Christian Recovery: Don’t Open Addiction Doors

I see it all the time. Someone lives a clean and sober life for months or years at a time and is then tricked into thinking they can get away with having wine with dinner or a few beers at a barbecue. Well, some are tricked, but others have simply given in to the temptation and found a way to justify their actions. But regardless of why someone chooses to drink after a period of sobriety, the fact is, by doing so they opened the door to their addiction and welcomed in relapse.

It’s ironic (and foolish) that those who preferred drugs to alcohol often say this when they’re about to switch their main addiction to another: “Alcohol was not my problem, so a few drinks won’t hurt.” While this may seem like a sane statement to make, turn the scenario around and the insanity emerges. “Drugs were not my problem, so I can smoke a little pot or smoke a little meth and it won’t hurt me.”

It’s a slippery slope whenever a former drug addict picks up a drink. No one escapes without a fall. Those who come to their senses quickly get away with a few bruises, but others fall hard and the consequences are dire. I’m talking jail, prison and death. I have walked many loved ones of the formerly addicted through the pain of a major relapse, and attended many funerals of those who re-opened a door to addiction.  

While Satan and his demons can’t make anyone do anything, they do spend a lot of time ‘suggesting’ that a drink won’t hurt. They know that Christians who struggle with addiction only need to open the door a little for the plan of the evil one to fully enter. And there are plenty of Christian people who knowingly or unknowingly point out to the recovered addict that Jesus and the disciples drank wine, so it’s not a sin. Combine that with all the commercials and merchandising efforts that lure the weak toward alcoholic drinks and it’s easy to see how and why recovered Christians find themselves in relapse.

So don’t open the door, not even a crack. If you have ever been addicted, do not allow alcohol to touch your lips or enter your body. It’s a trick!

If you're struggling with addiction, or you know someone who is, our Christian recovery book can help. Click here for "Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery." Or, check out our website at www.thesolidrockroad.com

Christian Recovery: Death to Your Sin Nature

God is love, but He also has all the characteristics of an ideal father. Those who live by the Spirit have both natures as well. In fact, many books have been written about loving the lost and spiritual parenting.

Spiritual parents are responsible for the souls of their spiritual children. That’s why God gives them the ability to understand and deal with certain people, along with a father or mother’s heart of love. Therefore, the people God has assigned to you have a special anointing for the work.

If God was only love, then the Bible would promote co-dependency, but it doesn’t. We could cite scripture after scripture that tells Christian leaders to teach and disciple people, but to warn those in spiritual danger and to pull back from those who aren’t putting Biblical instructions into practice.
Other scriptures ask leaders to have patience, and still others say to pray and fast. Even though God uses many methods to get Christians to listen and obey, He doesn’t encourage leaders to support never-ending sin cycles. Instead, He asks them to assist in the death of the sinful nature.

If you are a Christian with a long history of relapse and continued abuse of drugs or alcohol, you can count on God’s love, but you can’t expect him to ignore your continual rebellion. Romans 6:1,2 says this: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

We don’t doubt that in your addiction you have either been loved to the extreme or felt unloved and abandoned. In either case, you have seen yourself as a victim. But we can assure you that anyone who cares about you has made hard decisions based on your actions and behaviors.

Your loved ones, including your spiritual parents, have probably tried every available method to help you get sober and live a better life. If they are distant from you right now, you should assume they had to get out of God’s way and let the chips of your life fall wherever they will.

My challenge to you right now is to stop and take a long look in the mirror. If you don’t like what you see, it is time to turn things around. And this starts with you coming to the end of yourself. It starts with you making the decision to say “no” to your addiction and “yes” to God.  In other words, you must agree to die to yourself -- to kill the part of you that has control of you.

If you need help, you can read our book, talk to your pastor, turn yourself into rehab, or give us a call at 541-778-8680. If you want to get clean and sober, the Bible says you can! God offers you a way of escape. Please visit our website where we have more articles and information. www.thesolidrockroad.com.