The Danger of Distance

It has been almost three years to the day that I was exposed for the way I was living and the people I was hurting. It was almost three years ago that I broke my beloved wife's heart, nearly lost my marriage and my children. It was almost three years ago that I sealed my fate and closed the door on a promising, well paying career. It was almost three years ago that my life changed forever. It was almost three years ago that Jesus came into my life and healed my wounds and those of my family's.

I digress at this moment because I have noticed an alarming fact. The farther away I get from the climax of my struggles the easier it becomes to forget the negative effects they had. As I contemplate this notion it occurs to me that this may be an issue for anyone out there dealing with addiction issues. Our minds are an amazing creation, capable of performing functions more complex and faster than any known super computer; yet at the same time they are depraved and clouded by sin. This isn't to say that we cannot concieve of good things or even perform beneficial actions for others, but it does mean that even our best intentions when devised for our own purposes can lead to destructive ends. I have caught myself reflecting on the past and the things I used to do prior to my walk with Christ and found myself almost reflecting wishfully on them. It is at this moment that I must seize hold of what I am doing and force myself to remember the reality of the past and the pain in it caused both to me and my family. that is where the title of this post comes in.

The farther we get from the time we have ceased from engaging in addictive behavior, the easier it is to look fondly on the past, omitting the reality of the pain. This can be attributed to two things. We as humans are inherently sinful. By our very nature we our bent to act toward unrighteousness. I recognize that anyone reading this post that doesn't share my religious beliefs will disagree with both of these points, but I would challenge you to objectivey reflect on the best laid intentions of men, particularly yourself, and follow them through to the results. I think you'll find that more often than not sin wins out. Because of this desire toward the ungodly, our mind quickly forgets those aspects of sinful activities that caused pain and suffering and holds to those aspects that gave even the most temporal pleasure. The second reason this thought process occurs it the influence of evil. In particular I am referring to Satan. I see no evidence biblically that Satan can read our minds or even know our thoughts, but ti is certain that he has existed on this world since its inception and has observed and interacted with mankind from the beginning. This extended amount of contact with us has provided him with a wealth of knowledge about the human psyche which he most definitely uses to his favor. It would be no trouble for a being such as this, who knows everything about how you and I work, to externally motivate our thought processes back to our sinful past and omit the realities of pain involved. If we allow this to happen for any continuous period of time we risk returning to our old ways. Those of you out there that knowthe dangers of recidivism into addiction even for a moment, know that this must be fought against.

James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

If you are not a child of God; if you have not accepted Jesus as Lord, you cannot resist the temptation of the devil. You are simply not equipped. No twelve step program or self help book in existence will be able to keep him from accessing your sinful nature by some means. If you are struggling with temptation and have not yet considered Christ as an option I urge you to do so. Go to Him in prayer this very minute and ask for forgiveness of your sins, and accept His control over your life. If you do this, a world of victory awaits you.

If your are born again, the struggle must be taken to God. First and foremost, if you find yourslef looking fondly into the past over your old ways, take that moment to sieze hold of these thoughts and turn to prayer, asking the Lord to take them from you. Immediately focus your mind on the day you turned from your sin and concentrate solely on the pain caused by your actions. If need be, go to a spouse or friend that knew you then and ask them to help you remember what your actions did to them. I am not advocating living in the past in a perpetual state of guilt, but you cannot let yourself forget what you were if it will cause you to return to it. These struggles are difficult and it may seem like a losing battle, but if you remain focused on Christ and authentically, honestly desire to overcome, He will carry you through to the day when you can be absolutely free.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, our faith."

1 John 5:4