On Saturday, I attended a meeting for churches wanting to come together to address the opioid/addiction problem in our county. There were seven churches represented. They had representatives there from the Drug Task Force and the judicial system explaining the problem and giving facts and figures. One of the things that was said really caught my attention. One of the presenters said, "If all the opioids would disappear instantly from the earth, it would not solve the problem. I agree! You see, the problem is not racial disparity, ease of access for drugs, big pharmaceutical companies or socio-economic issues. The problem is that mankind is broken and they know they are broken. They just want to heal their broken lives, their broken hearts and broken spirits. The problem is they are looking to the wrong thing to heal them.
I agree with the world that drug addiction or alcoholism is a disease, but I disagree with the mindset to treat it like a disease. In reality, adultery is a disease, pornography is a disease, greed and lust are diseases. But with any disease, you must find the source before you can effectively administer the solution. And the source of all diseases that ravage humanity is sin! You take care of the sin problem first. Then, you have the right place to start for all the other symptoms of the disease. Counseling is good, NA and AA meetings are good. Mentoring groups and accountability groups are good. But all these things alone will never cure the problem.
I think many drug treatment programs are doing great work in the area of addiction, but my one bone of contention with most of them is this, "Hi my name is ____________ and I am an ___________ ."(fill in the blank with your addiction) I don't believe that what I was, I still am! 2 Cor. 5:17 tells me, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! I believe that God changes our nature and transforms us. Sure I need to be diligent. Of course, I don't hang around bars if I used to be an alcoholic. That's just good ol' common sense. But Jesus tells me I am a new man and the old man is dead. If I truly believe that, it will change my thoughts, my actions, the people I hang out with. It changes everything!
I appreciated any effort to stop the cruelty of addiction, but it is the church that has the solution. We know that the cure for every ache of mankind, for every hurt and pain of the human soul, is Jesus! He alone has the cure, not just the treatment, to every problem of man.
I agree pastor Dale. When I had anxiety really bad, I use to say "my anxiety". I learned through years of recovery that it was not " my anxiety". Yes I dealt with anxiety, but I never want it to be mine. I leave it at the foot of the cross. That is where healing comes, when we can leave it at the foot of the cross. My dad had a huge cocaine addiction. He went to teen challenge for 3 months, and learned how to be a new creation in Christ. It changed him. He grew up a Christian, but those 3 months changed him. The head and the heart finally connected. God is powerful and his word is powerful!
ReplyDeleteI agree. His Word does not return void. It accomplishes what God purposes in us. Isaiah 55:11.
ReplyDeleteWe are more than conquerors!! I agree, we are more than what binds us. We are children of God!
ReplyDeleteWe can't let our afflictions or short comings own us.
When we come to Christ, HE resets the playing field and the clock and we begin again in the new life he gives. That gives us the opportunity to claim “I am _____ and I am now a King’s Kid “
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