I awoke this morning thinking about my oldest brother, Luther, who was in WW2. He came home an alcoholic. I remember him saying on numerous occasions that he drank to forget all that he saw and did during the war. The trauma was called shell shock then, but today it is known as PTSD.
He would have times of sobriety, that generally would only last for a few weeks and then he would be back drinking again. He often said that he did not want to drink and live that way but seemingly could not overcome it. He was often in the hospital or jail because of it. Around 1971 he was in a veterans hospital, skin, and bones, and he could not eat anything because his stomach was one big ulcer. My father called a family prayer meeting at the church. After about an hour or so, he got up off his knees and said, ‘He is going to be alright, let’s go home.’
The next day one of my brothers talked to the chaplain at the VA hospital who said the night before (which happened to be at the time we were praying) he visited with my brother. He led Luther to Christ, as he genuinely repented, and as a result of that he not only got saved but delivered from alcohol, his stomach was healed and the next morning he ate a normal breakfast! In a matter of a few days, he came home from the hospital! Never to drink again. The Lord restored his family. He was able to keep a job and he lived for the Lord for about 27 years before dying in 1999!
Lots of people have addictions they deal with. It could be alcohol, other drugs, food, sex, movies, spending money excessively, etc. The struggle is real, but so is the victory! The apostle Paul knew something about struggling with the flesh. He said in Romans 7:15, “For that which I do, I allow not; for what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that do I.” Regardless of the addiction the victory is the same, it is found in our relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ as our personal Lord! (Romans 7:25)
Don’t battle against your addictions alone, make Jesus your Lord, and His Spirit will live in you and give you the strength to say “no” to it and infuse you with God’s supernatural power to be an overcomer!