THERE IS A WAY OUT

The first step for the addict is to acknowledge, “I need help!” Image credit: *DEEPAL TAMANG* on Unsplash.

By REVEREND TONY ZEKVELD

Addictions seem to be on the rise. Some of the more common ones are alcohol, drugs, pornography, and gambling – on-line gambling, sports-betting and casinos to mention a few.

This brings us to the realm of desires, our sinful desires. In addiction, sinful desires master you. You become their slave. Addictions leave you with the insatiable desire to come back for more and more. They control you. It does not help to flog a slave. The slave needs a message of hope, of redemption; a message which says “There is a way out”.

The first step for the addict is to acknowledge, “I need help!” Ed Welch, author of Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, writes that “The cravings and desires at the core of addictive experience are not quite the same as an invading virus. If you catch a virus, you have no choice.”

The answer is not, “You made your bed, now you must lie in it”. There is no hope in that kind of message. That’s only punishment and judgment. A message offering hope, however, invites the one enslaved to come and receive freedom. He needs grace and mercy.

There is redemption. That’s the second step the addict needs to see by God’s grace. The word ‘redemption’ is an old word, used especially in ancient times in reference to slaves. One would at times purchase a slave in order to set him free.

That’s what Jesus came to do. He is the Redeemer. He came to purchase slaves to sin through HIs blood in order to set them free from slavery to serve Him. He made the payment for all who trust Him alone, paying the full price. Christ is the good news and we find hope in the power of the good news He offers! In my years as pastor I have seen addicts come to faith in Jesus Christ and the renewal He brings into their lives. They need to fight the addiction and continually be on guard. At times they may slip. But the wilderness in their life has been transformed into a garden where relationships flourish once again.

The joy of forgiveness of sin has brought about a change that could come from nowhere but from Jesus Himself. And He is the hope we offer to you.

HOPE TRIUMPHS

THERE IS A WAY OUT