we are all in recovery

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“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

At its core, "We are all in recovery" is not just a slogan—it’s a spiritual reality.

It means that every single one of us is being healed, restored, and renewed by the grace of God. Whether we are recovering from addiction, pride, bitterness, abuse, religious legalism, trauma, sin, or simply the wounds of a fallen world, we are all on a journey back to who God originally designed us to be.

Recovery is not just for the addict. It’s for the angry. The anxious. The abused. The abandoned. It’s for the perfectionist. The people-pleaser. The prodigal.
It’s for the pastor. The pew-sitter. The prisoner. The parent.
It’s for the sinner being sanctified by grace.

"For the longest time, I always thought of my recovery—my alcohol addiction, the battles I fought in secret, and the grace that saved me—as something separate from others. I thought, 'They go to church. I go to recovery. But then God showed me something that changed everything:

All believers are in recovery.

He showed me that addiction was just one symptom. The real problem was deeper—a spiritual disconnection, a broken identity, a soul trying to fill a God-sized hole. And guess what? That’s every single one of us. Whether you’ve never touched a drop or you've been to the bottom like I have, you need recovery. We all do. Because we’re all being restored into the image of Christ."
 

Creation: We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), made to reflect His character and live in intimate fellowship with Him.

Fall: Sin broke that image and separated us from God (Romans 3:23). It fractured every part of our lives—our relationships, our minds, our desires.

Redemption: Through Jesus, we are being made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Gospel doesn’t just save us from hell—it restores us to wholeness.

Return: God is not just calling us out of sin; He is calling us back to Himself. Back to the garden. Back to intimacy. Back to walking with Him in the cool of the day. The entire narrative of Scripture is a story of God making a way for His people to return to Him.

But there is also a final Return still to come: Jesus is coming back. And when He does, we will all give an account—not just for our actions, but for our motives and intentions (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 4:13). This truth should stir urgency in our hearts to live lives worthy of the calling we've received.

Sanctification: This is the process of recovery—becoming who we were always meant to be. It’s daily dying to self (Luke 9:23), renewing our minds (Romans 12:2), and walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). We are being transformed from the inside out, one layer at a time, from glory to glory.

If we believe we’re all in recovery, then:

• There’s no room for judgment. We’re all at different stages, but part of the same process.
   
• Church becomes a hospital, not a museum. A place for healing, not for hiding.
   
• Discipleship becomes personal. It’s about walking with people through their pain into freedom.
   
• Leaders lead from vulnerability. Not from pedestals, but from the posture of “follow me as I follow Christ.”
   

• Every believer is a ‘recovering’ person. That’s why The Quest to Become Recovered is not just for those coming off the streets—it’s for the saints still learning to live free.
   
• Discipleship is a recovery journey. We're all recovering from the Self Life and walking into the Saved Life.
   
• Our mission is restoration. Not just conversion. Not just behavior modification. But full-on soul recovery.