Episode 10: Rooted & Recovered - Keep the Slate Clean

What if freedom requires daily maintenance, not just a one-time breakthrough?

In this soul-piercing episode of Rooted & Recovered, Dan and Justin unpack Step Ten of the 12-Step journey:
“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.”

This is where recovery shifts from rescue to rhythm. Step Ten isn’t flashy, but it’s essential. It’s where freedom grows roots. Where integrity is guarded. Where relapse is caught before it takes hold. It’s not about perfection—it’s about staying honest.

Because the truth is: you don’t crash all at once.
You drift.
You ignore the warning signs.
You stop checking in.
And before you know it, you’re back in the pit God already pulled you from.

This episode will call out your excuses and stir up your soul. It’s time to stop letting old triggers write new chapters. And start walking in the daily discipline that keeps you free.

Key Highlights:

• Why Step Ten is your spiritual smoke alarm
• The difference between drifting and falling, and why both are dangerous
• What Peter’s failure and restoration teach us about grace after denial
• The dirty words we avoid in recovery: discipline and accountability
• Why delayed confession always delays healing
• Why daily inventory keeps the door of your soul locked to guilt, pride, and shame

Scriptures Covered:
Psalm 139:23–24 • Lamentations 3:40 • Proverbs 4:23 • Hebrews 3:8 • Luke 9:23 • 2 Corinthians 12:9 • John 21:15–17 • Romans 6:1–2 • Acts 2:14–41

Final Truth:
Freedom isn’t a feeling—it’s a discipline.
And Step Ten is your spiritual maintenance plan.
Because unchecked sarcasm becomes bitterness.
Unspoken guilt becomes a stronghold.
Unconfessed sin becomes a prison.

You don’t confess because you’re weak; you confess because you’re wise.
 Inventory isn’t about rehearsing failure; it’s about remembering who you are.
 And the quicker you own it, the quicker you heal.

Don’t let yesterday’s infection become today’s identity.
Own it fast.
Let grace clean it.
And walk lighter tomorrow.

Tag a brother or sister walking through Step Ten and remind them:
 You don’t need to be perfect.
 You just need to be real.

Stay rooted. Stay recovered. Let’s get to work.

Transcript

0:00

This world doesn't hand out healing. It offers quick fixes, cheap highes and empty promises, but real recovery. It takes roots. Roots that dig deep into truth, into identity, into the unshakeable grace of God. We're not here to sugarcoat the struggle. We've lived it. Addiction, shame, relapse, regret, but we've also seen resurrection. We've seen what happened. Happens when broken people get anchored in something real rooted and recovered is more than a podcast. It's a battleground for the soul. A place where scars tell stories, where scripture speaks louder than shame, where freedom isn't just a word. It's a war we win daily. So if you're tired of surface level answers, if you want truth that convicts, hope that heals, and conversations that cut through the noise, you're in the right place. Welcome to Rooted and Recovered.

Justin: 1:08

Hello, hello, hello man. It's just another beautiful day in southern Illinois. Um, I'm blessed to be here, honored and humbled to be here doing this, guys. I mean, the fact that God could use a wretch like me to be able to do something like this still amazes me, but I'm not alone in this. I'm joined here today, as always, with my brother in Christ. Man, he the dynamic duo. He, he's, we're not co-host. We're hosting this together. Um, Dan, how are you doing today?

Dan: 1:44

I'm doing good, brother. It's nice to be in the studio with you. It's nice to be inside air conditioning guys. It is 86 degrees, uh, here in southern Illinois and we've not even hit summer yet, bro. Like it's gonna get like. It's gonna get hot and it's already creeping up. So it's nice to be in the air conditioning with you and talking about the goodness of God, brother

Justin: 2:08

and that man. That's what's gotten us here. It's the goodness of God. And I'd love to tell you that man. Once you walk in it, you're done. But the truth is. It's a daily thing, right? Daily. And that's what these, that's what these next three steps that we're gonna be talking about over these couple weeks, that's what it is. These are considered your maintenance steps. Don't just stop at step nine and think you're good. We need to make sure that we keep the slate clean. Step 10, continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Look, you know, if we let things sit and fester over time they grow and they turn into the same problems we had before. Freedom needs maintenance just because the house is clean. Doesn't mean it'll stay that way.

Dan: 3:13

Right. Uh,

Justin: 3:16

my wife. Very good at cleaning the house. I mean, she deep cleans the house, the bathroom especially, man, when she gets done, the sink is spotless. The mirror is spotless. Give me 10 minutes. I've got shavings and little hairs off my face, and I've got toothpaste on the mirror, splatters everywhere. And she's going, what happened?

Dan: 3:37

Right?

Justin: 3:38

And I'm sitting there like a kid with it hanging out in my beard, right? And she's going, what happened? I'm going, nothing. I don't know. I don't know. Right. You can clean in the same way. You can clean your house all you want one time. But man, these steps are meant to be practiced daily. It's meant to keep going. So that means in order to keep from falling back into what happened before, we need to make sure that we're doing what we can today, and that's what this step's about, right? In the same way, you can't clean your home once and never clean it again. You can't do that with your heart and you can't do it with your mind, and that's what Step 10 is about. Daily maintenance, not that one time breakthrough.

Dan: 4:22

You know, when I think about, when I think about these maintenance steps, you know, especially when you start looking at step 10, Justin, it isn't flashy. But family, this step is essential because this is, this step right here is where freedom. It becomes a rhythm, not just a rescue, because let's be real. Most people, Justin, when you really think about it, when you think of relapse, most people don't fall in a single moment. Mm-hmm. They drift. A little compromise here, a little bitterness here, a little pride, uh, that we pretend is just confidence. Before you know it, you're buried under the very things God has already freed you from.

Justin: 5:15

That's what Step ten's about. It's the practice of catching things before they grow into something bigger. The moment we stop checking in is the moment we start checking out.

Dan: 5:26

Absolutely.

Justin: 5:27

The moment we stop checking in, we start checking out emotionally, spiritually. And it, it oftentimes leads to relapse. Complacency kills. Paul even tells us in the Bible, do not go back to the things that you were set free from. Right. This is making sure that doesn't happen. We need discipline.

Dan: 5:57

Ooh. Nasty word.

Justin: 5:59

Bad word, right?

Dan: 6:00

Nasty. You just cussed.

Justin: 6:01

I know. Discipline. What do you mean that That's for little kids. Bible says you must be born again unless you're as a little child, you will not see the kingdom of heaven. Look, discipline is not a bad thing. You don't get. Shape from going to the gym one time. You get in shape from making it a routine and being disciplined.

Dan: 6:26

And that's the thing right there, Justin. Freedom. When you, we think of freedom from addiction or anger, depression, anxiety, whatever it is, listener that you've struggled with. Freedom isn't a one time moment, guys, it's a daily decision. I gotta wake up every single day. Say I choose to walk. Amen. In Christ. Amen. I choose to pick my cross up daily and follow him. Guys, this is not a one and done. You. You don't just give, it's a a daily decision and the daily inventory, that's what keeps you and I anchored when life tries to pull you and I off course guys, think about this. A delayed confession is a delayed breakthrough.

Justin: 7:19

Ooh, and look, guys, step 10. This isn't about living in fear of messing up. That's not what this is about. It's about creating a space for real reflection. Go back to Lamentations. Let us examine our ways and test them and let us return to the Lord. That is a daily thing we're supposed to be doing. It helps us understand. I look at it, I like to journal. I, I didn't like to, but once I actually started digging into the steps, I look at it as a way of creating a roadmap. It helps me see the dead ends. It helps me see the wrong turns, and it helps me recognize the past. That got me through, and that's what Step 10 is. It's us drawing out a map daily and then if something's wrong. Taking care of it now because look, it's just like that cheese that you didn't throw away yesterday with mold on it. The next day it's gonna get even moldier, and the next day it's gonna get even moldier. When you notice it's bad, you need to get rid of it. This is us taking the time out to notice if something's bad, but also to notice if something's good because so often we look at the bad parts of our lives. Look, the daily inventory, you should be looking at the blessings god's given you. The amends you made, the confessions you've made. Notice your growth. Don't be afraid of it. Walk in the freedom that comes with it.

Dan: 8:46

So when we, you look at the word inventory, I mean, why in the world does it matter?

Justin: 8:52

Hmm.

Dan: 8:53

You know, you look at step 10, it says, continue to take personal inventory and when we're wrong, promptly admit it. So I go back to a scripture that we've already used. Several podcasts. But Justin, This is the heart of, of what it means to serve God. This, this scripture is our foundation of what you and I should be praying and doing every single day. And that's in Psalms chapter 1 39. We've said it, you should be able to quote it by now. Search me God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Justin, this verse isn't passive man. It's a desperate cry for a divine inspection by him. It's saying, God, I know I can't always trust my own motives, so dig deeper, God shine a light in places that I've ignored. This is the heart of Step 10 family. This isn't a one time confession. It's a lifestyle of reflection because recovery isn't about never messing up again.'cause guess what? You're going to, you're gonna mess up. You're gonna fall, you're gonna make mistakes. Why? Because you and I are human. We have a sin nature that you and I are going to fight with every single day. But step 10, it's a lifestyle of reflection. It's about, it's not about not ever messing up again. It's about catching it quicker when you do. You see, because some, you know, most people, family, they don't relapse as we talked about in just in a single moment. They drift. They ignore the signs, they stop checking in with the spirit. Uh oh. They stop letting God search their motives, their triggers, the reactions. But see, step 10 is how you and I stay clean in our character, not just in our conduct. Justin,

Justin: 11:13

it's not about punishment. When we come to God for these things, it's not about punishment, it's about protection. God doesn't reveal our faults. to shame us. Look at that. Search me, oh God, know my anxious thoughts. Test my heart and place me back on paths. Not that lead to death. We talked about this earlier in the steps. There's two paths before every man. This is protection and making sure that we're on that path that leads to life. Continuing to walk with God and continuing look to heal. We want the healing, but we're not willing to walk in it. Look prompted admission keeps guilt from festering and prevents pride from trying to say, Hey, you ain't gotta say nothing. Don't worry about that, Justin, because that's what got us here in the first place, right? Not admitting when we were wrong. That's why step nine had to happen. Can I tell you something? It's a lot easier to look at somebody after five minutes of an argument and say, Hey man, I'm sorry for that. Or after you do something wrong and say, Hey, I lied than wait 10 years and say, Hey, I'm sorry I lied to you in sixth grade about the cookies that I stole and you cried and I threw a snack pack at you'cause you were crying. Right? It's us saying, Hey man, I know I messed up. I'm sorry. It's taking that accountability, that other dirty word we talked about. Mm-hmm. Last week. Accountability and saying, man, in this moment I didn't do what I should have and I'm sorry and I'm not gonna wait.

Dan: 12:49

Well, you think about that, Justin, you know, that's what Step 10 is all about. It's us making that inventory. Inventory guys, making that list, identifying those triggers, identifying those things that that could be stumbling blocks in our lives, guys, why? Because this is how you catch pride before it becomes arrogance. Hmm. This is how you notice when sarcasm is just bitterness dressed up as humor. It's how you admit when fear is making your choices and not your faith. Guys, this step is your spiritual smoke alarm.

Justin: 13:35

Yeah, yeah. You feel me on that, Justin, I feel you on that one.

Dan: 13:38

Step 10 is your spiritual smoke alarm. It's your early detection for soul fires and without it. You can be carrying unresolved guilt, anger, shame, like a backpack full of bricks, and wonder why your joy feels so heavy. Guys, inventory. It's not about being perfect, it's about staying honest. It's about staying aware. It's about staying available to grace before things spiral outta control Family. Because you'll never stay free if you don't stay aware.

Justin: 14:22

This step helps keep the relationship between us, God and others, just like you said, open and honest. And I love that it's a spiritual smoke detector where there's smoke, there's fire. Mm-hmm. And this is us recognizing that there's somewhere that I might have a fire and I need to go put that out. You see? I, I love what you said earlier, Dan. Small compromises, they lead to big consequences later. That little white lie leads to you having to tell 300 other ones to make sure that you don't get found out for that one. That's, that was. Think about that. You tell a lie to somebody and then you spend more time trying to think of other ways not to get caught for that one lie. So then you have to find yourself in another lie. Or you get in that one argument, like I said, and now you can't admit that I was wrong. And so you take it in and then next time they get mad at you because you didn't work it out and get rid of it, you're thinking they're mad at you for something and just'cause they sent a text message and didn't have a period at the end of it. Right? They were mean in that one. Right. Right. Your conscious will eat away at you. This is us making sure our conscious stays clear. Paul says it, I've done what I can to live with clear conscious before God. That's what this is. It's us putting down and confessing when it happens and not waiting till that later date. Repentance. Like Dan said, it's not a one time thing. As a pastor daily, I wake up with my cup. I have a cup of coffee and a cup of repentance and say, God, I don't wanna do it my way today. Right. Right. I seen this on Facebook the other day and God, you get into my head before I do.

Dan: 16:05

Well, that's good.

Justin: 16:06

Yeah, that's real good. This, this is us saying, God, you get into my head before I do because I see these things happening and I need to take care of it now. And that same grace that allowed you to make amends. Step nine is the same grace that allows you to take care of it today and gives you the strength to do it. It's not about you doing it on your own. You have a spirit inside of you that raised Jesus from the dead. I think he can get your words. I'm sorry to come outta your mouth,

Dan: 16:34

right. No kidding. And that's what this, that's what this is all about, guys. When you pray that prayer, search me God, know my anxious stuff, he's going to start revealing things to you. This is your personal inventory and when you, and when you stumble in life because you will, that spiritual smoke alarm's gonna go off and it's gonna start dinging and it's gonna let you know there's smoke, but you ain't gonna know where there's smoke if you've not taken the time to make the inventory. What I love about making an inventory Justin, is when you mess up and when you own it fast. You heal faster. Yes, because let's be real. Delay is the enemy of deliverance.

Justin: 17:23

Ooh, I like that.

Dan: 17:25

See, when you, when you feel that nudge, that that conviction family, that something's off, don't wait. Don't brush it under the rug. Don't rationalize it. Don't say, you know what, I'll, I'll deal with it tomorrow because every day you delay is another day that nasty infection is going to spread. that's why Step 10 says promptly. Justin, promptly admit it. Not when it's convenient. Not when it's safe, promptly. Why? Because secrets fester. Unconfessed attitudes will eventually start shaping your actions. Pride will begin to dig its heels in. Bitterness will begin to harden your heart. And what started as a little drift, if you're not careful and you don't tackle it and you don't deal with it promptly, a step 10 says, we'll end up turning into a full blown detour. You don't crash all at once. Family. Let me say it to you very plainly. You don't crash all at once. What you did is you ignored the check engine light 500 miles ago and you ended up crashing and burning, and then you end up blaming the program. You end up blaming your sponsor. You end up blaming the church. You end up blaming God when you need to blame yourself, family, and you need to take accountability for yourself because you didn't take the maintenance steps, you didn't inventory yourself, and when you crashed and burned, you didn't handle it promptly.

Justin: 19:07

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 3:8, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion and the day of trial in the wilderness. In other words, guys, when we hold onto these things, our hearts grow callous. You're conscious that God has came and cleansed, but gets to get seared again. And that hot press of just letting it slide and letting it slide builds up. And that one sarcastic comment turns into anger. Next time somebody says something to you. And that pride in that, like Dan said, that pride turns to arrogance. Look at me. I'm doing so good. I did all my steps. I've made all my amends. I'm, I'm perfectly fine. And then that smoke alarm goes off you. Ah, I'm not gonna worry about it. It, it is like that little drip in your house, right? You see that little drip that happens on the back of your bathtub and it runs down the bath wall. And you don't think nothing of it. And then about three months later, I. Look. And on the side of your tub, there's mold coming out on that white wall. I don't know if you've ever been, oh yeah. That sheet rock has mold to it. Yep. And you're thinking, what's wrong? It is just a little drip. Well, that little drip over time that you let keep dripping has now become a problem. Step 10 is us saying, Hey, I'm gonna take care of that problem. I'm gonna nip it in the bud. Right. And that's that saying itself. In the wintertime, they always have that, what is it called? Uh. Indian summer.

Dan: 20:37

Yeah.

Justin: 20:37

Where It'll get really warm and then boom. Yeah. And your roses will start blooming. Well, what'll happen is that frost will come and that bud, that looks so pretty now it gets frost and that little bit on the tip starts running back. It starts digging into the starts digging into the rest of the plant and they said, nip the bud because you had cut that bud off before it infected the rest of the plant. And guess what happened? two new rose blooms would come right there. This is us nipping it in the bud and recognizing, hey, there's something getting into this system that doesn't need to be there. This is us taking the time and look at the end of the day, this is us spending time with God. I Prayer is great studying your Bible's great. Meditation is great. Listening to sermons is great, but man, what are you doing for your relationship with God? Are you spending time with him letting him search you? Because at the end of the day, God's not worried about the work you do. He's worried about the work he's doing in you.

Dan: 21:37

Amen. When you live, step 10, Justin, when you own it fast. You give the Holy Spirit the room to work before the damage spreads.

Justin: 21:47

Yes.

Dan: 21:48

Guys, that isn't weakness, that's wisdom. It's not about being sinless family. It's about being sensitive. And inventory guys is your protection plan. It's your spiritual firewall. It keeps you from falling back into those familiar traps because it forces you to stay awake. To your own behavior, it forces you to stay humble, to stay honest, to stay healthy. It's how you heal quickly instead of hiding and bleeding and suffering quietly. Because your healing family delays when ownership is delayed. Guys freedom, it's fragile. Your freedom is everything. Keep checking the locks. Make sure the door secured above all else. Justin. Guard your mind. Why? Because everything you do flows from it.

Justin: 23:04

Do the small work now so you don't have to do the big work later. You know, Dan, we're sitting here talking. Um, I can't help but think about Peter. Mm-hmm. I can't help but think about how Peter Okay now. We all like to put ourselves, we all like to think about ourselves as the different apostles. And Peter's the one that most people say, ah, that's me. But if we're being honest for Judas, that's just at the end of the day, right? Right. We sold Jesus down for less than 30. We sold Jesus down for a crude comment and a laugh at a, at somebody's expense. Sure. But Peter, he denied Jesus three times. Oh man, this is, this is the one who on the day of Pentecost stood out there in front of everybody and preached a sermon. This. Peter, he followed Jesus faithfully. He's the one that gave the words that Jesus said he'd build the rock upon, that he is the foundation, that He is the son of the living God. God revealed that to him. This is Peter. Yet the very next few verses say Jesus has to tell him, get behind me. Satan. Peter made mistakes, right? Peter made mistakes, and one of the biggest mistakes Peter made was he denied Jesus three times. This was a crushing failure. This was just as bad as what Judas had done. Let let's not, let's not negate the fact that Judas sold'em for 30 pieces of silver. Peter sold them out just so he wouldn't have to go through what he went through. Sure. Judas let the shame destroy him. Peter could have done the same thing. Peter could have left that shame in his life for the rest of his life and carried it with him, but Jesus didn't want that. That's not what Jesus wants for you and me. Look, I know you're sitting there and you're thinking, man, but Justin, I just did all my inventory. Dan. I just got done writing all this stuff and now you want me to keep doing it. Yes, because look, Jesus isn't there. He's not there with a ruler looking to smack your hand every time you messed up. Look how Jesus meets him. And look, if you haven't read the story, it's the last time Jesus appears to the apostles and he shows up on shore and they don't recognize him. And then Jesus, he tells'em where to throw their net and Peter immediately says, wait a minute, that's my Lord. Dude jumped out of the boat. He sure did. Didn't put on his, in his skis. Yep. Because they,

Dan: 25:44

yep.

Justin: 25:44

The back then things were different, man. They, he, if he even had skivvies on,

Dan: 25:49

right.

Justin: 25:50

Like, I'm just gonna be real with you guys. Right. Right. You do the studies, you'd see that, man, when they went fishing, they, it was grown men in a boat, in their underwear. It didn't matter. He, he wasn't worried. He wanted to get close to Jesus because instead of letting that shame dig in and take root, he ran to the one he knew could get rid of him. Sure did. Man. That's good. And I love the story because there's a part of it that I don't think we recognize. At the end of Peter's denial, he was standing next to a fire and where does he meet Jesus on the beach sitting next to a fire, that same smell, that smoke. It would've triggered, right? Because we, I get triggered. You get triggered and Peter's sitting by this smoke, and Jesus, he doesn't beat him up over it. He says, if you love me, feed my sheep. If you love me, do what I ask. Well, look, family. Jesus loves you and he's saying the same thing to you daily. Don't think that it's about punishment, it's about protection. It's him saying, I know you love me. Be honest with me. Let it go. Quit holding onto it and carrying it with you. Look what it did to Judas. This is us not letting those things back in our life that ruined us the first time. This is us letting Jesus be more than a savior, but being our master.

Dan: 27:17

when you look at this story, you know, three times guys, three times once in front of a servant girl. Once around a fire and the final one with, with curses on his lips. And yet, man, what does Jesus do? Did he meet Peter with shame? Did he meet Peter with a, I told you so. Did he meet, did he meet Peter with a lecture and a list of conditions? Nope. Nah. Justin, you know what he met him with? You met him with breakfast, the same man who denied him. And I love what you just said, that same man, that same Peter who denied him around a fire, ended up being restored around a fire. The same. Jesus didn't avoid the wound, he pressed right into it. Three denials, guys. Jesus staed him three times. Do you love me? And after each one. Jesus didn't rub it in, pulled him in, feed my sheep, take care of my people. Jesus is telling this man, you're not disqualified, you're just redeployed. And that is the heartbeat of Step 10 family. You and I don't take inventory because God's waiting to punish us. We take it because he's already forgiven us and he's inviting you and I to remember who we really are. Guys, inventory isn't about rehearsing your guilt. It's about recovering your calling. You see when Peter remembered, he stepped back into his assignment, he didn't stay in shame family. This guy stood up in purpose and that's exactly what God wants from you. You don't do inventory because you're condemned. You do it because you've been called, and that's how you keep the fire of your calling burning by cleaning out the ashes daily.

Justin: 29:35

Yes. You gotta get in there. It's just like those old Woodburn stoves. That flame will damper down if you don't get in there and clean them ashes out and look, restoration followed. Confession.

Dan: 29:47

Yep.

Justin: 29:49

There's too many of us. There's too many people who they don't wanna admit when they're wrong and they wonder why they're carrying shame and guilt. And I get it. You came to the cross. That's great. God demonstrates meaning that love is still shown daily. He wouldn't need to give us new mercies if we could remember what he did yesterday. Problem is we tend to forget. Look, I love what you said. Dan Peter wasn't discarded, he wasn't thrown away. Jesus didn't say, Hey Peter, do you love me? Huh? Why'd you do that? He said, Hey, did you love me? Then go do what I'm asking you to do. Peter, do you really love me and Peter? Yes, Lord, yes, I love you. Okay, I get it now. Go. Go and do what I'm calling you to do. Look, that's what Step ten's about. It's about walking in that freedom through honest reflection and courageous admission. Peter, look Jesus in the face and got real with him. And guess what? Like Dan said, Jesus met him. He pulled him closer. Look, then I have an assignment for you because look, the assignment Peter was gonna do, he wasn't gonna do on his own. Right? And the assignment God's got for you, the anointing in your life, it comes with his Holy Spirit. You have to walk in him. So I have a question. What are you carrying today that you should have let go yesterday? Wow. You see, step 10 is not about wallowing in guilt, it's about walking uncluttered. It's about getting those things out of your life. Search me, oh Lord, create me a clean heart. Right? We want that clean heart, but we gotta, we don't wanna let him do the cleaning. This is us letting him do the cleaning. Look, we all carry baggage. There's regrets, there's resentments, there's things. There's the one that get left unsaid.

Dan: 31:46

Mm.

Justin: 31:46

You ever thought, man, I probably should have said something to that person, or maybe I shouldn't have said. Something to that person. Right. What about, what about the things that you left undone? Oh, we all like to go over the things we did, but what about the things we didn't do? What about the person that you should have been kind to, but instead you avoided like the plague each day? Like I said, he gives us new mercies every morning because each day gives us an opportunity to let go of what we've already should have released in step 10. Is dealing with it promptly. That's the key to this promptly. It's not letting the wound fester and grow and infect. It's going to God and saying, Hey, I've got this. And he just goes, says, and cleans it right up. Puts a little neosporin, slaps a bandage on it, cleans you up and sends you back out. It doesn't mean you're disqualified. It means you're a human being that needs the grace of God to go throughout your day.

Dan: 32:47

Amen. This is where Step 10 gets real, Justin. Because you know, let's be honest, most of us aren't tripping over brand new problems. We're suffocating under the buildup of what you and I should have dealt with yesterday.

Justin: 33:02

That's right.

Dan: 33:04

You know that side comment you made in anger, that resentment you swallowed, but you never, never just surrendered it about that fear. You let set the tone for your decisions. That pride that kept you from apologizing when you should have guys, those things don't just disappear, man. They pile up and before you know it, you're spiritually constipated. Justin, woo, your joy's blocked. Your peace is clogged. You're perspective of life gets foggy. That's why this step exists. Step 10. It's not some religious chore guys. It's spiritual survival. Dude. Step 10 is my survival on how I can stay connected with God. Justin, it's where you take the trash out before it stinks up the whole house. That's what Step ten's all about. But you gotta ask yourself daily, where did I miss the mark today? Who did I hurt, even if it was subtle? My words, my tone, my silence. What lie did I agree with that God never said about me? Or did fear, ego, shame make decisions that I should have surrendered? Guy. Guys, this is soul level Housekeeping, because you don't confess, you carry. What you carry, you'll start to believe it belongs to you. But here's the truth. Family, you were never meant to haul the weight of guilt, regret, or hidden sin from day to day. Jesus didn't die so you and I could live exhausted. He died family. So you and I could live free. Family freedom requires honesty. It requires and demands daily inventory, daily release. because a short memory and a quick confession are keys to spiritual freedom. Wipe that slate clean today. Like the title says, breathe deep and walk in tomorrow. Lighter, clear and anchored in truth. Justin, as we get ready to wrap this podcast up, brother, I know we could, we could keep going on this. This one's deep. Yeah, we could keep going on this, man, but we need, we probably need to wrap this bad boy up or anything you want to close with.

Justin: 35:57

Above all else, guard your heart. Step 10 is us keeping the spiritual arteries unclogged. It's us preventing that heart attack, right? It's not about perfection, it's about progress and peace. It's tracking. It's like when you go to the gym and you, I go to the gym, and so I write down what I lifted the week before so that the next week I can see how much more I can do, and I see the progress over time. Right. That's what this is. It's taking inventory and not just recognizing the defeat. It's recognizing the progress. It's a habit also of cleaning up today so that I can walk in freedom tomorrow. It's like Dan said, don't wait until the pile gets too heavy. If laundry's gonna keep piling up, as long as you keep throwing it in the hamper, sure will. This is us going ahead and washing it and getting it clean. And look, here's the thing, you're not gonna get it right. You're not gonna get it perfect. I'm not telling you that every day you're gonna sit down and you're gonna journal out and you're gonna have 15 pages. Sometimes it's a little thing of, I had a good day. Sometimes it's tears on the page. What matters is you going to God with it when it happens. If you're not writing it down, at least make sure you're dealing with it promptly. At least make sure you're recognizing, identifying and getting rid of what needs to not be there and letting stay what needs to be. Otherwise, it's gonna be one big, jumbled mess again. It's like your kid's room. You're gonna have to go through the whole process of throwing a fits hand. I don't wanna clean it. Well, if you would've just picked up the toys at the end of the day, like I told you, we wouldn't have this.

Dan: 37:37

Right?

Justin: 37:38

So guys, don't look at it as this harsh thing that's gonna hold you down. It's just you taking the time to say, God, I want you to fix me now. I don't wanna wait guys, once again, somebody needs to hear this today. I needed to hear this today. I needed this today. I'm sure Dan needed this today. Mm-hmm. Guys, we have a God who loves us, who has called us to freedom. Step 10 is making sure we're walking in that freedom.

Dan: 38:16

Amen.

Justin: 38:18

As always, remember, God loves you.

Dan: 38:24

You know. As we, as we close today's podcast family, step 10 is where maturity shows up. You know, it's, it's not, and how loud you and I pray it's not how many days we've been clean, but it's in the daily discipline of honesty. I know I said another cuss word.

Justin: 38:50

Oh, you said maturity too. That's two.

Dan: 38:53

You're not checking in because you're in crisis. You're checking in because you're committed. This is how you guard what God gave you. This is how you keep your freedom from slipping through the cracks, not waiting until you crash and burn to confess. Check it, confess it, clean it every single day, guys, because freedom isn't the finish line. It's a lifestyle. till next time, family stay rooted, stay recovered. And let's get to work.

39:37

You are not just surviving. You are becoming, becoming rooted in truth, becoming recovered by grace, and becoming the person God always knew you could be. Thanks for joining us on Rooted in Recovered. If this episode stirred something in you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it, live it, let it take root. We'll see you next time right here where scars become testimonies and hope rises from the ashes.