What is Christian Counselling?
In the Christ-centred approach, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate therapist and healer. God becomes the agent of change if the client cooperates with Him. The goal is to convey a way of freedom from mental and emotional symptoms, family and marital conflict, as well as other difficulties.
Addiction is a heavy burden that can isolate people in cycles of secrecy and despair. For Christians, this struggle often comes with a hunger to reconnect with God while breaking free from the grip of substance abuse.
Faith and Spirituality: A Foundation for Recovery
Faith-based counselling provides a unique opportunity to view addiction through a spiritual lens, reconnecting you with God as the cornerstone of your recovery. Instead of the inner void and distance from God associated with active addictions , Christian counselling emphasizes rebuilding this relationship as essential for healing.
Seek God’s guidance and strength, Prayer, Scripture study, and reliance on Jesus Christ foster spiritual growth and provides a renewed sense of purpose. Let this foundation remind you that genuine freedom and peace are possible when you trust in God’s plan.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Strength in Fellowship
Isolation is a typical experience for those struggling with addiction, but Christian therapy emphasizes the power of togetherness. Being part of a faith-based group or church provides you with a built-in community of like-minded peers who encourage and uplift one another.
Celebrate Recovery is a Christian program rooted in 12-step principles. With more than 35,000 churches worldwide, it is now one of the most widespread communities addressing faith and addiction. This program can be instrumental for building accountability, maintaining motivation, and finding hope during challenging times. We encourage attending meetings deriving strength from a sober support network.
“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Emotional Healing
Addiction brings deep emotional wounds. For many, these can feel overwhelming and insurmountable. Christian therapy provides a space to process these feelings through the lens of faith and forgiveness.
A core tenet of Christianity is the belief that God gives us grace. Understanding and accepting the depths of this unconditional love can bring immense relief to people burdened by their mistakes. Through counselling, you can learn to forgive yourself, let go of shame, and embrace the freedom that comes from God’s mercy.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Rediscover Freedom Through Faith
We believe recovery empowers you to embrace the life God intended for you. Strengthening your faith creates a foundation for long-term sobriety and spiritual growth.
Christ centred counselling along with the transformative power of faith helps you find healing, redemption, and freedom through God’s love.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Some people use drugs or alcohol to alleviate the symptoms of existing mental health conditions. Others start to experience issues like anxiety and hallucinations after a prolonged period of heavy substance abuse.
Regardless of how they began, the two conditions are always intertwined; when one worsens, so does the other. Stress, frustration, and withdrawal can aggravate the symptoms of one’s mental illness and catalyze a relapse.
Christ centred, faith-based coping skills, nutritional support, recreational therapy.
Individual healing through one-on-one, faith-based counselling sessions. These private meetings provide participants with crucial insights about their personal struggles, motivation to become sober, and renewed faith in God.
Christian counsellors strive to bring healing and restoration to clients during their darkest hours, while addiction affects your physical and emotional health,we also believe it to be a spiritual condition. Our counselling team has found that combining practical Biblical teachings with individual therapeutic guidance lays the groundwork for long-term rehabilitation.
Our approach is backed by decades of scientific research and thousands of years of Biblical tradition. This method blends evidence-based treatment with faith-driven healing is a truly transformative combination. Individual faith-based counselling sessions offer myriad benefits. By participating, you can explore the issues fueling your addiction, further your relationship with Christ, and prepare to repair relationships.
faith-based counselling helps you to:
- Understand the root causes of your addictive tendencies
- Restore or begin your relationship with Jesus
- Find your purpose
- Look to Biblical truths to overcome recovery obstacles
- Heal broken relationships
- Learn to forgive
- Deal with traumatic experiences
- Set and review personal recovery goals
- Expand upon what you have learned in other sessions
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Addiction recovery requires perseverance, faith, and daily surrender. For many, prayer serves as a powerful tool to find strength, peace, and guidance. Whether in a 12-step program, a Christian rehab, or personal devotion, prayer can put you closer to God and inspire hope.
The Serenity Prayer: A Foundation for Recovery
One of the best-known prayers is the Serenity Prayer, frequently recited by members at the beginning or end of 12-step meetings.
It reads: “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.”
Use this prayer to remind you that some things are beyond your control, but with God’s guidance, you can change your actions, mindset, and behaviour. Divine wisdom allows you to handle life’s challenges gracefully.
By embracing these principles, you can release guilt, resentment, and fear while focusing on healing.
The Benefits of Prayer in Addiction Recovery
Incorporating prayer into your daily life can be advantageous in multiple ways.
- Strength in temptation: Recovery comes with challenges, including cravings and triggers. Turn to God’s strength in moments of weakness. (1 Corinthians 10:13 – “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”)
- Inner peace: Addiction often leaves people feeling restless and anxious. Seek comfort in God’s presence. (Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”)
- Forgiveness and healing: Guilt and shame can weigh heavily on those recovering from addiction. Through prayer, you can seek God’s mercy and learn to forgive yourself. (Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”)
- Renewed purpose: Many people struggling with addiction feel lost. Pray to rediscover your identity in Christ and move forward with faith. (Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”)
Other Prayers for Addiction Recovery
1. Strength in Recovery
Heavenly Father, I come to You in my weakness, seeking Your strength. Help me overcome the cravings and temptations that threaten my sobriety. Fill me with Your spirit, so I may walk in faith and resist the urge to return to my old ways. Thank You for Your endless grace and love. Amen.
2. Surrender
Lord, I surrender my addiction and struggles to You. I know that I cannot overcome this on my own, but with You, all things are possible. Please take control of my life and guide me on the path of healing. Let Your will be done in my recovery. Amen.
3. Healing Relationships
God, my addiction has hurt those I love, and I ask for Your help in repairing these relationships. Give me the humility to seek forgiveness and the wisdom to rebuild trust. Help my loved ones find the strength to heal as well. Amen.
4. Gratitude
Lord, thank You for the progress I have made in my recovery. Each day is a gift, and I am grateful for Your presence in my life. Help me to remain thankful even in difficult moments, knowing that You are always with me. Amen.
Finding Strength Through Faith
Prayer is an essential tool for overcoming addiction, offering strength, peace, and divine guidance. Whether reciting the Serenity Prayer in a 12-step meeting, seeking forgiveness, or expressing gratitude, turning to God through prayer can be life-changing.
Reach out to recover your relationship with God.
No one does recovery alone. It’s important to recognize that we are powerless over drugs and alcohol, and that only true dedication—combined with the unconditional love of Christ—can redeem us.
By becoming a part of Celebrate Recovery in your hometown enables you to build your sober support network and reinforces your continued abstinence from drugs and alcohol. We highly encourage you to find a Celebrate Recovery meeting near you.
If you are looking for a Celebrate Recovery® meeting in your area or hometown, please visit the Celebrate Recovery®
Life Skills
We want to prepare you for life, beyond the facts about addiction and the inner work of healing, our counselling leaves you with knowledge you’ll use every day: a set of crucial life skills in recovery.
Even if you’ve broken your dependence on drugs and alcohol, it can be easy to fall back into old habits after treatment. Fortunately, there are ways to mentally and emotionally prepare for challenges back in your daily life. We use the Bible and a variety of faith-based resources to help you prevent relapse.
Our counsellors use every tool at their disposal to encourage you to abandon self-defeating behaviour and draw closer to the healing power of God. A major component of this process is an emphasis on making Christlike choices. By choosing to emulate Jesus, you can remain free from addiction in your daily thoughts and behaviours. We encourage these changes through a series of practical, applicable life skills training designed to foster independence, humility, inner strength, and virtue.
Life skills taught:
- Asking for help when you need it.
- Saying no to drugs, alcohol, and other worldly temptations.
- Taking recovery one step at a time.
- Making decisions based on your values and faith, not peer pressure.
- Establishing healthy communication with loved ones.
- Setting and protecting your own personal boundaries.
- Seeing yourself through the eyes of Christ.
- Abandoning unhealthy thought patterns that lead to addiction.
- Connecting with the Lord through prayer and scripture.
- Repairing relationships broken by addiction.
If you or someone you love is facing the pain and devastation of substance abuse, don’t give up be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT
Devotion
The times we live in are the times between Jesus Christ’s first and second coming. Although the power of the devil has been broken in principle through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he still wields considerable power here on earth. Indeed, the Bible can still refer to the devil as “the ruler of this world,” (John 14:30). This does not mean that he has all power over the world, for “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” (Psalm 24:1), but it does mean that he is the mighty prince of a spiritual regime of “evil rulers and authorities” at work within God’s world.
The devil is not some sort of impersonal evil force. The devil is a created spiritual being with the power of reason and thought. He is a thinker, confronting us with strategies designed to bring about our destruction. Although Paul tells us that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,” the devil uses flesh-and-blood to effectuate his purposes in the world. We must always realise, therefore, that there is a devious spiritual strategist behind the struggles we face with other people—and even with our own bodies, for we can be our own worst enemy.
In order to fight effectively against the devil and his cohorts, Paul tells us that we must be “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We must not, therefore, try to confront the devil in our own power. We must use the armour of God, which Paul lists further on in the chapter: the “belt of truth,” “God’s righteousness,” the “peace that comes from the Good News,” the “shield of faith,” and the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” (Ephesians 6:14-17). Each of these, in its own way, helps us in the fight.
Today, ask the Lord to help you make intelligent use of His armour as needed against the strategies of the enemy.