Savage About Sobriety June 23, 2023

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 22:3 (NLT).

Being aware of the dangers I face as a recovering addict/alcoholic is something I think about every day. The fear of getting pulled back into my addiction far outweighs any desire I have to use. Rock bottom has a tendency of doing that to a person, but just because I don't have a desire to pursue a road back to drugs and alcohol doesn't necessarily mean it's always easy to not get distracted. Not every bad choice reveals itself as a deep ravine in the road that is obvious to anyone looking at it. Sometimes these "pitfalls" look like a nice, pleasant road when we first take off on our journey but end up being full of dangerous scenarios for any addict to face.

The definition of prudent is "acting with or showing care and thought for the future." When I was in my addiction, I couldn't see past my next bag of dope or next drink of alcohol, so acting with or showing care for my future was not something I was capable of. I guess you could say I was the "simpleton" in this verse going through life blinded by my addiction, and because of that I have paid my share of consequences.

Once I got saved and began my walk with God, I started caring not only for my future, but for the futures of my loved ones, as well. The whole reason we get saved is to secure our eternal future, isn't it? The Apostle Paul tells us that, "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 (KJV). Later in Romans, he tells us, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (KJV). Everyone needs to be "prudent" and take the necessary precautions to ensure we don't suffer the consequences of our sins. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;" - Hebrews 2:3a (KJV). We won't. Real change starts with getting saved.

Once I had my eternal future secured, I became "prudent" in my immediate future. To do that I started applying verses like Proverbs 3:5,6 to my everyday life. "5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (KJV). A funny thing started happening. I stopped trying to live my life the way I had been doing for years and started asking God to lead me and direct my path. I stopped hanging out with old friends and started hanging out with other like-minded people. I started attending church every chance I could. I began a relationship with God.

When you have a relationship with someone, you spend as much time with that person as you can. In Shevon and I's relationship, we spend as much time as our jobs will allow us to. We love spending time together, talking together, and going out and doing fun things together. Our relationship with God should be the same way. You can spend time with God by reading your Bible, talking with God through prayer, and doing fun things through Christian fellowship with your church family.

We have to be "prudent" in our Christian lives. If you don't want to stumble and fall back into a life of addiction then you have to be careful about what you are doing, where you go, and who you spend time with. Staying in the Word of God is so crucial to doing that. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. - Psalm 119:105 (KJV). If you want to see the dangers that lie in the road ahead, then use the Light that lights the path in front of you. Then you will become the "prudent person" that Proverbs 22:3 is talking about and not the blind simpleton.