"Come A Little Closer....It' Won't Hurt"

Genesis 13:10
Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Lot chose that land for himself---The Jordan Valley to the east of them.

Genesis 13:12-13
......Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, among the cities of the plain. The people of the area were unusually wicked and sinned greatly against the LORD.

Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the entrance (or the gates) of the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived......

Sin is so subtle.
That desire permeates the heart of men and women. Oh we won't rise up and call it by its true name. We seek to downplay the destructiveness of sin. So we call it "desire" or a "human need."
For Lot, the downfall began with a simple view that caught his eye. He and his uncle, Abraham, were trying to settle a dispute between them. They both had become so prosperous that the land they currently were living on could not support both families. Water was at a premium and it seemed that every day brought more incidents of tempers flaring and even physical altercations between the men who tended their flocks.
Abraham had called for the meeting and told Lot that they needed to part company. He gave Lot first choice of where he wanted to live. Lot, looking around surveying the horizon, saw the Jordan valley. Green with life and plenty of water, Lots heart was stirred by the huge walls and beauty of the city that lay in the distance. The city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, stirred by the beauty of the whole scene, chose the city.

In Genesis 13, we see that Lot was no longer standing at a great distance, admiring the view, but now had moved his family to a place where they had pitched their tents near Sodom. Now, could they not only see the city, they could hear the sounds of it. Much laughter as people passed in and out of the gates to the town. At night there was music that filled the air. Parties and gatherings that lasted well into the night as people at and drank themselves into a state of sleep. These sounds only made the heart of Lot more lonely as he sat outside the walls of the city. Sitting at a distance only drew his heart more and more to be a part. He wanted to be inside. He wanted to be a part, to belong.

In Genesis 19, we see the visitation of two angels, sent by God to warn Lot of the impending judgment that God was sending. The cities were to be destroyed. We find Lot sitting in the gates of the city. While in our culture this may seem to be a innocent thing, in Lot's day it spoke volumes.  You see, the government of a city always conducted its business at the main gate of the city. The elders and leaders of the town would gather there to levy tariffs on those who entered to sell their wares or buy supplies. So to see Lot sitting at the gate means that he is now a part of the ruling class of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot has become one of them. He has identified himself and his family as one of its citizens and while this many seem innocent. It wasn't. By this time, Lot knew what was going on in the city. He knew of the sexual darkness that permeated every aspect of society there. It was an "anything goes---if-it-feels-good-do-it" society. It flaunted its sin in the face of God and now after opportunities to repent, God was going to destroy the city. Lot's name had been cast among the citizens.

Addiction is like the story  of Lot.
At first we stand at a distance looking at the lifestyle of using. It beckons us and promises to fulfill all those empty places we have inside ourselves. It soothes us with smooth sounding words that promise to relive the pain, to make us feel brand new again. It promises to be our best friend, our lover and confidant. We are drawn closer. Did you in Genesis 13, the description of what Lot saw? It looked like the Garden of Eden and..........it looked like the most beautiful city in Egypt. Egypt! A place of slavery and bondage. That is why we have to be carefull about the deceptive beauty of sin...It will lure us in and then lock us down.

Next thing we know, we have "pitched our tents" near addiction. We're still not sold on moving in and becoming a part, but we are caught by the smells and promises that addiction offers to us. "You won't be hooked! You're not like those other people!" The sound of those who already call addiction home fill our ears and hearts. On the outside, everything looks perfect. It's the answer to an age old need we've carried around. We make the decision to move in and be a part of addiction city.

We become citizen No.#1 and, as such, we throw ourselves completely into fitting in. We learn the language, we learn the customs, we meet new friends. We have crossed over.

Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, addiction comes with a judgment also. A promise of destruction if we don't turn back. A promise of death (physical and spiritual) if we don't stop. But there we are sitting at the gates of addiction, a part of the government, checking everyone out and only allowing others who are like us to get close to us.

As you read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in scripture, it sounds hard and lacking in love. But God, who is LOVE, sent his angels there to rescue Lot and his family from the coming destruction. God's love for you and me is at the heart of RECOVERY. His desire is to take us out of addiction city and save us, spirit/body/soul, for the death that is headed our way if we don't change.

If you are in active addiction, know that you don't have to live that way. I don't care what others have told you or even what you own mind is telling you right now as you read this. You don't have to live this way.
Today can be the last day you use any more.
For God so loved the world (that is me and you) that he gave (or sent on a mission) His only Son (Jesus Christ) that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That is a promise you can take to the bank.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by here and read the posting for today.
I hope you come back again....
Know that God loves you ...
and so do I.

God on you.....
mb