An Answer

I find that when I am troubled it indicates that it is a good time for prayer. Listening for God's response to our prayers is sometimes difficult due to our own impatience, our tendency to supply our own answer or perhaps by other outside interference. Yet other times God places in our heart His answer. I asked a question about free will and the love of our Lord. God pointed out to me in ways only He can that whether we choose to act upon our "free will" or to do the "will of God", we are the one making the choice. We sometimes say flippantly "if it be the will of God". We know the will of God without question. We know it through His word, we know it through gifted knowledge of what is right or wrong.An answer... He does love us enough to let us choose. And when we choose wrong...He still loves us. Chapter 11 of the book of Hosea records God's words as..."When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals, and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them."
God calls us out of our addiction. Sometimes we fail and move further away from Him. We worship the addiction instead of our Lord.We do not see His healing powers. We do not see that He has lifted the yoke from our neck. We do not see Him bend down to love us.

Thought for Today

Can a Born Again Believer become addicted? Addicted to drugs or alcohol? Addicted to gambling or pornography? The answer to these questions are hard to swallow. I guess what I really need to know is what happens when the believer fails in their walk with sobriety? You see first there was the addiction. Then the saving grace of God delivered her from addiction. Now, just two small bottles of pain killers found hidden away. Is our free will so valuable that God allows the Beast of Addiction to re-enter our life?

Addicted to Faith

The final (I hope) edited copy of "Addicted to Faith" was sent to the publisher on Friday. Writing this book brought to the forefront many memories for me. Memories of my wife's battle with an addiction to prescribed pain killers.Recently the news media has reported on the drastically high number of people who die from accidental overdoses to prescribed medications.The numbers surpass those attributed to addictions to cocaine or other similar opiates. According to the NIDA, National Institute On Drug Abuse, an estimated 48 million people abuse these drugs, using them for non medical reasons.Accessibility to these drugs is a major contributing factor, easily obtained from legal sources...doctors and dentists.Responsibility for addiction is the sole property of the addict, however when we knowingly contribute to their addiction we become like the pusher. These professional "pushers" are educated not only in their chosen field of medicine but are taught to recognize the micro-signs of addiction. Yet many choose to ignore the signs, writing the prescription just to get the addict out of their ER or office.As a professional they should offer the help the addict really needs, whether the aid is direct or by recommendation. When the doctor or other professional instead chooses the easy route they should be held accountable. I understand the addict has made the choice to abuse, and for these decisions there will always be consequences. They will be responsible for the harm they bring to their own life, but in no way does this excuse the professional "pusher's" behavior.
I hope that "Addicted to Faith" or "Going Numb" will help the addict recognize that through the grace and mercy of a loving God they can defeat the addiction in their life. I hope they see that a trip to the Cross can be made instead of yet another trip to their "pusher".
Hebrews 12:2
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."