Years ago my husband was rescued. Many would think that he brought difficulties and traumatic situations on himself but getting to know a wonderful man, created by God in His image I have a different picture.
I would love more and more of our churches to grasp what Jesus did for John and have a clear picture of the love and grace He lavishes on all of us.
One way is to invite people with messy lives into our lives, into community with us. Create safe compassionate places in our local churches, where people can begin to unpack their lives and find hope and freedom.
If you want to discover more about my husband’s life and a reason for having a recovery group with Jesus at the centre go to amazon.com for a kindle version of his story.
Life is still a daily struggle with sin, the greatest and worst addiction
Today’s post is a section of his book and expresses what the Lord Jesus can do for each one of us.
“I have realised since then the depth that the Lord will go to bring back the stray lamb, the prodigal son, for He will lose none of His! Thank you Lord Jesus! Life is still a daily struggle with sin, the greatest and worst addiction, but not with drugs and alcohol for the Lord has washed that away. He can do the same for you, if this is your problem, too. Not only with drugs, alcohol, and porn, but with food, sports, music, texting, social media and any other obsession that comes and takes the rightful place of the Lord, the God of the universe in our lives.
I went to AA (alcoholics Anonymous) for years, three times per week, and after about five years, I realised that the hope of recovery did not reside there for me apart from faith in God. I didn’t want to believe in an illusion-or a god of my own creation. I chose to believe that the power from the program’s real ability to change lives would rest in a relationship with the one, true God. He is the God I chose to trust and believe in.
I chose to believe that it takes the power of a living God to break the hold of addiction. Apart from that power a person may be confronting their addiction out of their own will power and I believe that in this case, their quest is ultimately doomed to failure.
So, I finally got to the point after hundreds of meetings, both as leader and participant, of recognising that help in the AA environment consisted in peer support and, while valuable, I needed more. I knew I had to get back into fellowship with a solid group of believers. I did not stop AA immediately but I immediately go directly involved in a local church under a very good teacher in the Word of God.”
John Childress, Co-Founder Free! Recovery
To find out more explore our website: www.free-recovery.org. We are always happy to have a conversation. Connect with us at . Check out our Fall program on the website.
Sally Childress
Co-Founder and Resource Developer at Free! Recovery