Big Ol' Honkin' Dude....

Today's Reading:  I Samuel 17:20-47
There he stood.....
Taller than anyone could imagine.
Armor shining in the sun.
A picture of death and destruction.
His name? Goliath.
Even today, centuries after he was killed, his name carries a certain weight and imagery that stirs our imaginations.
Goliath.....
The army of Israel saw themselves as being weak and terrified when Goliath stepped forward to issue the challenge to fight. One one one....man against man...winner take all. Goliath would take on all challengers.

If addiction had a name, it would be Goliath.
IT stands, in the minds of those addicted, like a giant that cannot be defeated.
"What? You think you're going to break free from me through your own will power and determination?" That voice rings in the ears of an addict. It beats them down and challenges them with every decision they face. It beats so loud and so long that a person truly begins to believe that there is no way to defeat Goliath/addiction.  It taunts us and challenges us to do something, anything. We cower in fear and return to the drugs and alcohol in order to silence the voice and stop the pain.

So how was Goliath defeated?
He was killed by a young shepherd boy named David.
But that isn't the entire story.
Goliath was killed by a young shepherd boy named David who was filled with the Spirit of God (See I Samuel 16:13). In other words, it took Power greater than David himself to defeat the giant. Here we see the very heart of recovery. Step #2 - came to believe in a power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity. What is insanity? Going out to meet Goliath everyday hoping something would change, only to run away in fear and doubt. It takes the Power of God to break the addiction of Goliath in my life.

Because the Spirit of God filled David, David was confident that God would deliver him from the destruction that Goliath posed. No matter how improbable it seemed, David was going to rely on God's ability to defeat the power and strength of Goliath. Transfer that same thought over into recovery. God's power is given to those who are saved by the work of Jesus on the cross. Salvation provides the Power necessary to live life here on this planet free from the destruction of addiction.
I know it sounds like some kind of fairy tale...
It isn't.
It is life.
It is truth.
It is the way you've been looking for.
Trust this God today.
Talk to Him and tell Him your struggles and how you want to be free to have a real life.
He will show you the way.
I promise that.
God on you......
mb