Addictions

I recently started Weight Watchers a few weeks ago, and surprisingly, I'm doing well. There's a point system that I have to adhere to, along with at least three to four days of cardio. I go to weekly meetings and I try to weigh in at least once a week. A major part of my success is due to the fact that I cut desserts from my pallet, and I stay as far away from anything sugar related. So far so good, until today... My friend Beth is one of the best bakers I know. She can make a mean brownie, and boy is it good! Today, she asked me to taste a piece of brownie she made because she needed a second opinion on whether or not the brownie was completely cooked. As she held the brownie in front of me, I said, "Asking me to taste that brownie is like asking a recovering crack addict to taste crack to see if it's good!" We laughed, but I tasted the brownie and instantly I craved another piece. In my mind, Weight Watchers went completely out of the window, and I began to rationalize in my mind about eating that brownie. I wanted a whole brownie and not just a small piece. What ever happened to sticking to the plan? "I'll begin again tomorrow," I said.

I can't tell you of how many conversations I've had with a few young adults this weekend on addictions. Some have been liberated from years of stuff, whereas others are in-and-out of the struggle and don't really know how to remain free. It breaks my heart because satan's plan is to get our youth so mixed up and so confused that they miss who they are in Christ. They believe that just because they struggle, there's no way anyone could understand their plight. They believe that if they shed light on their addiction, condemnation and judgment are soon to follow. This is the main question I was asked: How do you stay free without lying to yourself about "beginning again, tomorrow?"

I had a dream the other day about a nest of bees hovering over a large honeycomb. The bees were all shapes and sizes and of many colors. The honeycomb was huge and overflowing with golden honey that seemed endless. The bees hovered and fought for hours around the honeycomb because they were trying to fill their buckets with as much honey as possible. They were squeezing in between each other, grabbing as much honey as they could and then they flew away as fast as possible so no one could take the little bit of honey they collected. I saw a few scenario's of the dream, and then I awakened. The bees were us, hovering around the goodness of God. We were trying to fill our buckets with as much of Him as possible before we flew away as if to never get a second chance at a relationship with God. Instead of dwelling with Him all the days of our life, some of us chose to 'grab-n-go' - hoping that what we grab is sufficient for our life. Sometimes, we don't trust Him.

Addictions are strongholds. Bondage. God came to set the captives FREE. Allow God to unmask you.

God is our refuge and our everything. We've got to turn to Him continuously and trust that He'll be there to help us in our hour of need. He's our doctor, our father, our rescuer and our friend. No addiction or struggle can trump God's purpose for our life. Psalm 46:1-3 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear..." God wants us to trust in Him more than our addictions - more than our desire to crave 'just a little piece.' He wants us to trust that those dark places in our lives will be brought to light without the fear of condemnation. Darkness can not live in light. Once God gets a hold of the struggle because it was continually offered to Him, He'll turn it around. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."