Sometimes it feels like our addiction (or our loved one's addiction) defines our (his/her) identity. Years of substance abuse and/or engaging in other compulsive sinful behavior from addiction can leave an indelible stain on a person's identity.

God has given us a new identity on account of Christ. God calls us his children. God calls us heirs and fellow heirs with Christ. There is no greater identity that brings us comfort and peace.

Step Six is one of the hardest steps because our sinful nature gets in the way. Our sinful nature wants us to cling to the same behaviors and same attitudes we had when we were actively caught up in our addiction. Because of Jesus' great love for us we are motivated to let go of what fueled our addictions, and live our lives for him.

Psalm 136 is a beautiful song with a refrain that underscores the fact that throughout our lives - as messy and broken as they are - God's mercy for us in Christ isn't bound by anything whatsoever. God's mercy is eternal. Because God's mercy is eternal, we give him thanks.

Admitting or Confessing our sins to God and another human being can seem humiliating. Quietly admitting defeat and keeping to ourselves seems like it would be much easier. It isn't. Our conscience weighs heavy upon us by internalizing our sin. Confessing our sins to God acknowledges our need for a Savior from sin. Through Jesus Christ our Savior, God has forgiven all of our sins and freed us from our guilt.

King David confessed his sin to God in Psalm 32. David exclaims how blessed people are who confess their sins to God and receive God's forgiveness.

People in recovery from addiction sometimes look back with guilt and shame over their addictive behavior. The addictive behavior from the past doesn't define who we are as God's own people whose sins have been washed away by Jesus' blood shed on the cross for the sins of the world.

Host Tim Gray references the first episode of the podcast. If you haven't listened to it yet, click here.

Before we make amends with the people we've harmed with our addiction, we take the step of taking inventory of what we've done to hurt people because of our addiction. It doesn't matter if we're addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn, or whatever has mastery over our lives. Taking inventory of what we've done will help us a few steps later when we make amends.

From a Christian standpoint, that's called repentance. We confess our sins to God and one another. We turn away from our sinful lifestyle and behavior and turn back to God. God has fully and freely forgiven all of our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. We are declared not guilty of our sin because of Jesus.

I mentioned during the podcast I would share the link of a website that addresses porn addiction from a Christian perspective. Go to ConquerorsThroughChrist.net. There you will find valuable content for people struggling with addiction to porn. When I looked at the FAQ page, I noticed some of the questions and answers can be applicable to any addiction.

Do you still feel shame from your addiction? Maybe it's an overwhelming sense of shame.

Jesus endured the shame of the cross for us in our place. He washes us clean from sin with his own blood, and clothes us in the robes of his righteousness. Because of Jesus we turn our eyes to him when we are overcome with the shame of our addiction and other sins.

Recovery Under the Cross has been coming to you once a week so far. That's going to change. Listen to the announcement for more information.