Our nation is flooded with slogans concerning
“kicking the habit” of drug addiction. Three of the most recognized, and
perhaps often repeated words in drug abuse/prevention circles are “Just Say
No.” Billboards and bumper stickers display one of the most recognizable
acronyms of our generation: D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Our
children are exposed to those three words and taught classes by those who
represent the acronym at a very early age in our public education arena.
So why then are we looking at the truth of the
following statistics:
- ·
Between 149 million and 271 million
people worldwide used an illicit drug at least once in 2009; which equals 1 in
20 people aged 15 to 64 who have used an illegal drug.
- ·
In North America, nearly 11% of the
population aged 15 to 64 used cannabis in 2009.
- ·
Between 14 million and 56 million
people aged 15 to 64 worldwide used amphetamine-type stimulants, such as speed
and crystal meth.
- ·
Cocaine use was highest in North
America in 2009, and it had 14 million to 21 million users worldwide.
- ·
Opioid use, including heroin, had an
estimated 12 million to 21 million users globally. The highest rates of use
were in the Near and Middle East, where up to 1.4% of the population aged 15 to
64 had tried the drug at least once in 2009.
- ·
There are between 11 million and 21
million people who inject drugs worldwide.
The answer is simple and lies in two radical
opposites of the above slogan and acronym. Escaping the death clutch of
addition is not about saying no as the slogan urges, it is about saying a
resounding “YES!” to accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. And it isn’t about the
“resistance” in the acronym, it is about total SURRENDER of your life to that
Savior.
And nothing else works. Nothing.
It is now March, 2014. For the past 4 years I have had
the opportunity of personally observing the lives of people who are tackling the grip addiction on their lives, through Christ-centered recovery. Prior to
2010, there were periods in my own life where I watched this same process (up close
and personal) through secular methods. Here is what I have learned, and will
be so bold as to say I know to be TRUE: If Christ is not put in the
forefront and made to be Lord (look up the definition of “Lord” so you will
not be thinking of the title in a “religious” way) of a person’s life – then
SOMETHING ELSE WILL. And if “something else” is “Lord” of a person’s life….that
person will follow the dictates of that “Lord.”
Since April of 2010, I have watched the lives of
those who said “YES” to the acceptance of Jesus as Savior. I have seen total
deliverance from substance abuse and I have watched many men and women go back
to their homes with a new identity and the tools for living a “drug-free” life.
And I have seen some fail.
And I have seen those same men and women who were
totally delivered from substance abuse, pick that same substance back up, and
use again.
So, you are asking if, “just say YES” to Jesus
works, then why does what secular society calls “relapse” occur? Back up four
paragraphs: “If Christ is not put in the forefront and made to be Lord of a
person’s life – then something ELSE will.” And there you have your answer, and
the perfect segue to the second “opposite” – SURRENDER instead of “resistance.”
Many times, a former addict who has accepted
Christ, is like the seed mentioned in the Bible in Matthew 13 :5: “Some (seed)
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow.” They are so extremely hyped about their new
identity in Christ and their deliverance from substances that they “blossom,” or
“spring up” immediately…..but they fail to dig in to the “soil.” Digging into
the soil is the “surrender” part. Unless a person totally surrenders, and by
“totally” I mean TOTALLY….then there will be no deeply planted seed, and the
plant will not have strong roots to hold it against the temptations of the
world.
A totally surrendered person will make some
lifestyle changes other than tossing addiction out the window. Addition SEEMS
to be the biggie here, but it is not, it is simply the by product of corrupt
roots (that have never been redeemed/transformed by the blood of Christ) or
shallow roots (saved but not surrendered) that could not hold their ground.
Total surrender requires, or may I go so far as to
say DEMANDS, that a person change what they are looking at, what they are
listening to, what they are reading, and what they are talking about. Am I
getting legalistic? No, I am being REAListic. Christ has got to become the ONE
thing in your life that you seek. What you listen to, what you read, what you
watch on T.V., what you talk about…all of this (as much as possible) needs to
be Christ-centered. As a person seeks an intimate relationship with Christ, the
roots of the new life grow deeper into the good soil and strength is gained.
To put it very bluntly….Life must now become about
what He wants you to do…where He wants you to go…what HE wants you to learn.
Not about material needs or relationship wants. If a person makes materialistic
needs “Lord”, then that Lord will dictate their life. If a person makes
relationship needs and wants “Lord”, then that Lord will dictate their life.
And by “dictate” I mean that every decision made will be based on that materialist
desire or relationship need. The Bible tells us very clearly in Matthew 6:33,
that we must seek HIM first and in doing so HE will supply all of our needs in
EVERY area of our lives.
Most of us were taught the 10 Commandments as
children, or have at least learned their Biblical importance as adults. When
God told Moses to write “Thou shalt have NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME,” I believe He
was instructing us on how to be “overcomers.”
I began this writing to make a very simple point:
If Jesus is not Savior and Lord of your life, then “just saying no” and D.A.R.E.
programs will never work, and I have gotten more detailed than I planned. Let
me sum it up with this warning:
If we do not say YES to Him, and SURRENDER totally
to Him, then our mind and our thoughts will take us to other avenues and we
will put other “Lords” in place in our lives. With other Lords, we may not fall
back into addition, but the end result of following that “Lord” will be just as
devastating. Joy, strength and victory will only come by making a total, 100%
commitment to making Christ the Lord of our lives. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit FIRST. Anything less will NOT suffice.
Revelation 12:11 speaks of those who are rejoicing
because “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” In
this verse, the writer is talking about those who escaped the great
tribulation. But I submit to you that God makes this same promise to those who
value HIM more than any other thing in their lives. Overcome addiction? Say “Yes,”
and then “surrender.”
(Reach out for hope: www.thefoundryonline.org)
Corcovado jesus (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
God wants us to break open our alabaster boxes as Mary did in Luke's Gospel, and anoint Him. Instead of sitting at the foot of the cross admiring it's grotesque beauty...waiting for Him to anoint ME...He wants ME to break open my box of things that are precious to me...and anoint HIM....Giving HIM all that I hold dear and pursing Him at all costs.
