Friday: Further Thought – Times of Loss
Further Thought: Many have suffered as a result of their addictions. They have become slaves to their desires and have lost their money, their job, their health, and their freedom. But Jesus came to give us the freedom from our sin and from all our addictions, and “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36, NKJV).
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Jesus also promised that He would always be with us (Matt. 28:20, Isa. 43:2); so, we do not have to wage this war alone. In fact, we must remember that the battle is the Lord’s (1 Sam. 17:47), and He promises victory (1 Pet. 1:3-9). Today you can begin on the road to victory over any addiction and receive the freedom you desire and what God wants for you. This doesn’t mean you won’t struggle, and it doesn’t mean that, at times, you might even fail. But the good news is that as long as you don’t give up on the Lord, He won’t give up on you. And yes, there’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help, too. Just as the Lord can use a medical professional to help you with health problems, He can use a professional counselor to help with addiction, as well.
“When difficulties and trials surround us, we should flee to God, and confidently expect help from Him who is mighty to save and strong to deliver. We must ask for God’s blessing if we would receive it. Prayer is a duty and a necessity; but do we not neglect praise? Should we not oftener render thanksgiving to the Giver of all our blessings? We need to cultivate gratitude. We should frequently contemplate and recount the mercies of God, and laud and glorify His holy name, even when we are passing through sorrow and affliction”. – Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 2, p. 268.
Discussion Questions:
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May God helb us to contemplate this weeks lesson study that this war we are not waging alone but christ has promised us His accompaniment all through/
The assurance we are given is that victory is sure
also breathren the journey of loss is not easy to accept,
May Almighty help us
A SONG OF DEDICATION TO EVERY BRETHREN
HYMNAL SONG NO.593
IN TIMES LIKE THIS ....
stay blessed
“And yes, there’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help, too.” Again with addressing addiction as solely a spiritual matter. For a church with so many hospitals and medical schools, this ignorance about addiction is disturbing.
As a nurse, I find this lesson extremely irresponsible. So to anyone out there who is suffering from an addiction, not only is there “nothing wrong with seeking professional help”, you absolutely SHOULD seek professional help. Counseling is important, but please also see a medical doctor. Withdrawal from alcohol and drugs can be very dangerous and should be supervised by medical professionals.
Please know this...God loves you. He will certainly forgive you. And He wants you to be safe. Please see a doctor.
The lesson states that "Just as the Lord can use a medical professional to help you with health problems, He can use a professional counselor to help with addiction, as well."
Again, that is "right on." The reality is that for a great many people in the world the "professional help" is not available in their situation. But the Lord is available in all the world, and He will direct seekers to the right sort of "professional help" where available, or to those who may not be professionals but still able to help, or He will work directly with addicts when no help seems to be available. If at all possible, detoxing should be done with the support of at least one other person and more, if possible. It is important to have human support, even if that support is not "professional." The promise of wisdom is for addicts as well. (See James 1:5) Ask the Lord for direction.
For most people, stopping the addictive behavior, even cold-turkey, is far safer than continuing to indulge. That's because addiction happens even at relatively low rates of consumption, while the addicts are still functional at work and in the family. I suspect that the ones for whom stopping "cold turkey" is dangerous, are much less likely to be reading this. As I understand it (correct me, if I'm wrong), very heavy, long-time addiction can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms, and medical and psychological supervision is important to maintain mental, emotional and physical balance. Since you are reading this online, the internet can provide information on the options available for detoxing and the dangers of going it alone.
For reference, in the US, here's a national Helpline for addicts: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (On the website, there are various informative links.)
Also The Recovery Network online.
Phone numbers for Canadian help lines in each province can be found at TheLifelineCanada
Recovery.or.uk seems to be a good resource for the UK
If you are reading this, please get involved and suggest similar resources in other parts of the world in your comments.
I have seen alcohol and tobacco addicts miraculously delivered from their addictions AND I have watched as they struggled to overcome with the Lord's help. (They needed to exercise their power of choice.) I have also seen the joy that deliverance after a hard struggle brings.
The Lord knows each individual case better than any professional, and He knows who needs a miracle of instant deliverance and who needs the miracle of empowered choice. The Lord can also direct people to professionals who can help, where they are available.
Above all, it is important to recognize that God loves each person, including addicted persons, supremely. That means He is more willing to forgive than we are willing to repent and ask for forgiveness. And He always stands ready to help when we ask. Pride may be our biggest enemy, because it prevents us from admitting we need help and seeking the Lord.
I was going to come back with some resources, but I see you have already listed some. Thank you for that. I do not know what resources there are in other countries, and even in this country, looking online will provide local resources. This is a link to a US government website that provides links to quite a few resources.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/resources
I strongly advise anyone with a drug or alcohol addiction to seek professional help, if at all possible. I was once attacked by an alcoholic patient who was going through withdrawal. He was hallucinating and thought I was an enemy. At that point, he was not capable of understanding, or responding to, a plea for repentance. And to be honest, at that point, I was less concerned with his salvation than I was with saving his life.
Please seek help.
In the area of God's work in people's lives in victory over abuses people get trapped in I recall a young woman who entered the then "Five Day Program" for stopping smoking. She did all that regular stuff the program suggested to do when you went "cold turkey," hot showers, drinking lots of water, etc. Nothing seemed to be working. By day three or four, when the craving for nicotine hits its highest, she prayed to God for deliverance or she felt she would go and buy another pack. Upon that prayer the answer was she became violently ill. Nausea arose and she bolted to the bathroom and expelled what was a large mass, dark blob like, into the toilet. All of the tar and nicotine was accumulated in her stomach (I am sure divine intervene was the reason). After this she had zero cravings.
EG White puts it well when she states....A Way of Deliverance—God requires that His children shall keep themselves free from such unnatural and disastrous habits. But when men are bound in these chains, is there no way of deliverance? Yes, the Lord Jesus has died that through the merits of His life and death men may be overcomers. He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. He came to earth that He might combine divine power with human effort, and by co-operation with Christ, by placing the will on the side of God, the slave may become free, an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. (Te297.3)
Addiction is a sin of selfishness. God is the only cure. To call it anything else is to fall in Satans trap. Why should we put our souls in the hands of a "therapist, psycholgist or psychiatrist" who may be an agent of Satan?
Trust in the Lord.....get on your knees and develop a relationship with Him. Put your addictions in in his hands. If you let go of self.....He will heal you.
The smoker who quit cold turkey and was reaching into his pocket that he purposely made empty, was an existentialist. Nicotine addiction is as powerful as heroine. Just think of what he could do with over coming if he would tap the power of God. “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].”
James 5:16 AMPC
O by the way, Sunday religious leaders have a call to pray for president Trump. Let’s make this Seventh-day Sabbath a prayer for Trump and all of our leaders. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 commands us to pray for our leaders, and I do believe whether we like them or not. “FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2 AMPC
Applicable to our addictions and our leaders, national and denominational, it would be good to pray as a 1st response instead as a last resort.
Pray today,
Happy Sabbath
John
I love the text used today that "if the Son has set you free, you shall be free indeed." This is so true and I believe every believer can attest to God's goodness in having such an experience in our lives. It is a continual approaching to God that freedom is maintained and experienced at deeper levels. Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory!