Encouraging people in the battle against addiction.⤒🔗

There are many more people addicted than you would think.

Invisible grief.

Lonely Lock-Up←⤒🔗

We know it, we hear about it, we read it. But we hardly see it. The first thing an addict does is to carefully hide his addiction. Out of shame, certainly when he is a Christian. Because he knows that it is so completely against what he professes to believe. And because in his own eyes he is a total failure. He makes a complete mess of things; how can he show himself like that?

The house is neatly cleaned, nothing gives it away. The alcoholic has had just enough to drink so that his hands do not tremble so much. He has thought about everything.

And I think at this point: what loneliness! Everything he is hiding, what others may not know about, how lonely he is in those circumstances then. If addiction can be compared to “being imprisoned in”, then on top of that, it is a lonely lock-up. For an unknown time? While everyone knows that this is inhuman; you do not have to be a Christian to say this.

In this loneliness, much prayer is being offered and much is being battled, to drive him insane. For the other force is greater, it just has to happen each time, that bottle, that gamble, those images, those sites.

Lord, where to go when I am lonely?

To you only!

Zipper Here←⤒🔗

In thankfulness we may note that there are many forms of assistance. I am firmly convinced that the assistance which we ask for in prayer, often comes to us through the service of people. Loving people who possess patience, talents and expertise are being given from above. Also psychology, with all its branches, is a creation gift from God to discover and to serve each other with.

At the same time, it is not so that we can place all our hope in 1^st and 2^nd line assistance. For there is more to do, and a Christian knows this. There is also the spiritual battle and the concrete question: who is the Lord in your life? You cannot serve two masters. It does not say that it is not allowed, but that you cannot do it. Because you always favour the one at the cost of the other. The core question is then: who is the one, and who is the other?

I perceive scientists and faith in God as two sides of a zipper. A Christian may expect assistance from all these ways, if he zips them together and realizes that they go together. To only use one side of the zipper does not “work”: a believer also needs expertise in addiction while only God can truly free you from “prison”.

Do Not Defend Emptiness←⤒🔗

A fitting word is found in Luke 11:24-26. About the unclean spirit, who, as soon as he is driven out, goes through waterless places seeking rest. When he does not find it, he returns to the house he had to leave. To his surprise, he finds it empty and even swept and put in order. He can just move in again! This he does, and he brings some colleagues along. And in that house, it becomes worse than it was at first.

Jesus tells this about a person, who in the end is in a worse state than at the beginning.

It is a word of warning, but also a lesson to learn from. Jesus lets us discover that only the driving out of evil forces will not help. And I think that many people are busy with this in their enormous battle: how do I get rid of this enemy? How do I get this desire out of my body and out of my thoughts? Sometimes it looks like you are winning, but what a let-down when you stumble again in a moment of weakness. Does it never stop? Does it make sense to keep on fighting this? Am I not a hopeless case?

No, you are not. For the enemy may be strong, but your Lord is the victor. Every person who accepts him as their Saviour may share in his victory.

However, there is still the question: are you not somewhat one-sided? To only sweep your house (your heart, your spirit, your brains) does not help! Even if that would work, the problems would irrevocably come back. For the point is: you cannot defend emptiness.

Say that you do not give in to this enormous craving of lust, say that for a time you can keep it up by (only) fighting very hard and endlessly thinking: it is not allowed, it is not allowed, it is not allowed. Then this feels like a great emptiness, a great loss, like the missing of a necessary satisfaction. That emptiness cannot be continually defended. For the content is missing. The house wants a new occupant.

Jesus Fills You←⤒🔗

Jesus never just drove out spirits. He did not even start with that. His message was always, short and sweet: “here I am”. I am your way. I am your truth. I am your life, and so on. He had come to give himself to sinners. So that in this way he not only cleaned up their lives, but also filled their lives in a different way.

Jesus continually emphasized that whoever receives him, will also receive his Spirit. He begins an inner and intimate connection with you, just as in the Lord’s Supper the bread and wine connect with you, so that they cannot be separated from you anymore.

To receive his Spirit is like “sharing in his thoughts, in his manner of being, and being at home with the Father just like him”. In other words: you enter a new reality, to look around you and to fill your heart with. In everything one with Jesus! Do you know who he is? The Creator of heaven and earth, he is wisdom personified.

When he begins to fill your thoughts and your heart, a movement starts up within you which drives out all other content and makes it completely unnecessary. In this manner he could say to the evil spirits that they had to leave. To make room! Jesus does not make people empty, but he fills them!

Attach Yourself to Jesus←⤒🔗

After what I have learned over the years about it, this is an important approach which is indispensable, and which gives hope. It does not cancel out psychological expertise. It also does not guarantee a one-two-three success. But an approach which includes from the beginning that those who put their trust in Jesus, will never end up disappointed.

Everyone who goes to Jesus with the sincere desire: “will you be my Lord, the only One?” receives his Spirit, this is a sure promise!

At the same time it is also true, that the Spirit is never given or received in a manner which robs you of your own understanding, your own will, or your own feelings. He enters in such a way, that he completely permeates you and so also activates you.

Therefore, a prayer to the Lord will not be the only activity. The quest for him will go together with attention to him, time for him, to find him while searching and groping.

It often happens that in addiction cases (and when disappointment is high during a relapse) the attention to Jesus is on the backburner. Well, yes, we still read a little in the Bible, maybe, and still pray once in a while, sometimes. But all energy is gone because the other lord is so present in our life. Then it is good to realize that serving two masters is impossible. It is just the question: who are you adhering yourself to? Therefore, attach yourself to Jesus.

Start your day with him, get up earlier, give your first thoughts to Jesus, let him fill your thoughts. Use a good book that will help you to get to know him better. What you read in the morning, is in your head the whole day. Arrange with a friend that he also reads that book, always reading the same chapter. Set a time in the afternoon or evening to meet and talk a little about the chapter you both read. Preferable at the time that you often relapse. You can do this with your spouse, with a friend, or a brother or sister in the Lord. Set a time, stick to it every day, and fill your time and attention with him who loves you so much. Then you will notice, as you keep doing this, that indeed, you can only attach yourself to one Lord.

There is less and less time and space for the other lord, especially less space inside of you. Jesus wants to fill you up. Adore him, put him in first place, and he will surely be there.

Prevention is Better←⤒🔗

By the way, this is also the way to prevent addictions. He who stands, must be careful that he does not fall.

These days attention is requested to make time for Jesus, in a variety of ways. I am happy with that, and I also notice that it is very necessary.

For not only is our managing of time often quite deplorable. The obvious result is that people fall into sin. Those two go hand in hand, and it is logical.

If you do not want to open yourself up to the joy of what God can give and establish in your life, then you become empty and you look for different content. When you look past the Lord, you become an easy-to-get target for those other lords. They can easily enter then and will amuse you in their own way.

Therefore, I think that in general an admonishing attitude is insufficient.

If what is not allowed and how things are not to be done is primarily voiced …, the biggest sinner usually still knows this, but it does not work.

The secret is always: let Jesus come to the forefront in your life, show who he is, display how he gives himself (to you). He stands at the door and he knocks. Whoever allows him in will notice that something beautiful begins and that he looks after the clean-up.