God’s Hope For Addiction

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)

For most of us, when we hear the word addict or addiction we think of people who we’d rather not associate ourselves with. After all, the term addict doesn’t have many positive connotations to it. But what if I told you that addicts are normal people, just like you and me? What if I told you that you may be affected by addiction, even if you are not aware of it?

Of course, people with the stigma of addict attached to them most likely have battled with some terrible habits, such as drug and alcohol abuse. But the reality is that addiction is not limited to these dangerous and in some cases illegal substances. 

Many people are addicts, even though they don’t realise it. Think about coffee, video games, chocolates, painkillers, or antidepressants… Think of anything that’s probably not good for you, yet you can’t go without. That is an addiction, and it’s not limited to “stuff”. We can get addicted to certain behaviours like being abusive, or lying. 

So people with the term addict attached to them are not so different to us after all. It’s just that their addictions got them into serious trouble, to the point where they need to take a long hard look at their lives. And it’s a painful process. By the time someone is dubbed an addict, they have hit rock bottom. You’ll find in many cases, their addictions have destroyed their most critical relationships, and they have to deal with immense guilt for their actions.

Only God can fix this kind of brokenness.

Legae La Nnete is a community centre based in Krugersdorp that (among other things) helps these people to recover from their addictions. Legae La Nnete is dedicated to serving the brokenness that is so prevalent in South African society and is run by a dedicated and faithful Christian. The work they are doing to bring hope to broken people is exemplary, and I encourage you to check out their website.

Fourways Family Church has been supporting Legae La Nnete as part of the outreach program. Frikkie recently initiated a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) group at the home on Monday evenings, where he and I (Mardy) go to the home to help our fallen brothers to discover God’s word in a meaningful, impactful way.

Although the study has only been running for 3 weeks, we have seen immense results. Last night, everyone shared their views on the passage Frikkie shared, and almost everyone prayed. We also heard two accounts of serious changes in their outlook on the future. We can only attribute this to God’s incredible grace, forgiveness and faithfulness. 

The DBS is a simple, yet remarkable Bible study method to get God’s word to speak directly into any kind of brokenness. If you haven’t already, check out how it works here. We encourage you to use the DBS in any situation - with family and friends, people who are going through a hard time, people who have doubts about Christianity or any kind of brokenness. 

There are many other addiction recovery centres where fallen brothers and sisters need the same kind of healing that can only come from God. And addiction is just one area of brokenness we as humans are subject to, there are many others, all of which only God can fix. We need as many volunteers as possible to help us bring God’s hope to our fallen brothers and sisters.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved in bringing God’s healing to others, or you know of fallen brothers and sisters who need God’s intervention, please contact me.

martin@familychurch.online

078 450 7821