God’s Recovery… Redemption

In preparing to work on my 12 step program, God revealed some things to me that I will now share. However,
First of all, I am a “recovered” addict. I suffered with a HUGE chemical addiction. Since I was 16 years old, substance abuse was a big part of my life. I could not go anywhere or do anything without being loaded. There wasn’t any enjoyment in life apart from having drugs coursing through my veins. Besides the 11 weeks I spent in Marine Corps boot camp, drugs played a daily role in my life, with varying degrees of intoxication. Around the beginning of the year in 1984, I became a disciple of Ye’shua. Jesus relieved me from a 12 year addiction to street drugs & alcohol. A major weight was lifted from my shoulders. Matt 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” This was my first experience of the delivering Power of Jesus Messiah.
As life went on, the paradox of Ye’shua & the world played with me, I became weak and subsequently gave room for alcohol. Use of it spread in the following years. Also, in late 2003 I had a devastating low back injury & a surgery that left me in chronic severe pain for the next 5 years. From 2003 to 2008, I was addicted & abused opiate pain killers; to the point that I almost died a few times from the stupidity of my addiction & my compulsion to use. I loved the euphoric opiate cloud. The final binge nearly, taking my life, happened on the 3rd of Aug. 2008. About a week & a half prior to that day I was in a blackout. My daughter found me in bed, after being there for 3 days straight, gurgling and drooling down my shirt. She called the ambulance and I ended up being airlifted to the closest hospital that could handle my condition. Well, my kidneys had shut down, I had a severe case of double pneumonia and was in a coma for the next 8 days. they didn’t know if I was going to live. Well,  PRAISE GOD!!! The Lord Jesus has plans for me and let me live. Not only did He let me live, when I decided to go into the hospital’s “Alcohol & Chemical Recovery Program, Jesus took the craving for narcotics away & healed me from withdrawals. What happened was, I started walking in the will of God & desired with all my heart to accomplish all that He wanted of me. This is the 3rd event Ye’shua supernaturally delivered me from addiction. I spoke on the 1st and the 3rd event; the 2nd was when I was delivered from cigarette smoking in 1 second. From 2 packs a day to NOT smoking at all…AND… it was as if I never smoked at all. No cross addictions. I was also baptized in the Holy Ghost at the same time. SO!!! that’s 3 times I experienced the delivering power of Almighty God. There were no 12 step programs at all. I am not speaking against 12 step programs. They are great for jump starting recovery or studying them in conjunction with the Beatitudes. Also, 12 step programs with true, intense worship of the Lord is very helpful. Now that I have qualified myself as someone who has the experience, I will continue with the truth of God’s Recovery… Redemption.

Redemption is God “recovering” what he lost in creation. Recovery suggests that one will recover, get better, heal, be made whole. That is redemption. This also suggests that “once an addict, always an addict” is a lie; for which, I agree… it is a lie. This I learned, experientially.

Anything that falls short of the Glory of God is sin. This means that there are myriads of millions of “vanities” in life that is sin. One of these sins are called “chemical addiction.” The kick, the high, the burying of oneself in a euphoric cloak from life’s difficulties or one’s own character defects, is vanity of vanities. It is sin, pure and simple. The character defect of addiction to chemicals is no different from the character defect of any other compulsive activity to run and hide from various aspects of existence. Therefore, to isolate the sin of addiction as something altogether different than any other sin, is denial, ignorance at best.

The sin of compulsion is a “the lust of the flesh.” As Christians, we cannot agree with the world and call “addiction”a disease. It is ridiculous to try to pawn this lustful action off on a disease, as it is a justification and a denial of what it truly is… SIN. The one who is addicted to chemicals is merely exhibiting lustful, fleshly symptoms. The problem I see in recovery programs is that the addict is continually recovering.  There are character defects and control issues being exposed by the lack of chemicals covering them up. Continual recovery is a day by day work of arresting one’s compulsions along with a deep concern of relapse. It’s a constant state of recovery for a life time. Also, at times, the recovering addict is more mean spirited than when drugs covered ‘em up. That’s because they are continuously arresting the addiction. In God’s kingdom, there’s more than just arresting the sin of addiction, there’s complete redemption (recovery) from it. Hear me clear!… this is not license to get healed & go drink or use again. Total abstinence must be achieve.

With Jesus Messiah, there is complete and total healing and deliverance from addiction. To get better, to be made whole, one must possess a craving, a BURNING desire for the presence of Jesus Messiah & the work of the cross in one’s spirit, soul and body. Otherwise, one will continue to be lost in sin and trespasses; moreover, will always be an addict in recovery by virtue of being an unregenerate sinner with no way to renew one’s mind (soul); which gives power to the flesh. Redemption, deliverance and recovery is possible only through Jesus Christ. However, when one is saved, healed & delivered, going out and using or drinking again is very foolish and will invalidate the deliverance God bestowed. To get entangled in practicing substance abuse, after being recovered, will make it so much more difficult to receive healing again. The subsequent process will involve much time and it may be that one must be in recovery for a number of years in order to get to the point of redemption. However, there’s no guaranteed that deliverance or achieving “recovered status” will occur anytime soon. The sanctification process involves time, affliction, discipline, refining… all of which takes time. Lessons must be learned. A saturation of the Spirit of God, consecration to the Master Jesus, Holiness unto Father Yahweh are all a factor in the salvation process. Salvation means, “sozo” (Greek) “Saved, healed and delivered.”

Though programs like NA & AA have much success at helping those addicts arrest their addiction, that’s all it is… arresting. In fact, day after day, week after week, one repeats the mantra, “hi I’m <so & so>, I’m an addict…” Though it may help in keeping the addict out of denial, it keeps the person locked into being an addict, with no end in sight. Shame on us Christians to deny the person the right to be made whole, delivered and recovered from sin by continuing to promulgate this mantra to new converts. An adulterer ceases to be an adulterer when there’s repentance and deliverance has been wrought. It’s the same with any sin one can think of. A person ceases to become a “<  >” when repentance is granted and deliverance has been gloriously bestowed. Jesus healed ALL people from their diseases, and though many for some reason are not healed, why not go for it and believe, have faith and maybe you’ll be the one healed and set free. It’s totally worth reaching “recovered” status, to try. However, it is in my opinion based on scripture and experience that this kind of deliverance is attainable for all because of what is is… sin not a disease; lust, not a sickness. If one wants to continue believing addiction is a disease, then believe that healing and deliverance is not only possible but a reality. How is it we continue to keep people locked into their addiction? In Jesus, one can boldly state, “hi I’m so & so, I’m a recovered addict!!!” Hallelujah, what a glorious declaration. But one must believe!!! Jesus did NO miracles in Nazareth, His home town, where people did not believe. Belief and Faith have everything to do with being a “recovered addict.” Most Christians with a past addiction are in denial that complete restoration, redemption, recovery and healing are possible.

There is a difference between an addict without Jesus and one with Jesus; that is, the believer can shout, ” I AM FREE!!!” However, There are multitudes who choose to adhere to the thought that Jesus doesn’t offer total freedom and healing. They say “religion” doesn’t work; for which, I agree, as it takes a true relationship with Jesus for healing to be realized. To take an addict off the street and pump the NA/AA/CR mantra into the devastated soul is to exalt the hopeless, ever abiding sense of failure.

NA & AA offer a secular approach to band-aid the problem, cause a lifetime of bondage to recovery and cause most to enter into idolatry. It takes more than a belief in God; it takes Jesus, the Messiah.  Without Christ, to say one trusts in God is of no benefit.  But, they’ve helped millions to not use drugs.  They will die clean & for most the most part, unsaved; tragic!! Celebrate Recovery (CR) could do much better in drawing on the Power of God & communing in  the fellowship of the Holy Spirit of God.  In my opinion, CR’s much too “franchise,” like a “God-in-a-Box (religion)” program. In life, there’s the “good,” “better,” and the “best.” CR is “good.”  I desire, for others & myself, the “best.” It works much better to submit oneself to the convicting Power of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with like minded people and continue to bathe & worship in the awesome presence of God. I know what I know. It’s been said, “A person with a teaching does not have it over a person with the experience.” I am far from perfect, but I press on to the prize of the high calling in Jesus. It’s quality not quantity, if one had to choose.

What distinguishes Christians from non-Christians is the freedom, deliverance, healing, and joy one has when Jesus Messiah is Saviour and the abiding Holy Spirit is the power of life. Go and sin no more, for there is total healing and deliverance in the sin of addiction. This should be freeing to think that day after day one is not locked in the prison of a continuous recovery from addiction. waking up every day CLEAN, go to a meeting, still CLEAN, maybe go to another meeting, but still CLEAN. All of life is wrapped up in staying clean and going to meetings. However, when Jesus proclaims freedom for the captive, the captive is indeed free. I know from personal experience regarding freedom from the prison of compulsive chemical dependency. I also know that the desire and cravings to “use” can be entirely wiped away. You see, when the addict stops using, the sin state is still there. The addiction is still there. That’s why the programs are needed for unregenerated people or those with little or no faith; they must continue in the cycle of recovery… “ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth.” For this reason, people need to be reached for Jesus, our only hope and deliverance. For He will make a person a recovered sinner!!

It comes down to this: It’s hard for people to become true disciple of Ye’shua to the point of absolute trust, self included. The only hope I had, during my addiction to narcotics, was to continually cry out to Father God. I mean, get down and work into Him. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”  It is imperative to truly get into a dead serious, gut wrenching cry to Jesus. Truly make Him LORD. He wants us to ask & keep on asking, seek & keep on seeking, knock & keep on knocking.  Matt. 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Approach Matt 7:7 as a desperate person. It is like the desperation of the next breath. Seek the Father as if “seeking” were the next breath and water is round about, stopping the ability to breathe. Time passes, seconds turn into hours. Dizziness is beginning to overtake the consciousness… if water is the air, breathe!!! Can’t wait any longer, the lungs must release and expand. if death is at the door, open it!! I MUST HAVE AIR!!! I MUST HAVE YOU GOD!!! I NEED YOU DESPERATELY!!! PLEASE HELP!!! FILL ME, HEAL ME!!! I WANT TO KNOW YOU, I MUST SEE YOUR FACE, YOU ARE HOLY, YOU ARE HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!!!
This is desperation. Also, consecration and submissiveness to the sanctification and discipleship of Jesus is a sign of of desperation. This is what’s needed to experience the deliverance of the Lord. However, sometimes the Lord just decides to deliver someone for some future plan.

Therefore, in order to be a “recovered” addict, our life must be a praise & worship to God. We must be tested.  We will be tested & addiction is just one of the afflictions that fuel the refining furnace of God. We must continue in Him and not give up. We must press into Him. We must have Faith and Believe He IS the healer.

This is the Faith James spoke of. This is the “anonymous” program, the gathering together of like minded people, exercising all Biblical principals, filled with the Holy Spirit and pressing hard into God, together as one in the Spirit. God’s Redemption is God recovering what God lost in creation. Our redemption is our recovery in our creation. From addiction to recovery to recovered.

“Hi, I’m John. I’m a believer in Jesus Christ. I’m a recovered addict.”