Encouragement

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I awoke to the stench of vomit and flies pestering me. I looked around the room, which was engulfed in darkness. My head pounded – one of the side-effects of over indulgence of alcohol! I forced myself to get up and open the curtains. The sun blinded me and just made the headache worse. I didn’t have the vigour to shower and change, all I wanted to do was have another drink to obliterate the same old worries and maybe new ones that might arise during the day.
I sat at the edge of the bed [still covered in vomit] and ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at it from time-to-time. I wished this earth would open up and just swallow me!

A terrible scenario, isn’t it? Well, that was me a few months ago! Now I am on the road to recovery.

Hello, my name is Kay and I am an alcoholic. Yes, I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been sober for 10 months and counting. No! I don’t belong to Alcoholics Anonymous, I belong to JESUS!

This is my story of how my Lord and Saviour helped me most when my friends and family let me down. Remember: don’t put your trust in mere man, he will let you down. Have faith and trust in our Abba Father, he never fails you!

Somebody recently encouraged me by saying, “Remember, when you feel you have hit rock bottom; Jesus is that ROCK! He is your foundation; He is your strength; He is your hope.”

You may be questioning how does any human being reach such a stage in their lives. Believe me, when satan gets his grip on you, all he makes you see are the good times – parties almost everyday, alcohol and drugs are often part of this world – taking you to “new” heights each time you take another hit. He is so deceiving that during his time of recruiting you, your wallet is never empty, it actually bulges or overflows with cash!

Yes, I use the word recruiting for good reason. According to the dictionary, the word recruit means to take on; sign up or hire. A small anecdote: When you apply for a position in a company and you meet all their requirements, you will find the recruiter “selling” the company to you. They will glorify what the company has to offer in terms of a salary package, benefits, even gym facilities, and the “fantastic” list goes on. You think: I need to work at this company. They are offering good money, good perks and what about the prestige that goes with it! I will be the envy of everyone. Wow! This will be a great life,

Yes, it is a great life and would continue to be so, if you continue on the right path. But if you allow money to go to your head and let satan direct you then he has you exactly where he wants you, which is basically in the pit of hell. Oh, you think you are in control. No! You handed that control over to satan when you allowed him to recruit you. The day you used your very first salary to indulge in his world. Eventually, his hold on you is so tight all you want is more drugs, more alcohol, more parties, more sex orgies, more, more, more… to help drown the sorrows; to get rid of your nagging parents or spouse…

Allow me to refresh your memory a bit. Go back to the very first time of receiving your first salary. Remember the euphoria? My words back then were: “What an accomplishment, my money! Money I worked for! Nobody can dictate to me on how to spend my money.” You immediately picked up the phone: “Hey guys, the weekend is almost here, let’s party and don’t worry about the costs. It’s on me!”

You have already forgotten your mum’s or dad’s words: “Don’t forget to give your tithes first before you spend your money.” Oh! What nonsense is that? Well, my dear brothers and sisters, it is satan’s nonsense. His way of enticing you to spend is his world of alcohol, drugs and dance clubs. It is his way of beguiling you away from JESUS! That is how I entered his world.

My friends left when my money ran out and I turned to them to support my drinking habits. I then started selling my possessions – first the smaller items like my appliances and then larger items like my car, which I was supposed to still be paying for. Retailers and the banks were looking for me because I owed so much money. Credit card debts were exorbitant, but I carried on playing! Why? Because I was hooked. Satan had me where he wanted me!

My parents eventually gave up on threatening, scolding and bailing me out of jail. They finally left me to stew in satan’s playground, but I can assure you they never ceased praying for me!

Prayer changes everything. Nothing is impossible with God! If He can snatch a sinner like me out of the clutches of satan, He will surely save you.

Imagine this: an eagle soaring high over its prey; then in one swift move, when the timing is right, he swoops down snatching the prey with his strong talons and then soars high again taking the prey to safe ground. This is how God watches over His children and then saves them before they fall prey to other evils in the world.

1 John 5: 18-21
18We know that none of God’s children keep on sinning, for the Son of God keeps them safe, and the Evil One cannot harm them. 19We know that we belong to God even though the whole world is under the rule of the Evil One. 20We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we know the true God. We live in union with the true God – in union with His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and this is eternal life. 21My children, keep yourselves safe from false Gods!

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