Mania  is an excitement of psychotic proportions that shows itself through mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and an elevated mood that feels impossible to slow down. In the realm of emotional and spiritual growth, mania is not always the clinical diagnosis we hear about in psychiatry. Sometimes it shows up in subtle, everyday ways — especially among people who are trying hard not  to need anything. Many people stay intensely busy because slowing

Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others — except when doing so would harm them or others. “Happy are those who are merciful to others.”“Happy are those who work for peace.” Choice 6 is about relational repair . Today we courageously look at the broken places between us and other people — not to judge ourselves, not to regret our past — but to evaluate  our patterns honestly so we can heal. This ch

The Transformation Choice Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. Many of us have lived the cycle: You start a diet… and then fall off. You leave an unhealthy relationship… then drift into another one. You quit smoking… then pick it up again. You stay away from gambling… and then fall right back in. We return to the old patterns we hate, not because we want to, but because our autopilot is still progra

Choice 3: Consciously Choose to Commit All My Life and Will to Christ’s Care and Control “Letting Go: The Commitment Choice” No matter how hard we try, we eventually discover that we cannot fix ourselves. We begin with guilt over our behavior. We tell ourselves, “I should be able to change… I ought to be able to get out of this.”  But we can’t — and our guilt turns to anger. As time passes, anger becomes fear — fear that nothing will ever change. Our hurts, hang-ups, and habi

A Biblical and Evidence-Based Pathway to Healing Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits The Human Need for Recovery The Bible clearly states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is our nature to sin—yours and mine. None of us is exempt. Because of sin, we’ve all hurt ourselves, we’ve hurt others, and others have hurt us. That means each of us needs repentance and recovery to live the way God intended. We often hear the phrase, “time heals all wound