Addiction is a thief and liar! It is like grave clothes wrapping us in death, and keeping us from moving towards the voice of God. My heart is broken over all who are deceived and tricked into giving up their destinies. The voice of the enemy tells us to escape, but it traps us in a never ending blur of trying to fill a hole that is bottomless. We long to feel good but the allure of addiction is a counterfeit good. God is the only source of good, because it’s His name and nature. If you’ve ever desired good, you’ve longed for Him. Without Him, we are stuck a perpetual cycle of seeking something we can never find. For some, the battle ends in an overdose or prison. For others, they hear the voice of the Lord calling them out of the tomb, to take off their grave clothes and put on the resurrected Life of Christ.
I was in addiction for years. At thirteen, I started down a path of heavy rebellion with cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. At fifteen, I turned to cocaine, pills, and selling drugs. By seventeen, I was a full fledged crystal meth addict, using almost every day for more than five years. To make matters worse, I was the guy who hated Christianity! I would have cussed you out at the mention of the name Jesus. Ultimately, someone gave me a book about Jesus, and that I accepted it without an incident, was a miracle unto itself! One night, around 3am, As I set in my bed, with drugs next to me on the side table, I encountered the Presence of the Living God! We begin to have an internal dialogue that went something like this, “Stephen, I’m real, good, and have a purpose for your life. What are you gonna do about it?” I remember crying out, in response, “God! I want to give You my life! I want to leave behind the life of addiction, depression, despair, and darkness, I’ve known for so long, but I can’t do it!” Suddenly, the Holy Spirit spoke something into me that changed my life. He said, “Stephen, you won’t do it. I’ll do it!” Immediately, I took God at His word, and fell to my knees and gave my life to Jesus. I went from addiction to redemption, from meth addict to worship, because I heard the voice of Life call me out of the tomb. He beckoned me to His resurrection, so I shed my Grave Clothes, the old and dead things that had defined my life too long. Who would have ever imagined what I thought would mark my life with shame would actually mark it with God’s glory!
Today, I am walking out Gods good and beautiful plan for my life, because I responded to the sound of His voice and power, all those years ago. However, many of my friends from those dark days, are either dead or in jail. This has sparked a fire in me to see as many as possibly come to Christ. I believe something is happening in the earth, right now! There is a revival of redemption from addiction, and at the same time there is an escalation of addiction. Right now, stop and respond to God’s voice! He is calling you out of the tomb, to shed your grave clothes and put on His resurrection, put on the fullness of life, which is your Kingdom destiny!
by Stephen McWhirter