I have been dealing quite a bit lately with my addiction, that is, nicotine addiction. Having smoked pretty much my whole life, I’ve struggled with breaking the habit. Yes, I know I need to quit, for many reasons, for my son and myself mostly.
As I attempted to quit smoking, let’s say, a 100 times (no exaggeration). I failed because I set about it selfishly; I tried to do it myself. Oh, I prayed about it many, many times and asked God for strength. That’s where my selfish ways came in; I literally took my eyes off God and tried to quit. Keyword: tried.
Then a very good friend gave me a book to read, “Samson and the Pirate Monks.” A book I highly recommend you read if you’re dealing with any kind of addiction. I started reading the book thinking it was all about men’s groups and brotherhood; boy was I ever wrong.
The writer refers to Samson and David in his struggles with addiction. I found myself asking this question: Am I portraying Samson or King David’s life when dealing with temptations and addictions.
Judges 13-16:
Samson blessed by God and sent by God. Single handedly released the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines. With a jawbone he defeated the whole Philistine army, a Godly feat to say the least. The Hebrews elevated him to man of spiritual and political power. Having searched this passage I was unable to find anyplace that Samson failed in a public presence.
His private life though was a mess, he had a serious addiction to woman and dangerous adventures…he was a sex addict. This eventually was his undoing. Enter Delilah, a woman of desirable yet questionable influence. You really got to read the complete story but the end result is Samson let his addiction destroy him with the help of Delilah. Samson, in his final hour, returned to God but he never completed his mission.
At about this time, in a quiet and unexciting way, David was born. You remember him? King David, the man after God’s own heart. David had an addiction too, he was a sex addict, he committed adultery and a few other sins I won't mention here. The difference between David and Samson, David actually defeated the Philistines not just antagonized them.
Samson beat many Philistines, David defeated one…. of course he was the biggest one! This gave the Hebrews renewed minds and God’s strength saw them through to a sort of peacetime situation. Samson didn’t commit adultery or murder… David did. Both failures in their addictions yet this is where there lives take a turn. One for better one for, well, death. Why did David recover from his sin and Samson didn’t?
Simple actually! Samson did things by himself, singular, lone wolf like. David, he had his friends. Samson liked hanging with strangers where David liked the family surroundings. When Samson fell, he was alone. When David fell, he had his friends. Specifically, Jonathon and Nathan were there for him. Samson was blinded for life long before they took his eyes whereas David lost his sight, temporarily, because he turned his eyes back to God.
What we see here is classic and pretty elementary.
Lose your sight of God and never return them to him, you die!
Keep your eyes on God; friends pick you up when you fall turning your eyes back to God; you live for eternity.
Addiction is sin, any addiction. You are leaning on something that is not God; you’re worshipping a false idol, not trusting in God. Does this make you a sinner? Yes! Do you have to remain in this sin? NO!
If we learn anything from David is you can’t do it alone. Not without God’s help or family and friends. My inside job for this week is releasing this sin and trusting God for healing and not trying to do it alone.
I haven’t quit nicotine but WE will!
Are you a David or a Samson in your sin?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Under God's Wing
I have been thinking a lot about God’s love and how he protects us. My inside job for this week is a analogy of God’s Extreme Love for us!
An article I read several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God's protection over us.
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. The sight bothered him so much that he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother's wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the fire and smoke would rise.
She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.
Psalm 91:4 N.I.V.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
This story always brings tears to my eyes... think about it. This is...
“EXTREME LOVE!!!”
An article I read several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God's protection over us.
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. The sight bothered him so much that he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother's wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the fire and smoke would rise.
She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.
Psalm 91:4 N.I.V.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
This story always brings tears to my eyes... think about it. This is...
“EXTREME LOVE!!!”
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rescue Lines
"A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Atlantic Coast of Florida. A fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high that, even though the father, an experienced sailor, couldn’t keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized."
"Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of the waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!’ he threw out the lifeline to the son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."
"The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that He could do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son that we could be saved. "
Wonderful story, right? You think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian? Do you?
It sure isn't very realistic, is it? My INSIDE JOB today is to tell you that he understood more than most the pain God must have felt to give up His only Son.
The boy who was saved? Well, he is now a very successful Evangelical Pastor!
I urge you to accept God’s offer to rescue you and take hold of his lifeline.
"Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of the waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!’ he threw out the lifeline to the son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."
"The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that He could do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son that we could be saved. "
Wonderful story, right? You think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian? Do you?
It sure isn't very realistic, is it? My INSIDE JOB today is to tell you that he understood more than most the pain God must have felt to give up His only Son.
The boy who was saved? Well, he is now a very successful Evangelical Pastor!
I urge you to accept God’s offer to rescue you and take hold of his lifeline.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)