Addict’s Devotional
Surrendering of Our Will
In my experience dealing with addiction I have learned this one important point of overcoming the struggle; many think it is due to exercising our “will power” enabling us to overcome addiction. They are miserably wrong! It is the “power of our will” which has gotten us into this trouble and cannot get us out. Certainly, God has given us one characteristic, the ability to have a “will” of our own to choose what we “will” do and whom we “will” serve. This is something given us and cannot be taken back, not even God Himself can do this. Our common enemy seeks to control it because he, too, is unable to take it from you.
Remember this key phrase: “We must be willing to be made willing” for herein lies the answer to overcome not only addiction but all of our issues of life. In order for us to rise above our problems we must turn our “will” over into the hands of God. We must surrender our ownership and privileges. We must do this and not be willing to ever choose to take it back. It must be a total surrender and allow God to do for us what none other is able. Toward the end of my addictive years I came to acknowledge that unless God stopped it, there would be no stopping on my part, no matter how much I wanted, tried or did. It was not in me to stop it and I had to rely on God, in His timing, to do it for me.
Deciding to let go of what has been given us will never be an easy task to accomplish. We have to begin to see ourselves for what we are: dirt. Dirt has no value in itself but can be used as a foundation in which to grow, whether plant-life or magnificent buildings, and how much more can the dirt we are be used to grow into something of inestimable value if we allow God to have His “will” in us?
Wash and clean me, Lord, from the inside out,
Leaving my life in Your hands is no longer a doubt.
–Vikki Blossom
Tags: 12-Steps, Addiction, Alcohol, Crack Cocaine, Drugs, Recovery, Relapse, Smoking, Substance Abuse
