If you tell an addict they must have faith in order to
recover, many would be deterred or feel a sense of defeat. Perhaps they believe
they have no capacity for faith or think that because they have never had a
relationship with God, they are disqualified from recovery. This is hardly the
case.
There is an undeniable connection between faith
and recovery from drug use. Even
if you have no religious background or affiliation, you simply cannot get well
without a small grain of faith. Even the simple, provisional belief that the
Program can work and that you can be relieved of your addiction requires some
level of faith. Does it not? You have tried to overcome your addiction on your
own and you have failed. Now you must trust that something outside of yourself
can save you and help you to find freedom from the bondage of addiction, even
if that something is initially your recovery community and the Program. Faith
in the God of the Bible may follow, but in order to get started you must simply
be willing to acknowledge that your way has not worked, you are powerless over
your addiction, and that something outside of yourself can save you. What do
you have to lose?
Anyone Can Recover
Anyone can be an addict and anyone can recover. From white
collars and cocaine addiction to blue collars swilling cheap vodka, the
problem is the same, and thus, the solution is the same. Age, ethnic
background, religion or lack thereof, education and socioeconomic status are
not determinants of your success in recovery. Instead, what are required are
complete and total honesty, a desire to recover and a belief, no matter how
small, that God can restore you to sanity and help you to live in sobriety.
Hope Found in
Scripture
Many addicts entering recovery have little knowledge of the
Bible and even less interest in it. Perhaps they suffered as children at the
hands of the Church. Perhaps they witnessed parishioners professing faith and
then living in blatant and hurtful sin. Others simply see the Bible as outdated
and irrelevant.
But as recovering addicts experience the miracle of sobriety
and begin working through their history of resentments, many start to take a
new look at God. They cannot deny the evidences of His love and grace in their
own lives. Though they have done nothing to deserve it, God has blessed them
with sobriety, a fellowship and the opportunity to know Him. They have been
given new life. This marvel motivates many in recovery to want to know God
better.
As they come to know God, many addicts begin to wonder how
the Bible can help with addiction. Does Scripture speak into this struggle?
Does the Bible have a relevant message of hope for addicts today?
The answer a resounding yes to both questions. The pages of
Scripture are God’s revelation of Himself to His people. In the Bible He gives
hope, He demonstrates His love through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ
for sinners, and He teaches His people how to live in a difficult and fallen
world. This is the message of hope and comfort an addict needs to hear.
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