Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Affliction and Addiction

Psalm 31:1-24 NIV

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery. For I hear many whispering,
"Terror on every side!"
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead. Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous. How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues. Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help. Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

Affliction: is something that hinders you.
Addiction: is something we can't go without.

This morning I used Psalm 31. I chose this verse today because of the storm that is raging in my heart. I am the leader of my heart. I am in control of my emotions. Yet, I spend more time loving people who don't love me in return than I do anything else. The pain from this isn't too bad. However, it has caused way to a continuing addiction. In my pain I take refuge in smoking. God still has my heart but the fleshly humanly need for that nicotine fix drives me crazy! Sometimes I want to just cry my eyes out for smoking. I don't even like it. So here I am being afflicted and am resorting to an addiction I don't like. It sounds stupid but God is working on me hardcore. My heart has been changed completely. So much that I gave up the one thing/ person I care abouton this earth. He was hurting and I told him id stop being that love he needs. Ill be a friend and simply pray for him. I just kept praying for God to upset the foundation to show him he's wrong...in the process I realized he loves her. So I started praying they can work itout. No matter how much pain we've had in our life...God can fix it. No one loves us as much as God. So I've handed my everything to God. Having nothing means that I have gained everything.
So on this chilly october morning pray for you addictions. Ask God to help you conquer them. Ask him to be your rock and salvation when the times get rough.
I'm praying for you all,

Blessings!
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