Whoa! Nelly!

Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses. Who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong. But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!

Addiction is all about reliance. We found out that we could not rely on ourselves to solve problems or deal with situations. Rather than look to God for answers and help, we turned to alcohol and drugs. Funny part is that they didn't solve our problems, they helped us escape. We left reality and created a new false reality where the pain went away and the sense of pleasure was heightened. Over a period of time, the pleasure was replaced by guilt, shame and isolation. What once we had controled, not had control over us.

Egypt always represents the place of bondage and slavery in Scripture. Israel was there for 430 years serving the Pharaohs and living under the whip. It took the intervention of God Almighty to defeat the god's of Egypt and reveal Himself to be the only one who could deliver not just one person, but an entire nation. Deliver them out from under the government and control of demonic kingdom.

Notice the beginning of the verse above.
"Woe to those who go down".  Down. Looking for help outside of God will always lead you down. Down into darkness. Down into the pit. Down away from God. In the book of Jonah, we read where Jonah ran away from God and the call that had been placed on his life. Jonah went "down" to Tarshish. Paid fare for a boat trip and the Bible says that Jonah "went down into the boat".  Our sin nature, left unchecked will take us to depths we never realized we could sink to. We do things and act in such ways we never imagined we could. But you know what? The arm of the Lord is not so short that He cannot reach down and pull us up from the pit. The ear of the Lord is not so dull or hard of hearing that He cannot hear the faintest cry of our hearts. Sin takes you farther than you want to go. Keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to spend. Sin takes you down.

We read in Isaiah 40:31: But those who wait (hope) on the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount "UP" (not down) with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
I choose this day...this 24 hours that lay before to not look to "Egypt" for help.
I choose this day....this 24 hours that lay before me to look to God Almighty as my source of help.

God on you....
mb