I was asked by a reader of this blog this: “Do you help with addictions?
I wrote the following…
I can only tell you about how God cured my addictions [grass, acid, tobacco, booze]. I was looking for answers after surviving the war in Vietnam. Through Christ’s wonderful mercy, He saw past my drug-fueled life, and showed me a sign to look for. The religion or philosophy that had the old self dying and dead [with the body still living], that would be finding the truth. I would follow that, for I knew that the truth would cure me of an early grave.
I searched for four solid years. I could not find the “death of the old self” in any religion; I was slipping into nothingness, nihilism, when I finally found my sign.
It was a Bible study out in the piney woods of East Texas. I was visiting my mother who asked me to attend. I went with her, just to “get her off my back.” It was in a humble little cabin, 15 people there. My attitude was, “Okay. Show me what you got.” The teacher then read from Romans chapter 6 these words: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Right then, I stopped him. “Are you saying that the old self, the old sinful ego has died with Christ?”
“Yes, that is exactly what has already happened in God’s eyes. All we have to do is believe it. It is done. ‘He that is dead is freed from sin.’”
It was that night that I learned about identifying my old self with His death, burial, and resurrection. I took a leap of faith and believed that He gave me a new sinless life. [Read Romans 6:1-11.] Believing this changed my life. It was like all my addictions fell off me like shedding a corrupt system that had me trapped for so many years. I was 24, and I never looked back–through the lean and the fat years. That was 53 years ago.
I am my own greatest witness that Christ and His love is real and very forgiving. I am living proof that He can deliver us from addictions. Addicts are the most selfish people on earth. To be delivered, they must believe that their old sinful selfish heart is “crucified with Christ.” It is put to death. Then it is buried with Christ; then by believing Christ’s resurrection, they are “raised to walk in a newness of life.” The addicted must only believe that the old sinful self is gone and that they now receive a new heart. Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Immortality Road 
Awesome testimony! Thanks for sharing. I needed to hear this. 🙂❤
Thanks, Ellie. So glad it helped! kwh
Yes! When we surrender all to Christ He is the only one who understands what we are going through, for He too endured many trials in this life and He alone understands the heart and minds of each and every one of us and councils us through His word.
Blessings Always in your walk with the Saviour.
Julia
What a wonderful post! God bless you for believing and acting in Faith! And for your testimony what Christ has done for you. Many, many blessings you…Robin
Thanks, Robin, so much. It is edifying to know that one’s labor is not in vain…God bless you! kwh
Pingback: Christ Can Deliver Us from Our Addictions | Precious Sheep Of Renown
Amen Brother! No longer I but Christ who lives in us! God bless you
Beautiful Testimony. Thank you for Sharing
I am so glad it edified you. Thanks for your comment. kwh
God Bless You Brother
A very good post and also very powerful. You did incredibly well to get yourself clean of all those things and very well done!
I wasn’t too keen on the statement about addicts being the most selfish people on earth – maybe because because I am still an addict, even though I have given my life to the Lord Jesus. I can also think of far more selfish people such as those TV evangelists dripping in gold or quite a few politicians….. lol. But I also know God will be sorting us all one day and He will address any of us who have been selfish.
I’ve told quite a few addicts about the Lord and it never ceases to amaze me, what lovely people are hidden beneath all of it. Such as waste and I find it all very upsetting.
I have heard a few stories about people getting clean though and these are really uplifting. Far more so when their rehabilitation has come about thru Christ. So was great to read about your life-changing experience 🙂
Take care and God bless you brother!
Thank you for your comment. May the great God of heaven continue to lead and guide you through the maze of man’s best intentions. Before Christ showed me the way of the cross, I was the most selfish lowlife, thinking only of my old self, destroying my own possible peace as well as my family’s. Read about it in this order: Romans 7, 6, and 8. Romans 7 is a flashback to when Paul was a lost man. Romans 6 is the death of self on the cross with Christ, and Rom. 8 is the scenario of our new life in Him. Thank you again. Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Hey Ken. Thank you for your reply.
I shall have a look and thank you for your kind sentiments my friend 🙂
Once again, well done for overcoming all of those things in your (old) life and being tight with the Lord.
God bless you buddy.