Exodus 20:3-5
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
This passage is the first two of the ten commandments. It is probably the most overlooked commandments simply because most people don’t believe that they truly worship any other gods. They certainly don’t bow down to some funky little statue and chant. Yet, it would be a mistake to believe this. Although there is only one true God, the idea here is that there are many gods that we put before God.
Four and a half years ago, we started Brokenness Aside, a support ministry for those who are broken by addiction (as well as other things). In that time, my life outlook has underwent a change. I began to see real, hurting people who were in need of help. People who were drunks, addicts and who were losing at life. The greatest lesson that I’ve learned was that the addiction was only a symptom of the real problem… something inside needed fixed and until that got fixed, then nothing would change.
We use a biblical twelve step approach which helps a person come to the only One who can truly fix the brokenness within us… Jesus. We’ve helped many, but too many never understood how or really ever wanted to get fixed.
It is a helpless feeling when I watch people’s lives being destroyed and consumed by their addiction. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The lies they tell themselves, like, I can handle this. I can manage this. They destroy not only their lives, but the lives of their families and those that love them. Their addiction causes them to become the ultimate in selfishness. From the outside, looking in, I want to scream… Stop! Wait! Why????
The answer to why is found in the first commandment… Thou shalt have no other gods before me. They have made the alcohol, the drugs, ect., their god. Not only have they put these things before God, but they put it before everyone and everything else in their lives. It is an evil god.
This doesn’t only apply to addictions, but to many other things in normal, everyday life in which we place ahead of God. These things become idols to which we bow before and worship. Yes, there are too many that are breaking the first and second commandments.
Do you want to get better? Do you really want to get fixed? If the answer is yes, then you must put God first in your life. You must realize your brokenness and the insanity of your life. You must realize that you can’t fix yourself, but there is One who can. You must give all of yourself to Him and give Him your life.
You might say, I’ve tried to get better. I’m trying to stay clean. I can manage this. The problem is, you will never get well until you reject the god of alcohol and drugs and bow before the Almighty God who truly loves you enough to fix you, instead of the god who wants to destroy your life.
You can get rid of the drugs and booze, but until what’s broken inside is fixed, you will just find another god to serve.
If you ready to place God first in your life and ready for Him to fix the brokenness within you, then allow Him to have your life today. Trust Him with your life. Ask Him to fix the brokenness within you. He can and He will… if you let Him.
Call me…
Bro. Randy