Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will you Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!?
Learning to trust....
Learning to trust God...
Learning that, in this life, a person who gives their word and then fulfills their promise is to be trusted.
Learning that God, who gives His word to us, is worthy to be trusted.
Somehow we've got to separate the "church" God....
The "religious" God.....
From the real-deal God.
To someone who is coming out of addiction, and is starting to work the Steps, this is a cross-roads that will either lead to new life....
or send them right back into the old one.
The verse from Matthew 7 is prime example of trusting God.
If humans, despite our sinful nature and penchant for doing wrong, can give good gifts to our children......
Then set your heart and mind on the fact that God desires to do above and beyond what we can think or imagine.
God did not create you to be addicted.
Sin brought that warped lifestyle in through our own personal choices.
God is not sitting up in heaven with an "I told you so" smirk on His face.
No!
He is heart broken over the choices we made that lead us down a path of destruction.
"Well, why didn't He stop me?"
He tried.
He sent people to you to warn you at every turn.
They may have been family members....
It may have been best friends....
It might even have been your pastor....
All sent by God to turn you back from these bad choices.
But you persisted.
Yet, even in all of this, He never stopped loving you or drawing you back to Himself.
If someone went to the all the trouble to see this accomplished and you have a new lease on life...don't you think they could be trusted to see you all the way through this thing? I think so.
There aren't many things in this old world that can be trusted.
Not many that you can count on.
But for me, as evidenced by my own personal life, God is to be trusted with every area of my life.
Step#1- Give up...
You look at your old life/ track the evidence and see it for what it truly is.
You've made a mess. Well, guess what? The great un-mess-maker, God, wants to bring some love and order to your life.
Step#2 - Believe
You believed that what ever you snorted, smoked, shot up or ingested would provide comfort and relief. You believed it even when it had lied to you and didn't bring comfort and relief. You went back time after time hoping that this time would be different. It wasn't. Now how about some real relief. How about some real peace. How about something that will not let you down with an empty promise. How about Jesus. Yes, Jesus.
Step#3 - Turn
Turn your will over....you can't get rid of your will, but you can turn it.
Turn it over to the care of God.
Turn your life over while you're at it. Every part...the good....the bad.....the stinky......the messy.....all of it. Turn it over to Him. Then quit struggling and fighting and go along for the ride. Let Him drive.
You're not going to want to hear this...
But it's true.
This recovery thing is as easy as 1.....2....3...( And 9 others to go along with the first 3).
Praying for you today....
God on you...
mb
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