On This Day In History June 10

CBN.com - On this day in 1935, two men with serious drinking problems, a New York City stockbroker and an Ohio physician, formed a program they called Alcoholics Anonymous. Today, A.A. includes more than eighty thousand local groups in the United States and an estimated two million members worldwide. Others have started similar addiction support groups using A.A.'s twelve-step program.

The A.A. program prescribes total abstinence as members refrain from alcohol "one day at a time." The first step for new members is to admit they have a drinking problem by standing up at a meeting and confessing, "I am an alcoholic." Members share their experiences and learn to draw strength from one another to break their addiction. Participants are urged to admit they are "powerless over alcohol" and to surrender their lives to "the care of God."

The first step to becoming a believer is for us to admit that we have a problem with sin. We have to understand our natural state as a sinner before we can come to the Cross and confess, "I am a sinner." Once we name our disease, we can accept the cure that Jesus offers.

After we accept Christ, we still have a problem with sin. His death has paid the penalty for our sin and assured us of acceptance by God. But we still struggle against our old nature, which daily tempts us to give in to sin's pull. Many Christians think they have to look perfect and hide their struggles, but James 5:16 urges us to confess them to fellow believers and pray for one another. As we humble ourselves and draw strength from God and from one another, we will break sin's addiction "one day at a time."

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