My Addiction
April 26, 2009 – 8:13 amThere’s something that’s come to my attention recently that I sense I should share with each and every one of you. It’s frankly quite embarrassing but I need to talk about it and you probably need to hear it.
I’ve recently realized (with help from the Spirit of God, the Word of God and the people of God) that I suffer from an addiction.
Over the years beginning from a very young age and as a result of a number of very life impacting experiences - I’ve become addicted to approval.
It’s true.
I often times will allow the fear of what certain people will think of me to dictate my leadership decisions, my opinions, my conversations and even my priorities. I so deeply want to be liked and well thought of by all of you that there are times when my desire to be liked by you even outweighs my willingness to obey God. I realize that may disappoint many of you - but the fact is it’s true. And while I won’t speak for any of you I suspect that I’m not alone in this kind of struggle.
I imagine many of you have "hang ups" (or addictions) in your life brought about by past hurts or failures that at times have a way of creating great distance between you and God. While my "hang up" may be "the approval of others" - yours may be food, drugs, spending, drinking, pornography, smoking, shopping, video games or illicit sexual activity. It could be anything.
You see "anything" that you and I begin to care more about than we care about obeying the Lord is trouble. When I want to be with something or someone more than I want to be with God it’s eventually gonna get ugly. When I attempt to find relief in someone or something other than Christ I can become "addicted" to it and in turn distant from the One who promises to meet and satisfy my every longing. We can get so far down these addictive paths that we become convinced that when we’re at our worst with our backs against the wall . . . that a bowl of ice cream or an illicit website really is the answer.
Every one of us struggles with something. Sin has left its scars on your heart and mine and in our efforts to survive we have a choice to make.
Recover (repent) from the sinful patterns that lead to destruction and live - or remain captive in the chains of addiction and die.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
We’ll begin a 6 week series this coming Sunday morning in both of our worship services entitled "Celebrate Recovery - The Road to Freedom".
The Word of God has a lot to say about our battle as disciples against sin and the grip it can have on our lives. So over the next several weeks we’ll take a close look at what the Scriptures teach regarding the road to freedom and the kind of life God intended you and me to live. I’m very excited about our new Celebrate Recovery ministry and the efforts that are being made as we speak by our Celebrate Recorvery team as they prepare to launch a brand new Friday Night Celebrate Recovery gathering here on our campus for literally hundreds of people like you and me who are serious about following Jesus and traveling this road to freedom from addiction. There are Celebrate Recovery gatherings being held throughout each week at The Chapel, Fellowship Missionary, Pathway Community and now here at Blackhawk. The hope is that in the not to distant future there would be a CR gathering being hosted by a local church on every night of the week in an effort to provide as much support and encouragement as needed for those in the recovery process. I personally have attended some of these Recovery gatherings and they are some of the most authentic and meaningful times of worship, teaching and encouragement that I’ve ever been a part of.
I hope every one of you will pray for what God will do in our hearts as we make our way through this new series. Remember that recovery or repentance is for everyone who struggles with sin. This series and our Celebrate Recovery efforts aren’t just for alcoholics and drug addicts - it’s for all of us and I’m hoping you’ll come and maybe even invite others who you know could use the encouragement to come and take it all in with you.
I really hope you’ll be there and I hope you’ll wholeheartedly support our efforts to help each other fight the good fight against sin!
I’m grateful I get to be your pastor and I continue to need your grace and your patience with me as I do my best with God’s help to fight against the patterns of sin that can at times (as it says in Hebrews) -
"…So easily entangle me."