methylamphetamine…and Christ!
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
A senior judge says levels of ice use in WA are among the worst in the civilised world and are a sign that the so-called war on drugs has been lost. “Western Australia has the unenviable position of probably being the worst jurisdiction in the civilised world for methylamphetamine offending, by which of course I include recreational use,” Judge McCann said.
Source – The West Australian Newspaper, 18th May, 2016.
We are all aware of the problem in our society with substance abuse. But never before in our history have we seen such an epidemic of such.
We hear of people from all walks of life becoming drug dependent – some from insecurity, fear, guilt, disappointments, immorality and more….
Drug dependency and how to solve it is surely one of the main concerns of our modern day society. The pain and sorrow that it brings is beyond words. Sadly, for many it is a helpless state in which they live a life of seemingly no return.
What can be done?
What is the problem, the root cause?
The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart – still!
Since the fall of man, sin rules the lives of humanity void of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
But thanks be to God, Christ came into our world to bring deliverance. God’s grace is sufficient to meet the needs of one whose life has been torn apart by substance abuse.
Every man woman and child needs to hear and know that God loves them and His love for them has no strings attached!
Yes at some moment in time the individual who has found themselves trapped in the web of substance abuse has made a choice.
A conscious choice to take that substance that now controls their lives. James tells us all that our choices in life have an impact – James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
How can we help such a person become free of their habit?
Tell them God has a plan for their lives – and it is one of Peace and Life.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Everyone’s problem is our –SEPARATION from God.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
God’s Remedy – The Cross
God’s loves bridges the gap of separation between God and you. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for your sins!
1Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Our Response – Receive Christ as Your Lord and Saviour
You cross the bridge of separation into God’s family when you receive Christ by personal invitation.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
To have the power of sin and all that it brings removed from your life – to invite God into your life for Him to set you free, you need to do four things:
Admit your spiritual need. “I am a sinner!”
Repent and be willing to turn from your sin.
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.
Receive, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.
This is the beginning….
Jesus said He came to set us free and so often through our sin we have built our own prisons and chained our lives to tragedy.
We can assist those who have been ensnared to substance abuse and made a commitment to Christ by putting them in touch with a reputable rehab centre.
Then we are to support them in prayer until they have grown in their understanding of the importance of their commitment to Jesus Christ.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind – 2 Timothy 1:7
We as a Church need to recognise the role and responsibility God has placed upon us to pray and intercede for these tragic souls who have fallen under the power of this horrible substance abuse. It will only be by prayer that this power will and can be broken in our community.
But let us always remember, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed – John 8:36.