The Joy of Being an Ex-Addict

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Graeme Wilson in Freedom Fighters

The Joy of Being an Ex-Addict

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority… And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Colossians 2 and Ephesians 4

Oh beloved, it is true. Some of us have lived a life trying to fill an enormous hole in our souls. There was within us a perceived thirst we could not slake, and a hunger we could not satisfy. We were ravenous. We were called addicts.

And we may be among the most blessed of all the ones He has ever saved.

We were so hungry for something. We did not know what is was. But every waking moment was a search for comfort, or an attempt to dull the pain of our emptiness. We were wounded, but much of the wounding was self-inflicted as we bounced around in the world trying to get something to both fit and fill the enormous hole inside of us.  And again, this was (in retrospect) very good news.

And what we found – if we did not die during the search – was that the hole inside of us was not enormous. It was infinite. Anything we tried to throw into the hole fell away into an abyss. And it did not matter how fast or furiously we flung – nothing worked. We tried everything. But things being finite, did not do any good. No idea or principle or program could fill the abyss. And any time we tried to put a lid over the hole, that just fell in as well.

Now, many others who seem to have their lives a bit more under control, may never have the opportunity to know (or will not take the time to know) how empty they are inside. But, an addict knows it. He is driven to see it for some reason. Perhaps it is better spiritual vision, or that we have the ears to hear.

Then He called out to us. There was this Voice. It was Jesus. And the sound of it was like many waters; more water than we could ever begin to comprehend. And the Voice instantly convinced us that He was it. He, Jesus, infinite and mighty G_d, was the only One who could fill the hole inside.

So, we asked Him to do it. And He did.

And those of us set free from living to fill the abyss, have come to find that the only thing that fills the hole is all of Him. So, an addict set free, might look like He is addicted to G_d – like Jesus and His Spirit and the Love of The Father are the only thing that matters any more.  It is almost like they have become even more obsessed with the freedom and love and joy and peace and abundance they now have, than the bondage they were in before.

Exactly.

And this is why an addict is the most blessed of the children of G_d. We can see the answer so much more clearly. Can you see it? The abyss in our lives is now so full that it flows outwards with rivers of living waters.

Beloved, do you understand that you too need this same infinite filling to reverse the event horizon of the abyss in your soul?  You need Jesus. And perhaps, you need Him much more than you yet know.

So, is there such a thing as too much Jesus in a person’s life? No. He is the only One who is enough. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to let Him fill the hole in your soul. Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves in full-time ministry in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 5-6, Mark 2

Think About This: From morning to night keep Jesus in your heart, long for nothing, desire nothing, hope for nothing, but to have all that is within you changed into the spirit and temper of the Holy Jesus. ~William Law (1686-1761)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left … Joshua 23:6