“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18 NLT)
“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” (proverbs 20:1 NIV)
“Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross].” (1 Corinthians 6:12-13 AMP)
So, there we were, three of us (my brother Mark, granddaughter Savannah, and me), learning to live together in my 2 bedroom apartment. Things seemed to be working out. However, the pull of addictions loomed continually over our heads. When it was just two adult men living together then there was a bit of wiggle room in dealing with the addictions that had created the need for me to open my home to my brother. An occasional “slip up” was easily dealt with as we continued down the road to recovery. However, with a 14 year old young lady in our midst, the days of overlooking “banned” substances in the apartment, and resulting drunkenness, were over.
I had the opportunity to get tickets to a well known contemporary Christian recording artist performing at the Van Andel Arena. When the Sunday of the concert arrived, Savannah, my daughter Jodi, and I excitedly loaded up in the car and drove downtown. On the way there Savannah asked me, “Papa, do you think Uncle Mark will buy alcohol while we are at the concert?” I naively responded, “No honey, he knows that he can’t bring alcohol into the apartment.” You have probably guessed where this is going to end.
Needless to say, Mark’s addiction got the best of him. Sadly, this put me in the position to need to make a tough choice. I could overlook his drunkenness, placing Savannah in a less than desirable living situation, or enforce our agreed upon “house rule” and require Mark to move out. End of the story; I moved Mark out on March 22, 2023. He is now in living in a location that he is not thrilled to be in, and I am back to sharing my apartment with just Savannah. (There is a history that I am not comfortable sharing that dictated this “tough love” approach.) I deeply desired to walk Mark’s road to recovery with him step by step and be able to celebrate his eventual freedom with him. This change of direction has truly broken my heart.
Addictions, they grab us and do everything in their power to control our lives. Each time we give in to the pull of an addiction, we quench the Spirit, and weaken our will. Eventually, even a born again child of God, cannot hear the voice of his or her loving Father, or muster any degree of resistance to whatever has a taken control. No wonder it is common for people to finally simply give up and turn their life over to the addiction’s power.
This experience has a silver lining for me personally. I have recognized more clearly than ever the addictive tendencies within me. I have had seasons in life in which alcohol and tobaccos have tried to sink their talons into me. Thankfully, the Lord has set me free from those substances. However, there is still another enemy that continues to haunt my waking hours – food (especially sugar). In trying to help my brother break the chains on his life, the Lord has exposed the chains of food addiction on mine. It seems that rather than break the chains of addiction to alcohol and tobaccos, I have simply exchanged them for compulsive eating.
I am currently in the process of being set free from food addictions by the freeing power of the Word. As I learn to move beyond belief, into the realm of “conceiving” the Truth, I am confident that I will win this battle. I am also confident that the victory that is mine, once fully manifested, will give me a greater ability to help those who like myself have allowed addictions to rule and reign in their lives.
Let’s be set free once and for all!