Roy Martin Ministries

Half the Year Completed!

Whether you began the year with me or joined some point later, the one truth is still apparent for all, we’re at the end of one half of the year. All those bad days, good days, failures and successes are behind us as we prepare to move forward into the second half of an opportunity of doing it better.

In one meeting, I heard a gentleman named John admit during his 20^th year celebration he had a drink the night before. The celebration ended and the cake was moved to the back of the room for the mid-meeting snack. The coveted anniversary coin was put back into its covering and a somber mood pervaded the room. That was my clue I was not in the right spot and it also taught me this other lesson: don’t count. When people ask me how long I have been sober, my usual response is: 2,000 years. About the time when God died on the cross!

My battle was fought and won on the cross and not every day when I awakened. Every day I get up I relish the fact the battle is finished and I am to experience the joy of overcoming. Whenever I counted before about anything, it turned out I was counting merely until the next time I would fail. So, what is the answer to that question? STOP COUNTING. It’s similar to birthdays. We were created to live forever and certainly not under any power of our own, so what’s the purpose of counting birthdays? They didn’t do it in times past, just read the Bible, and the one time we hear of it, someone lost their head as a result!

So, let’s just take what we have learned these past six months and make the decision of not falling as we might have done before and make every day a good day.

The true strength of character is not how or when you fell, but getting up and sharing with others by giving them a taste of the “hope” which exists within you.

True Sponsorship

When I first came into the “rooms” I was told I should be thinking of selecting someone I could trust to be my sponsor. I was instructed what this “sponsor” would do for me and how they would help me. Someone I could trust! I’m glad I never had the privilege of turning down someone who “trusted me” to be their sponsor!!! Even as I think about it, I cringe to think someone “trusting me” enough to help them through their recovery as their “sponsor”. Too much responsibility is put upon this “sponsor” role and quite honestly, no one is capable of such other than Jesus.

Aren’t you doing the same thing, Brother Roy, in helping addicts? No. In those rooms, the sponsor directed me back to the program, the 12-Steps and the meetings. My sponsor might have had a religious experience but it was not his message to me. Secondly, I certainly could not share in his religious experience and gain recovery on his coattails. I had to get my own. So, I chose a sponsor named, Jesus. He was able to take care of every issue and whenever I needed a meeting, I didn’t have to go anywhere other than downward on my knees. I didn’t have to speak, share or listened to anyone sharing their “hope” other than the Holy Spirit who gave me the “hope” which took me out of the pain of addiction. He didn’t try to do anything but bring about the desired result. I’m experiencing it even now many years later.

For those of you still in those rooms who haven’t taken a chance to know the True Sponsor, One who has already told you to bring all your cares to Him, to do so, today. He’s waiting to show you how He is able to remove this awful problem from your life.

There is no repeating of a “Serenity Prayer” with Christ. It becomes more than words but a meaningful experience.

No Pain is Wasted

At services recently I heard something quite profound I’d never considered before: God doesn’t waste anything, not even the pain He permits us to have!

Life has two purposes: be fruitful and to govern. When man sinned God took the two areas that was our duty and simply changed it by adding pain. Now when we are fruitful there is pain associated and when we govern, again there is pain. Whatever God is using to cause you discomfort which is keeping Him in your focus, this is the intended purpose. When we have gone through the struggles and “pain” it is our duty to use the experience and reach others who are having the same. How else can they know it will be okay? Alcoholics are helped by those who are/have been alcoholics and the same for substance abusers. This explains my own passion for those caught in addiction because I know the pain and struggle to stop. Having achieved a modicum of success, thanks to God, I feel it is my duty to reach those who are undergoing the same pain.

When I think over the many years I laid hungry in rooms filled with disgust and filth and knowing it all due to the decision I made to pick up that one day, and then the inability to stop using, stealing, selling and lying to obtain more which kept me in the vicious hold of addiction, I am content now God can use me to help others who may not know how to come out of it. I shared with a family member, who has a son involved in drugs: If God has allowed me to go through this experience so I might be able to share with you the things you’ve learned this evening, then fine.

There is a “divine” purpose in all things concerning us.

Not Until it is Gone

My first wife made a statement to mutual friends which have stayed with me all these years, “He won’t know what he had until I’m gone.” She was right and so it goes with our own situation right now. We have been taken off the street, have gotten a little clean time and think we’re able to walk right out and begin a life devoid of addiction. We may be right or wrong but is it worth taking the chance? Wherever you are, you must believe God has brought you there and the determined time for you to be there has been set for a reason.

Sure, you have been given many good things now that you are on the right road, but what would occur if those things were immediately removed from you? Had you thought about it? Would you be reduced to that maddening animal-like person you were on the street just a few days or weeks ago? Mostly likely, you will return because for now, it is all you know. Many have walked this walk you’re on and those who left will tell you to stay. I left the first time, too. I know what it is to return and find failure. More than two years later I had a second opportunity to try again and I completed the process. I still had trouble afterwards but the fact I completed it gave me what I needed to keep me during those times of falling.

Here I sit, many years later, and although I am not where I desire to be, nor am I even equaled to where I was before I took my first drug to addiction, I am in a much better place now and shudder to think of returning. I couldn’t make it. As in missing my ex-wife, I would miss my current ability to live, eat, drink, change clothing, comfortable resting place at night, these things are a blessing and not to be taken for granted. This is what keeps me where I am today; knowing what it is to miss what was first good.

If you left now, it wouldn’t have been taken away this time, those precious things you cherish; you would have given them away.

Why Drugs Are So Wrong

What is the only method of communication between God and man? Prayer. What is the body part, the organ, where sense is housed whereby prayer can be made? The brain. Now you may begin to understand how awful drugs and alcohol are in our lives. They interrupt the very communication between man and his/her God.

As a young boy I often wondered why on taverns/bars in the old neighborhood would have signs reading, “Beer, Wine & Spirits sold here”. What did they mean by “spirits”? Any beverages containing 20% alcohol is referred to as: spirits. Wikipedia online dictionary defines it: “Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that has a depressant effect. A high blood alcohol content is usually considered to be legal drunkenness because it reduces attention and slows reaction speed. Alcoholic beverages can be addictive, and the state of addiction to alcohol is known as alcoholism.” Drugs: Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens. They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.

The point is: anything which interrupts, distort or otherwise alters the proper and current functioning of the brain, which prohibits the ability to pray especially should there be an encountering of not only life-threatening but life-eternal threatening circumstances, brought to us by the enemy who is waiting for any diminished capacity of our reasoning abilities, is wrong! THIS explains why drugs are not to be ingested. Anything which would interfere our ability to transmit or receive messages between God and man is only to our detriment.

Religious societies may have determined to be “high” is wrong, but for just a moment wouldn’t you agree it does make good sense?

This Message is for Everybody

Normally I write for those who are in programs or ministries addressing their need to continue their path in their quest to overcome their addiction. A whole lot of “theirs” in that last sentence but today’s message is for those who are loving and responsible for you. They need some good advice, too. So, you are permitted to read “their” message about you, today.

In the midst of a summer June day as the weather is inviting and people are feeling their strength and having cabin fever and wanting to get out and about, your loved one, who is where they need to be is having fleeting moments of thinking how nice it would be to be out of the place designed for them. They may allude to coming home and thinking they’re able to get back on track and be that husband, wife, son, daughter, employee, etc., and so they are hoping not to hear anything negative from you. What should you do? Yes, you want them back but the truth is you’d be making a serious mistake. So, this is the only answer you should practice today. The word is simple and doesn’t take much to pronounce but it will take all you are worth to say it. The answer is, “no”!

Let them know they don’t have a home to return to, or job, at this point. Tell them they don’t have any family or friend who’s excited to see them return before they are finished with their course. This was something good which began a little while ago and nothing has changed in terms of their completion date, except their attitude, but that’s not good enough to make any drastic changes to the agreed upon schedule. So, the answer is, “no”.

By saying “yes” you are in effect saying “no” to their being able to succeed in something, finally, in their life. The best love you can show right now is in supporting them by not making anything available to block their growth. Let them do this. Let them have the time needed to finish what will be the beginning of their life. Not many have a second chance. Where they are now “is” that second chance.

Every “yes” right now is actually a “no” in their life of achieving success.

Disagreeing with Him Won’t Work

You’ve asked Him to help you. He’s initiated the whole process for you and will see you through, but you want to specify how it should be done and unless you are having it your way, you aren’t having any of it. Hmmm, sound familiar? And as a direct result of this attitude actuated in behavior which is not helping anyone, explains why you are not experiencing any happiness or joy right now. People are tolerating you instead of working with you and everyone wishes it wasn’t this way. Even you, so what needs to happen?

Come to the realization that “I don’t have all the answers”. If you did have the answers, you wouldn’t have stayed out there as long as you did and you certainly would not be where you are now. It’s not the ministry/program that is too long, or doesn’t serve good food, or gives you too much to do and not enough relaxation time, or allows you to go where you want to go, but it is GOD who has put all of these rules into place and for your welfare. You have to remember this. Whatever it is you are experiencing is surely a lot better than where you were otherwise you’d still be back there, so just get through what has been purposely set into place for you. It does work and will work if you work it. Oh, I promised not to use those clichés from the other guys, but the truth of the matter is, it does work.

Think about it for a moment: Long before you were born God saw to this day in your life and knew you’d have this trouble. He knew it. Now, you have an opportunity of getting beyond yourself and where God would like to place you. The problem, now, isn’t the drugs or alcohol, even family and friends or staff. The common denominator of the problem, right now, is you. And only you can get over it.

Telling God what you won’t do is just….just….plain stupid.

Might You Have Said, “There is no Hope for Me?”

Let me share with you a tool of the enemy so you can see how vicious he is. I learned this many years ago but until now it has never occurred for me to share it with anyone.

The enemy cannot make you do anything. That’s the truth. Flip Wilson’s old Geraldine skit always resorted to, “The Devil made me do it”, would garner a laugh but the truth of the matter is, he can’t. God wouldn’t allow him to exercise that much control over us and if he did we would all be doomed. So, just how does he work? By suggestion.

When we read the story of Eve in the Garden of Eden we can see a demonstration of his powers of suggestion, but the truth of the matter is, he’s even more “devilish”, no pun intended, than that. He actually gets right in your face, but just a little to the side of your head, near your ear and either he; don’t think you are that special because a small demon is enough for most of us, will whisper, “I really want a drink now. I can have it. It’s okay. I can always not have one tomorrow. I sure could use a good hit right about now.” Get the message? You are hearing these suggestions and the key word is “I”. He is making us think it is ourselves which are coming up with these ideas and then we are the ones who are off to the races to make these suggestions into an action plan. WE MUST STOP LISTENING. God’s voice would never suggest such a thing and actually we wouldn’t ourselves but our nature makes us victims to our own thoughts once we begin to listen. So, STOP LISTENING TO THE NEGATIVE SUGGESTIONS of the enemy.

Is it as simple as that? Why does it have to be more difficult?

The only difficulty in this struggle is ourselves. God already accomplished the hard part.

Rising and Falling

I touched briefly on this yesterday but it is so important I wanted to take it a step further. There will come a time, sooner than you think, when your outward condition is going to change into something very positive. As a result when things are becoming better your emotional outlook will begin to rise as well. People will be contacting you to share your story, you may write a book or even get involved in ministry helping others who are like you were and when you see success in what is being accomplished, another problem will present itself: pride.

Certainly, not another drug or substance can touch you. There is no mistaking another substance being introduced to you. You are too wise for this and even God won’t allow it to happen even for lesson’s sake, but what does occur is, feelings of being needed is replaced with “they can’t do without me”. Perhaps the biggest drug you will ever be encountered with will be “ourselves”! And I think, too, this will be the biggest fight you will ever have to undergo. It doesn’t have to be this way.

We MUST remember ALWAYS what it was that prevented us from continuing in the path we were on. It had nothing to do with us but everything to do with God. WE MUST REMEMBER THIS!!! God was our answer and not ourselves. People are being drawn to us because of the Drawer, not “us”. He put us in these positions of power for them, and not put them in these terrible positions of addiction for “us”. And as long as we remember where we came from it will keep us from returning to worse.

Contentedness is one of the greatest lessons to be learned. You will learn it, though. Whether it will be an easy lesson or difficult is totally up to you.

Keep Your Eyes on God and Not Man

One of the most prominent problems faced in recovery is we are too busy looking around us and “envying” those who have been blessed. We see the cars, houses, families, money and apparent happiness and we desire it. There is nothing wrong with desiring but there is something wrong with “coveting”, wanting something so badly we would do whatever it takes to get it, being so consumed on having it we forget or discount our own reasoning of why we are here.

Certainly there are blessing ahead for you when you have gain ground on addiction, but keep in mind those you see have been placed in front of you for a purpose. It is to have “hope” in that all you are doing will not be in vain. There is no guarantee, nothing written and stamped with God’s approval this is what He will do for you. These are the blessings He has given to them and you should be pleased people, such as you are and were, have been able to be restored to some semblance of happiness. Yours is coming.

We have to keep in mind God has called us to this place, where we are right now and when He sees it fit, He will grant those things which we would like and make us happy. He gives us in moderation so we don’t lose sight on what is most important: our relationship with Him should be ongoing and not temporary when we have received what we want and then have no further need of Him! Oh yes, this is a major problem not just for addicts but for those who’ve never tasted substance abuse. There are many other forms of “substance” abuse which doesn’t include drugs and alcohol. This is why so many people who were blessed with “shiny things” loose them because they got caught up in the reflection and brilliance and not in the Source.

Don’t put all your interest in attaining earthly “stuff” when our focus should be on heavenly blessings.