The year was 1995, and I had just been visited by the police. In a night filled with partying and looking for the next high, I had inadvertantly tried to crawl through the window of my apartment (I was so wasted that I couldn’t get the key in the lock of my door), but gotten the location mixed up and crawled through the window of my 85 year old widowed neighbor. She had called the police after being nearly scared to death, and they traced the trail to my door. They didn’t have enough evidence to charge me, but they made it very clear that they were going to be watching me like a hawk in the future.
Now mind you that I knew this neighbor well, and the guilt was beyond what I could stand. I went next-door and humbly apologized to he. Luckily for me, she was very forgiving, and even invited me in. But the guilt was my salvation. I went home., took an inventory of all my addictions and it was at that time that I went to the ultimate treatment center, Jesus Christ.
I had struggled to quit all of the drinking, drugging, and smoking, but nothing had ever worked for me. I blamed the programs that I had attended, but the blame and responsibility was clearly mine. So after the quick inventory of my addictions, I decided that I would try a higher power, God. I walked into my bedroom a broken man, laid down on my bed, and said, “Lord, it’s been a long time since we’ve talked, and I don’t know if I am doing this right, but…” those were the last words I remember. I know this may seem dramamtic, but everything went blank for me, and suddenly I felt like I was in a dark space, now a naked baby in the fetal position, with a light illuminating me (1 Peter 2:2, Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation). I couldn’t understand what was happening to me, but I now know that the Lord was giving me a spiritual rebirth. I woke up a few minutes later, looked at the clock, and was amazed to see that hours had passed, not minutes. The spiritual renewal/birth was now complete.
I walked out of the room that morning and threw away all the booze, drugs, and even my smokes. I left it all behind and have never looked back. I saught the Lord jesus, and He filled that void with His merciful love and made me whole and complete again. He took me down the path of recovery, and what surprises most people is that He made that journey easy as breathing. It was easy because the power of our Lord is far stronger than the power we give our addictions. Contrary to what a lot of programs say, you CAN be healed of your addiction and never have to look back in temptation again if you TRULY give it to the Lord. If anyone ever tells you that you will always be a recovering addict, then they don’t know the power of healing that Jesus is capable of giving you. He has healed the lame, why do we say that he won’t heal the addiction? Because it’s a lie, He can, and will heal you if you only believe. I know this because it has happened to me.
If you’re sitting around this morning feeling like tyour addiction is stronger than you, then it is, because you are giving it that power. Try something different, try redirecting your perception of power to a place where it belongs, the power of Jesus. It has been almost 20 years since I have had a buzz, and yes, I am healed, and yes, it was easy. It was easy because I made the decision to place it in God’s hands and stop trying to do it my way. Does this mean it will be easy for you? I can’t say that. The Lord has a different path for all of us, and His decision for your path may be different than the one He took me on, but I will assure you that whichere direction He chooses to take you will still lead to the same point…RECOVERY.
In closing, I would just like to say that if you really want to be clean and sober, or free from any addiction (and believe me that there are many), then you HAVE to get the power from Jesus. The ONLY thing that will keep that recovery program from working is your lack of faith, and the power that you GIVE your addiction. The choice is yours. If you need help facing it, I’m here for you. I’ve been there, and my desire is to see you break the chains and feel free to live the life that you were made to. A life of love and worship for the Lord. God Bless you in your recovery.
15 Comforting Scriptures To Help With Addiction
Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
Isaiah 5:11 “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”
Matthew 6:9-13 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Ephesians 5:18-20 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
James 1:12-15 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Christian Quotes for Overcoming Addiction
“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” ~ Bernard Edmonds
“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.” ~ Bill Cosby
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles one has overcome trying to succeed.” ~ Booker T. Washington
“No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No stream or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara ever turned light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.” ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick
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