My Addiction (2/2)

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." John VIII:31-34

Addiction = Slavery to Sin

This has been the longest uphill battle of my life, and I know it will continue to be uphill until the day I die. For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans VII:14-15) Part of me wants to sin, and partly enjoys sinning while I'm enslaved to it. But the other part... the more higher part, the Spirit that lives within me, is grieved over the sins I commit. When the Accuser steps in and has his say I am destroyed within, broken, heart achingly depressed. I HATE my sin, then I soon begin to hate myself...

"For everyone who does evil hates the Light (Jesus Christ), and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." (John III:20) I don't want to talk to Him, I don't want to see Him, read about Him or hear from Him, while at the same time I desire to run as fast as my legs can carry me and leap so hard into the arms of the only one who ever loved me enough to give Himself for me. When darkness and shame surround me, when secrecy and sin overcome me, while hiding from the Light of Glory the Spirit gets the best of me and calls me out of the depth of my depravity and says to my soul, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew XI:28)

It is then that the truth sets me free, when I read the living truth of God spoken into my soul. He says to the unloved, "You are loved." He says to the slave, "You are free." He says to the restless, "You have rest in Me." He says to the broken hearted, "I AM near." He says to the lost, "You are found." To the forsaken He says, "I have not forsaken you." To the empty inside He says, "I know you by name, I formed you in your mothers womb." To all in need of a saviour He says, "I AM the Beginning and the End, I am all that you need, all that you have ever searched for. I AM the greatest good and I want you to have Me."

O Lord my God, ALL praise and glory be Yours! For Your love alone is faithful beyond my finite imagination and Your Love is more constant than the stars in their place. Thank You for having mercy on one so stubborn and foolish as me... Jesus... Jesus I love you!

...but Jason, aren't you just using Jesus as a crutch? No, that would be silly. He is more like a wheelchair to me. Without Him I am lame with two left feet, I can't handle sin on my own any more than I can breath under water. Am I ashamed to admit I need so great a Crutch? No. He is what I turn too when all things fall apart, He is the glue that holds me together in this madness, He is the anchor that saves me in this storm, I not only want Him, I NEED Him...

...and so do you... And you can run from Him, but you can't outrun Him. There is no place on earth that can hide you from the love He has for you. But you can keep trying, and I know you won't turn from your sin until you see that His way is the greatest way, and nothing else could ever compare.

To the brothers and sisters. Our God is a faithful God. Jesus is faithful, He will do more than we could ever imagine and He will not stop changing us until the day we are made perfect with Him in heaven. But this is never done alone, Jesus is not a disembodied head floating around the cosmos, He has a body, He named her the church. Keep in the word, stay connected with the family, Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. That's a promise, and He who is so faithful will keep His word.

Let me save you the heart ache and, "...let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews XII:1