans 12:2 (NIV)
#4. Turn over your character defects.
It’s time to get close to Jesus Christ. Consider doing a Bible study, memorizing scriptures, or even just start reading the Bible. Use a prayer journal to talk to God through prayer! It’s important that you build that relationship with Christ for this step to happen as it should.
You have now determined what character defects you need to work on. Turn it all over to Christ. Think about it; relying on your own knowledge and understanding has not gotten you very far in life. Your willpower is probably blocking your recovery and keeping you from success!
As it is said, “Let go and let God.” He can lead you along the path you need to be on. Trust in Him.
As you make the above suggestions to get close to God and build a relationship with Him, get excited! You are making positive changes that will forever impact your life!
If you’d like, there are some Celebrate Recovery resources that can help! Check out the Celebrate Recovery Study Bible or Devotional Book (365 Days) for more recovery insight as you spend time with God!
The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. – 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)
#5. Take it one day at a time.
Recovery takes time. Think about it; it took you a lifetime to build all the hurts, habits, and hang-ups you are now trying to overcome. Did you think they would magically go away overnight with a little bit of work? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
Rather, think about a big cherry pie; you eat it one bite at a time. If you tried to shove the whole thing in your mouth, you’d likely choke. In recovery, we say “one day at a time” because we know we can only look one day ahead, not a million days all at once.
As the literature states, living life by the yard is hard, but life by the inch is a cinch. You CAN do this, but you need to consider small increments, not the huge milestones that await you ahead.
Don’t get me wrong; having goals is a great and noble thing to do, and setting yearly goals is a worthwhile activity, but recovery is about your life, not just a year in your life or some other portion of time. You are making lifelong changes, so take it one bite at a time!
I believe you will find recovery much more manageable if you take it one step at a time. If you only look at getting through the next day, things will be doable. Once you get through today, you can then think about the next day! It will become easier the more you do it, too!
So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. – Matthew 6:34 (TLB)
#6. Recovery is a process.
According to the Celebrate Recovery study guide, you are beginning a journey – a journey that will lead you to a new kind of freedom from the past. Don’t ever expect perfection because you will only be disappointed. Rejoice in the steady progress you are making!
And I am sure that God who began a good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finished on the day when Jesus Christ returns. – Philippians 1:6 (TLB)
Related: Celebrate Recovery Serenity Prayer
#7. You need to choose to change.
It’s time to be humble; there is no other way to change your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. You must quit trying to do everything on your own. Humbly ask the Lord to remove your shortcomings. Rely on God’s power to change you!
God gives strength to the humble…so give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. – James 4:6-8 (TLB)
Celebrate Recovery Principle 5 Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please show me Your will as I work on my shortcomings. Teach me to not resist the change You have in store for me. Direct my path in only the ways You can. Please keep me from reverting back to past issues; keep me focused on the future.
Please give me the power and wisdom to overcome any obstacle that comes my way and to make the best of today. Thank You for all the blessings You have given me.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen
Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15 Questions
- In what ways does Romans 12:1-2 allow you to know that real change is possible?
- You have now asked God to help you identify your character defects and what you need to change first. List all of the things you want God to help you work on now. Will you work on them?
- Real change comes from changing our minds. List the positive actions you need to work on from the last question. Create an action plan listing the character defect, what you need to stop doing, and what you need to start doing.
- List all of the ways that you have now begun relying on God’s will for your life.
- What does “one day at a time” mean to you and the recovery you are going through?
- Do you agree that “recovery is not perfection but a process?” Why or why not?
- What does the word “humility” mean to you? How does humility help you make the changes you need to make?
More Valuable Celebrate Recovery Resources
A CR Video – Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15: Ready
Lesson 15 of Celebrate Recovery: Victory – YouTube
Free Recovery Lesson 15 Study Guide
In the Recovery Lesson 15 Study Guide, we give you even more questions to go over with your step study group! The study guide is absolutely free, so please enjoy it!
Recovery Lesson 15 Additional FREE Study Guide
My Story in Relation to Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15
Hello. I am Michele, someone who is a grateful believer in Christ Jesus.
I celebrate recovery from addictions, such as nicotine and alcohol. I continue to struggle with anxiety, workaholism, perfectionism, and other life issues – as many people do! We’re only human!
As we look at my story in relation to Celebrate Recovery lesson 15, remember that I am not perfect. I have just as many problems as the next person; it’s not always easy bearing your soul to the world, so I appreciate you as a reader accepting me and my faults as being human!!
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it, and He will. – Psalm 37:5 (TLB)
Defects of Character
What my character defects once were (over a decade ago) is not much different than what they are today. Don’t mistake what I’m saying; I’ve grown and become a very different person, but the things I once battled are still at the forefront of my self-improvement to-do list.
If you’ve ever attended a Celebrate Recovery meeting or group, you know that honesty is monumental to be successful in recovery, so it’s only fair that I tell you the truth about the things I still struggle with. At the top of my list are selfishness, impatience, and laziness.
I think those things can often feed off one another. When you’re lazy, it’s often because you’re being selfish with your time. Plus, when you look out only for yourself, you tend to be impatient with other people!
There was actually quite a bit more on my list from the time when I went through the 12-step program the first time, but I have overcome a lot! That makes me proud, and I hope you are proud of your life when you look back at what you’ve overcome. We are works in progress!!
Previously, I struggled with jealousy, indecisiveness, and a lack of self-worth. I also didn’t put God first in my life. I’ve learned that having Christ as the foundation of my life makes all the difference in the world when it comes to SO many things!!
Some defects of character that I really worked on overcoming were complaining (grumbling) and building my spiritual life. I needed to get past my character defects if I was going to make forward progress in recovery. It’s just imperative that you do the “work” in recovery!
As the saying goes, “It works if you work it!” That’s in reference to the 12-step program!!
Creating an Action Plan
It’s difficult to make forward progress if you do not have an action plan. For me, I needed to stop putting myself first – something I still struggle with. Also, it was imperative that I placed God as a higher priority in my life. I needed to truly build a relationship with Him.
The relationship I did have was pretty weak. So, how can you build a relationship with God? Try to live like Christ did when He was here on Earth. He was humble, kind, loving, and intelligent. We will never measure up, but we can work to be more like Him every day.
It might be hard for you to do this if you do not know Jesus very well. The best thing you can do is to read and study your Bible, communicate with God through prayer, and attend church. Those things will give your spiritual life a boost in the right direction, so get started today!
You’ll begin to know who Jesus is and thus can act like Him. It’s pretty difficult to act like someone you do not know, isn’t it? Kindness can be easily accomplished through volunteer work. You can write to soldiers overseas, help with the homeless, or help a dog or cat rescue.
As you work on your faith, remember that no one is perfect (except Jesus). You typically don’t need to go all extreme to have a relationship with God. Start small; begin reading your Bible. Pray about your recovery and that of your fellow CR brothers and sisters.
Trust me; having God in your life will make a huge difference in your recovery!!
Living One Day at a Time
In recovery, we are advised to live one day at a time because each day can be quite difficult on its own. If you worry about tomorrow too much, you will miss what today has in store for you. You’ll miss many beautiful wonders. Embrace each day for what it is – another gift!
You might think that you can handle more than what is on your plate for today, but in recovery, we don’t need to add worry to a day that is already full. Instead, focus on the present and don’t worry about things that have not even happened yet. I know this is easier said than done!
I often worry about the safety of my husband when he is at work, but in reality, if I trusted God more, I wouldn’t be worried about something I have no control over. The best thing I can do in the present moment is to pray about anything that presents itself as a worry!
Each day of your life will bring you a different challenge. With God’s help, you can overcome the challenges. You might even find them to be blessings!
Often, the most difficult moments in my life have turned out to have the best results! Consider the positive implications of challenges!
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
How to Be Humble
Humility is a challenging trait to gain. If you don’t already have it, it can seem to be an impossible task. However, if we are to live holy lives, we must learn to be humble. As the CR literature states, we are to be humble if we want to truly change our lives.
What does humility mean to me? It’s all about being vulnerable and honest. It can be quite difficult to admit when you are wrong, especially if you are usually right (Ha!)! It takes a humble person to admit when they have been mistaken about something.
Humility also shows itself in recovery. If we are full of pride, we are unable to admit to the things we struggle with. How can we deal with our issues if we refuse to admit them?
As you look around your CR meetings, notice the pain others have experienced. Show empathy to those who are vulnerable and trying to get better. Be a helping hand, offering compassion – as Jesus did when He was here. You will notice a huge difference if you do this!
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. – 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery?
The 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery are based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They include:
- We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
- We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- We decided to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
- We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- We admitted to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
- We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- We continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having a spiritual experience resulting from these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.
What does VICTORY mean in recovery?
Victory in recovery means that you are victorious over something; you have battled and won! That might sound pretty obvious, and it can be rather simple when it comes to recovery. If you made it through another day without drinking, that is something to celebrate. Remember to take things one day at a time!
What are the 8 principles of Celebrate Recovery?
The 8 principles of Celebrate Recovery (and based on the Beatitudes) are as follows.
- Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.
- Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.
- Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.
- Openly examine and confess my faults to me, to God, and to someone I trust.
- Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
- Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.
- Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
- Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.
What does it mean to voluntarily submit to changes?
Voluntarily submitting to the changes that you need to make means that you are willing and able to change the things God wants you to change in your life. That could mean that you need to quit drinking, start going to church or begin reading your Bible on a regular basis.
What is the Serenity Prayer?
The Serenity Prayer from Celebrate Recovery (CR) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is as follows: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Memorize it for encouragement during those hard times!
Conclusion
You are now celebrating VICTORY in recovery! Congratulations on that!! In this article on Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15: Victory, we’ve gone over:
- What Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15: Victory Is
- All About Celebrate Recovery
- The Details of the Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15 Study Guide
- Further Study Resources – a FREE Additional Study Guide and Video
- My Story as It Relates to Celebrate Recovery Lesson 15
- And More!
Celebrate Recovery changed my life; help me to continue this recovery ministry by sharing this CR article on social media. That would be most helpful!
If you’d like to share your testimony or suggest a recovery article topic for me to write, please reach out, and we’ll see what we can do!
Grab your FREE Lesson 15 study guide and/or copies of the Serenity Prayers in the shop!! Memorize the prayer for times of trouble, so you will always have it with you!
Look out for the next lesson – Celebrate Recovery Lesson 16: Amends! It will be a life-changing experience for you and those you pay amends to; I promise!
