Savage About Sobriety February 7, 2023

Staying clean and sober is an everyday commitment to doing just that, staying clean and sober. Shevon and I see so many of our "old" friends still buried in their addiction. We hear every excuse under the sun about why they can't seem to kick the drugs. One of my favorites we hear is, "The struggle is real." Yes, the struggle is real, but I don't believe that what they are calling a struggle is really struggling. It's more like accepting defeat. The definition of struggle is "to make forceful and/or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction." That sounds more like what people who are clean and sober are doing than what the people who are still trapped in their addiction are doing. Anyone who has successfully broken the "chains" of addiction knows exactly what I'm talking about. Was it hard? Yes. The struggle was absolutely real. Was it worth it? I wouldn't trade my sobriety for anything else in the world.

The best part about being a born again follower of Christ is that when you struggle, you never have to struggle alone. Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) says, "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Be strong and courageous. Stand up to your addiction.

To break the chains of addiction that have you restrained and constricted requires you to make the effort to come up out of the hole you're in. I draw my strength from Jesus Christ. When I make an effort, Jesus supplies me with the necessary strength for me to break whatever binds me and allows me to live a life free of anything that holds me back in my walk with God. Stop accepting defeat at the hands of your addiction and start living a victorious life in Jesus Christ. Jesus is your secret weapon and all you have to do is ask Him for help. There's no chain He can't break. He came to earth to set the captives free! (Luke 4:18)