Savage About Sobriety March 17, 2023

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. - Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)

"We all make mistakes." "No one is perfect." & "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

How many times have you used these popular phrases to console a friend or loved one when they may have hit a bump in the road with their recovery? How many times have YOU used them as an excuse to a loved one you have hurt or to justify something to yourself? Truth is, I have used these terms as an excuse more times than I care to admit. We all hit bumps in the road, but the key is to not let a bump in the road become a roadblock, or even worse, the end of the road for you.

For recovering addicts, it's a hard road back from our addiction. We have a tendency of making mountains out of mole hills by not getting up, dusting ourselves off, and getting back on the road when we make mistakes. There are going to be lots of ups and downs, unforeseen curves, and yes, bumps in the road as we begin a new life in Christ without drugs and alcohol. From relapses in your recovery to losing your temper to saying hurtful things to the people you love the most, there are many different ways we can hit a roadblock on our road to recovery and beyond. As a born again Christian, that road can be even more bumpy because as a new creature in Christ, we are called to a higher standard than non-believers. Attacks from the enemy (devil), bad days, and circumstances out of our control can all be potential roadblocks.

Notice that Proverbs 24:16a doesn't say the wicked may trip seven times. It says the exact opposite. It says, "The godly may trip seven times, BUT they will get up again." That's the difference between believers (godly) and non-believers (wicked). Believers get back up no matter how many times they fall. To me, the best part is how it lets us know that even as Christians, we are still going to make mistakes. Nobody IS perfect. Not even Christians. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23 (KJV).

Proverbs 24:16b finishes the verse by saying, "But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked." Before I became a believer, some of the smallest bumps in the road became the End Of The Road for me. Just one night of "fun" would end a year later. Leaving me back in prison and wondering if my kids and the rest of my family were ever going to speak to me again. The guilt and shame of having to face my loved ones after another failed attempt at sobriety would usually push me further off my Recovery Road. One disaster was all it took to overthrow me, but it didn't have to be like that. Today, God gives me the strength to get back up and there's NO disaster that can overthrow me. "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." I John 4:4.

Being saved doesn't make us perfect. Jesus Christ's love does. The love that has mercy on us when we fall, make mistakes, and fail. Psalm 145:8 (ESV) sums this up perfectly, "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." The word steadfast means "firm and unwavering or unmoving." That means we have a God whose love for us doesn't move, even when we make mistakes. The key to this whole thing is to...keep getting back up. No matter how many times you fall...keep getting back up. When life kicks your butt and knocks you down...keep getting back up. Remember, believers and unbelievers ALL make mistakes. It's what you do next that determines whether the mistake you made was the end of the road, or just a bump in the road. "