John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly.
There are many ways satan destroys indiviguals and families, by far the worst and most destructive is by addiction. We live in a world where addictions are common place. There are many forms of addiction. I would like to share with you today three of the worst. The first addiction we will explore is gambling addiction.A few years ago, I was a truck driver, and sometimes pass these portals to hell, When you come within radio range of it, a lot of the time, you would hear the voice of a mother, who had went inside and lost the rent money, all the bill money and the money for food for her children. She would tell her sad story, beg men she had never met to buy her body, only to make the money back, go back inside and lose it all again. The second addiction I want to share with you is alcohol addiction. The thousands of men and women, who will leave a bar to drunk to even walk, get behind the wheel of a car and try to drive home. There will be many, I am sad to say, that will not make it home to see their families. They have spent their last dollar to buy one drink to many and shatter lives including their own. The third addiction, and by far the worst, is drug addiction. Think of the families destroyed by drug addiction. There are tens of thousands of men, women and children addicted to drugs of all kinds. There are people that will put a gun in your face for your last dime to feed their habit. they will do whatever it takes to get one more fix. These addictions are real and these people need help. I’m not talking about the kind of help the court provides though. The court appointed help works once in awhile. These hard core addicts are seldom cured by court appointed rehab. When they are sent there by the court, to the addict, it is a rest, a place to get away for awhile and a place to get out of trouble for the time being. What they desperatly need is deliverance. Only God can do that. Rehab treats the problem, God treats the person and the problem. The church has been silent for so long that it seems that no one cares, but God cares.
1 Peter 5:8 says Be sober, be vigilant; becuase your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
We see our advesary, the devil, devouring these people everywhere. The question I want to ask you today is this. Are you willing to pass by these people and let them die in their sins and do nothing? Yes I know it’s a wide spread problem, and there are actually millions of addicts, and many closer than you may even relize, but they are a creation of God just like you and I. They have chosen the wrong road and even though they don’t understand, they are crying out for help.
John 8:36 says If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
That is deliverance. When God delivers you from addiction, you are delivered. You see I was once an addict myself. I was addicted to satan for 23 miserable years. I know first hand that an addict is desperatly searching for something to fill a void within themselves. They try to fill this empty hole with drugs. Before they relize what is going on satan takes hold and it’s a run away train headed for hell on a greased track. It seems as if no one cares and soon you don’t care yourself. The more of it you feed your system, the more numb you become until you can’t feel anything, including love. But I want to say this in closing, the person that is addicted, feels hopeless, lost and defeated, but there is help, there is hope and there is deliverance. All they have to do is ask God. God can deliver them. Don;t just pass them by.
Jesus Christ said " thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" and anyone that isn’t you is your neighbour.Remember to share the love of God with everyone you meet this week.
May God Bless You and Yours
