Whatever. Look, I did drugs... hard, soft and everything in between, and I did them for years. I drank myself stupid. We are not recovery elite, OK, and we do not have the right to look at the slave of another master and say anything like that what they are in bondage to isn't real bondage, isn't a real addiction, and we sure have no business telling them to find their own route through the wilderness and that they have no need of or right to the 12 Steps because they aren't killing themselves quickly enough, or at all, and therefore don't qualify.
The truth is that the 12 steps were expanded from steps or concepts of the Oxford Group, a Christian organization founded by Christian missionary Dr. Frank Buchman. Dr. Buchman believed that the root of all problems were the personal problems of fear and selfishness. Further, Dr. Buchman believed that the solution to living with fear and selfishness was to surrender our life over to God's plan. Sound familiar?
If you have been in an organized step-based recovery program at any time, it probably will. Bill Wilson went to the Oxford Group. He tweaked their program a little, breaking things down into 12 Steps. Thus was Alcoholics Anonymous birthed out of a Christian group who's aim was to "create a new world for King Christ." The steps are based on first century Christianity and are designed to bring us out of self and selfish, self-centeredness (deny self) and into conscious contact with God, creating a spiritual awakening (following Jesus into relationship that brings new life). They are not an antidote to the worst of us, but the answer for all of us.
And no, I am not saying the Steps themselves are the answer or the only way. Jesus is the answer. Period. There is one way to the Father, and that is by Jesus, but how we get to Jesus is varied. Even the original 12 were called by and found Jesus in different ways. But the Steps are something that anyone, from someone who struggles with walking with God, fear and selfish, but isn't too bad by the world's standards to gutter crawling junkies who have killed men because of their addiction (one such as this became a great friend of mine and an awesome example of the life-changing power of God), and anyone and everyone in between.
No, it's not the only way, but if you have ever struggled with doing what's right and finding relationship with God, realizing 1. you need Him desperately 2. He is there and loves you and is good and trustworthy 3. surrendering to Him, letting Him be Lord 4. examining your heart and life by the guidance of the Holy Spirit 5. confessing your sin to yourself, God and another person 6. humbling yourself and becoming ready to have God remove the things that interfere with serving Him 7. asking Him to transform us and remove the sin in our life 8. looking at who we have harmed 9. making amends 10. continuing to examine your walk and life and when wrong quickly repent 11. seeking closer consciousness of the presence of God and deeper relationship with Him through prayer and meditation and 12. now that we have new life, freely giving what we have received to those who are still hurting, is most certainly not a bad or non-Biblical path to take to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
So you never did drugs, and you've never smoked or been drunk or anything like that. But there is something that doesn't feel right. You got scared or stressed or frustrated or whatever and thought something would make it feel better or provide relief or escape and something happened. Maybe you wanted a taste of something sweet or salty and ate the entire bag, or just wanted a break and turned on the TV and blinked and you'd watched 6 hours of infomercials or some stupid show you don't even like, or you ran to the store for a little treat, just a little something, and spent a month's salary, or got on the computer to check Facebook and ended up online all night with nothing you need to do getting done and no rest, or a quick glance at Instagram led to hours wasted looking at porn, or, or, or, there are who knows how many other things like these we could name. Some are not even wrong, in and of themselves. Some are. Few would have any chance of getting you arrested or killing you, but they are running your life anyway because it happens far too often.
Some of you have found freedom from drugs and alcohol only to find a slightly gentler slave master. Recreation is fine, as is entertainment and pleasure from our senses and the things that bring that pleasure and comfort, as long as God is the one in charge of our life and not that person, place, thing, situation, activity, etc. If it's not bringing destruction to your life, interfering with relationship with God, keeping you from doing what He has told you to do or being used as a substitute solution instead of Him being your refuge and strength, it's fine. Seriously, as long as it doesn't violate one or more of those four things, you are free in Christ to do whatever you want!
So you know that the things that do violate one or more of those four are wrong, but you don't know why they are so hard to stop doing. You hesitate to ask for help because it's not a real addiction, it's not that bad, and you're not really hurting anybody. I know this is getting long, but please bear with me, because this is important to having a life worth living. Some of you had the bad addictions before and it just never occurred to you that whatever this is is even an issue compared to what used to be. Or you have never had something that was considered addiction, and wonder is this really even something worth so much fuss, time and energy to try to change?
OK, first, let us remember that what is outside the will of God for us is sin and sin leads to death. No matter how small or harmless the activity or whatever is, if it's sin it leads to misery. destruction and death. if it's causing us separation from God or preventing us from obeying Him, it's going to bring misery, pain, fear, confusion and all sorts of fun emotions like that. And if it has taken that place of God and being used as a substitute for His provision or has control instead of Him, it's idolatry. Look at the issue as mostly harmless if you choose, but it's serious, and it's killing you.
I don't care if you work any steps or go through any set process or not. Just seek Jesus. I don't care if you call it sin, bondage or addiction, or bad habit, or something else. Look to Jesus as your answer and your help. I don't care if you never read or listen to me again, if you will only let Jesus trade you a new life worth living for the one that's making you miserable and feels so pointless. But if you want a life worth living with more days filled with peace, joy, love and purpose than not, I'll be happy to share with you how I found it. It worked for me, and it will work for you, from the worst criminal and junkie to the sweetest near innocent, we all need Him.
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