The One Step Program
“After he had come down from the mountain large crowds followed him.
2 Suddenly a man with a virulent skin-disease came up and bowed low in front of him, saying,
‘Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me.’
3 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’
And his skin-disease was cleansed at once.”
-Matthew 8:1-3
The stats are in and the evidence is ugly, addiction is wreaking havoc on the collective American soul. While everyone is looking for A SOLUTION, I often wonder if we have cut off the very power source for changing by denying the divine and the deepness of the human soul.
Let me tell you a story…
Recently I had lunch with my buddy Frank, and he shared his story. Frank’s a good guy; tough, kind, hard working, not afraid of hard work or dealing with hard things.
He’s a simple guy who’s been through some traumatic things and wants his life to count for something bigger than himself. After a difficult first marriage that ended in divorce, Frank’s life got out of control.
Rather than finding his comfort in God, in healthy community, and in productive habits, Frank turned to the bottle. His once simple life quickly began to spin out of control. He soon realized that he had to make a change or else he was going to lose his life.
Now here is where Frank’s story gets interesting….
Frank reached out to God and begged Him; “Lord, please help me” and that was the end of it. God, in one fell swoop, literally touched this man and took his addiction.
We often talk about the 10 or 12 step plan, but I find it challenging, inspiring and life giving to see that God offered healing and freedom to Frank in one step.
The step is simple: From Death to Life.
Far too often, we search for strategies, complex steps, and programs to give us what only God can give us. It’s as if we look EVERYWHERE else other than the one place that can give us real change, God Himself.
It would be like going to the doctor for chemo and telling your physician; “Sir, I know chemo is an option and that would be a great way to treat my cancer, but I’d rather have two children’s aspirin”.
There is an appearance of treatment (children’s aspirin) that denies the depths of the problem (cancer).
If you are struggling with an addiction to hydrocodone, oxycodone, heroin, alcohol, etc., then reach out to God and then find a drug treatment program.
Discussion Question:
How has your walk with God supported your addiction recovery?
About the Author:
Ryan Moffat is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of addictions. These are not necessarily the views of Addiction Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Addiction Hope understand that addictions result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on April 15, 2017
Published on AddictionHope.com