I re-posted this prayer to my Facebook page a few days ago. I originally posted it last year. It has had an amazing response with over 600,000 views in just a few days. I wanted to post it here to my blog for anyone who is not on Facebook, and could use encouragement in this area. Blessings to you all!
Dear Lord, we come to you and we pray for all those who are struggling tonight. We ask in the name of Jesus, that you be with each person who is struggling with addiction…whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food…sometimes it’s more than one at a time.
Lord, you are our deliverer. We can do anything through Christ who strengthens us…but, we must take the first step. We must realize we have a problem and a need… and we must ask for help. I ask Lord, that you will give each person the courage to face up to their problems and to have a strong desire to change.
I ask that you will remove all outside influences that hinder them from coming clean and who perpetuate their addictions. We ask in Jesus’ name, that you will bind the enemy and that you will put your angels about each person to protect them tonight from themselves and from the things that keep dragging them down. Lord, I know many self medicate so they won’t have to deal with the pain in their life. I pray that you will give them the courage and strength to face down their demons and hurts… and to clean out the wounds once and for all, so they can be free to be the person that you’ve called them to be…to be free from the sickness and pain that keeps them in bondage.
We ask for healing in families torn apart by addiction. We ask for protection for those family members that are in harm’s way because of their loved one’s addictions. Lord, everyone suffers in a family where there is addiction. Please pour out your grace, mercy and healing power on each person who has been affected by someone with an addiction.
May the chains be broken tonight, Lord. Set the captives free and please begin that healing that only you can bring. Please bring hope…give a vision of what life can be like for a person freed from pain and addiction. Lord, for every need spoken or unspoken… and you know them all, we ask for your provision.
Please bring people into their lives that will stand beside them and help them to be accountable and will help them to stay clean and free. May you restore their sense of self-worth, may they find redemption and restoration in you Lord. We praise you and thank you Lord for the work you are going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
May tonight be a night of life-altering change!
Believing in miracles for you!
Debbie Kay
Here is a brief description by the artist, Steven Sawyer, as to the meaning behind the images in his painting. This comes from his website. Check out the site, for more insights…The painting is titled “Calvary” and he says ….”When you’ve done it unto the least of these you’ve done it unto Me.”…. “Only God can go where all the doors are held shut by the enemy. Only God will stay even when the devil himself finally walks out on you. Only God will share in the fullness of your sufferings and never forsake you”.
Photo Credit: artist, Stephen Sawyer. all rights belong to him
Prayer is (c) 2012, Debbie Kay, Hope For The Broken Hearted
hopeforthebrokenhearted.wordpress.com
Table of contents
Can prayer help those who face the challenges of addiction?
Prayers are a ritualized act that has helped many individuals through rough times of despair, pain, loss and discouragement. The act of praying aims to teach an individual to focus on their wishes and desires by acknowledging the philosophy of a religious belief. But how can faith influence the way that you or a loved one cope with addiction?
Here, we review the book, “Praying for Those with Addictions: A Mission of Love, Mercy, and Hope”. Inside, we find successful stories of many individuals who have shown that praying can be used as a way of gaining hope and strength in the process of overcoming addiction. Choosing to believe that you can heal and reach sobriety can be a very powerful place to begin with and praying might be the practice that can lead you there.
More here on prayer in addiction recovery and this book that can help. Plus, we invite your questions and feedback in the comments section at the end. In fact, we’ll try to respond to all sincere questions personally and promptly!
The idea behind this book
As a child raised in a home with alcoholic parents, Anne Costa (now a spiritual coach, speaker and author) became interested in finding a way to protect her parents from drinking. But failing to deal with her own emotions led to problem drinking and a cyclical return to addiction. In fact, Costa became the alcoholic she wanted to heal.
Ultimately, the desire for happiness and a normal life lead her to the discovery that prayers and religion can serve as a great tool to overcome an addiction problem. In this book she wants to show how the power of prayers can help people overcome their addiction, as it did for her.
A guide to help you heal: Practical prayers all year long
“Praying for Those with Addictions: A Mission of Love, Mercy, and Hope” is written as a prayer guide intended for friends and families of addicted people. However, the book can be used by those who face addiction themselves as well! How?
When addicted, people go through their most desperate times. When we feel we’ve hit the rock bottom, faith and prayer can serve as a healing tool. The prayers in this book are arranged in a journey intended to last for a year. The first section of this prayer book is consisted of twelve chapters, one for each month.
The prayers in the FIRST CHAPTER are designed to help you:
- reconnect with your inner self
- find the will to accept life with an addiction problem
- take responsibility for your actions
The SECOND CHAPTER consists of prayers intended to help you release the guilt connected to addiction. The concept of this chapter follows a philosophy used in Al-Anon (AA) groups: You did’t cause it, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it.
CHAPTER THREE prayers aim to encourage you take the initiative to make a change and transformation in your life.
CHAPTER FOUR prayers are focused on inner discovery and the importance of personal belief.
The goals of CHAPTER FIVE are to teach readers about the importance of going through their recovery journey “one step at a time“.
In CHAPTERS: SIX, SEVEN AND EIGHT you will have the chance to discover the benefits of Christian prayers such as: joy, peace and freedom.
CHAPTER NINE is a guide that shows the practice of praying with the five saints on the mission of love, mercy and hope.
CHAPTER TEN aims to teach people who live with addicted individuals about the practice of detachment.
CHAPTER ELEVEN focuses on the benefits of having faith despite all the obstacles you may face during your journey to recovery.
CHAPTER TWELVE gives you insights about the way prayers might help you see your addiction as a positive life changing experience.
How to use this prayer book?
This prayer book can be used as a complementary part of an addiction recovery program which – ideally – includes psychotherapy and medication assisted treatment where needed. Reading and practicing the prayers in this book can deeply impact your life and the life of your loved one or friend with an addiction. With each page, you will have the chance to travel through a journey of self discovery and are invited to sense the Holy Spirit. Its use and practice is an invitation to healing and greater understanding of your recovery.
Who is this book intended for?
This prayer guide follows the Catholic religious order and seems best suited for those who identify as Christians. It uses citation from the Bible. While non religious people or people from other religions may not find the needed connection to the reference text, the prayers and practices of the book can be used by anyone interested in using Catholic tradition to connect with a Higher Power.
Why do we recommend this prayer guide for addiction recovery?
Praying for those with addiction provides addicts and their loved ones with hope in the most difficult times. This prayer book answers your call for aid and sets you on a mission of love, mercy and for a miracle of healing using the Bible and Christian tradition.
In sum, we recommend this prayer guide for the following benefits:
- The prayer book can help you develop faith in recovery.
- Daily prayer can give you strength to face the most difficult challenges in your life path.
- Praying can help you develop wisdom.
- Focused daily prayer may just be the best experience of addiction recovery!
Wondering where you can find “Praying for Those with Addictions: A Mission of Love, Mercy, and Hope”? To buy, download and read the book, go to Amazon: if you are left with any questions about this book, we ask you to post them in the section below. We also welcome your feedback if you’ve read the book, and would like to comment and share your opinions or impressions.
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About the Author: Anne Costa is an author, spiritual coach and motivational speaker. She talks about subjects related to faithful living, authentic womanhood and healing the soul. Her books are written to encourage, affirm and inspire Christians and Catholics with practical messages of hope. Her first book, Refresh Me Lord, remains a popular favorite, while her second offering, Lord, I Hurt was a 2013 Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Finalist. Anne is active in service with the Sacred Heart Apostolate and the John Paul II Center for women. She lives in Cicero New York, with her husband and daughter.
addictionblog.org
Speaker, author and spiritual coach Anne Costa has written a new book and it’s for people who are affected by others’ addictions. “Praying for Those with Addictions: A Mission of Love, Mercy and Hope” offers a Catholic spiritual approach that would be an excellent aid for those coping with a family member or other loved one suffering from addiction.
“Praying for Those with Addictions” is divided into twelve chapters, one for each month of the year. The idea is that this book can be used as a sort
Speaker, author and spiritual coach Anne Costa has written a new book and it’s for people who are affected by others’ addictions. “Praying for Those with Addictions: A Mission of Love, Mercy and Hope” offers a Catholic spiritual approach that would be an excellent aid for those coping with a family member or other loved one suffering from addiction.
“Praying for Those with Addictions” is divided into twelve chapters, one for each month of the year. The idea is that this book can be used as a sort of “workbook” throughout the year, each chapter taking you along a spiritual road leading you towards a greater degree of freedom in dealing with your loved ones’ addiction problem and how you can best assist them. Along the way you will learn much about God’s compassion and love.
Each chapter concludes with four sections, one for each week of the month. Each section has a passage from Scripture for you to meditate upon for that week. There are prayers helping you with the meditation, along with a “reflective question” paired off with the verse. All these assist you in starting a prayer journal.
While the book is intended for people in Al-Anon and similar groups for other addictions, I do feel it is worthwhile if the addict or alcoholic is yourself. There are many useful practices that can be applied to anyone in recovery. For example, there is a wonderful examination of conscience for each line of the Lord’s Prayer in Chapter 5: “One Day at a Time.”
There are not very many books published that specifically serve Catholics in dealing with addictions relative to those serving the non-Catholic Christian community; Costa has done all of us sober Catholics in particular and the Church in general a great service in writing this. I highly recommend this book, it is a needed treasure and most definitely fills a void. This is a book that should be on every Catholic’s recovery bookshelf, or better yet, on your prayer table or wherever you do your daily prayers and meditations. It will have a lasting and positive impact on your life as well as the ones you love who are addicts.
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