Since God is the greatest good, He sets out to work all things for His own glory, and if we seek freedom from alcohol and drugs for reasons other than His glory we are at cross purposes with God. He will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 48:11).

This concept is very important to understand, so let's look at an illustration of this in Judges 7:2

"And the LORD said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'

Do you see it? God had to REDUCE the size of Gideon's army so that when they won the battle Israel would not claim glory for themselves. God desires His glory to be great in our salvation (Psalm 21:5). God works for His own glory! And this is why we must settle this issue of motivation right here in the beginning. Is our motive in overcoming alcohol addiction to honor Him or ourselves? Are we working with Him, or are we at cross purposes with Him?

Now that we understand our purpose here, let me tell you that there's great hope in having the glory of God as our motivation! If we have a purpose in our hearts to glorify God then we are working in concert with God, and He will enable us to do what we seek to do. Please don't miss this. Seeking God first will ensure our success, as God Himself comes to our aid so that He would be glorified. Do you see it?

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)

There's a connection that must be made here. Controlling what we put into our bodies and acting like the man or woman God created us to be is honoring the Lord. He's glorified in the daily choices we make to take care of our bodies. He's also glorified in our acting in a manner not controlled by intoxicating influences. This isn't saying that sobriety guarantees that we're glorifying God. There are many people who havn't ever tasted alcohol that live their lives daily for their own glory. But it is to say that the motivation for the Christian must be to honor the Lord in everything. Our goal is not to be like everyone else, it is to be as God wants us to be. Seek God in everything we do!

I finally realized that I wanted to be free from alcohol to stop the pain and to keep from losing everything I had, including my life. I wasn't concerned about 'holiness' in this; I just wanted to find peace in my life. I wanted to continue to pursue my desires and to be able to drink like other people, not live like a drunk. I couldn't control my drinking and I felt like there was something very wrong with me. I wanted to be able to smoke a little or take drugs with my friends for “fun,” just not be controlled by them. I just wanted to be like everybody else. God had other plans for me. His timing is perfect and He led me to the point that my motivation was for the right reason. He gave me that peace and freedom from the pain of what I had become. He also gave me so much more - a family, friends, even a purpose. Look at Matthew 6:33 with me:

"But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Do you want freedom from alcohol and drug addiction even though it may have plagued you for years? Do you long to be the man or woman God would have you be? Take that verse to heart. Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness!

We should be able to say with the Psalmist in Psalm 115:1: Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.

God wants to see you free from your chains. Turn to Him first. Let Hm give you the strength to get you through the cleaning up of your body. We cannot do it alone, and God doesn't wat us to have to do it alone. That's whay he's here. That's why He sent His son to die on the cross. Allow god to free you from your chains.

Praying for al of us to recover,
Pastor Mike