Outside of the bounds of traditional Christian thought, we can get a warped view of what God wants.
Misinformed by silly cartoon thinking and secular ideas about faith and religion, we can start to view God as a distant figure, an observer who may wish us the best but will not, and perhaps even cannot, intervene in our lives. What could a deity like that have to do with aiding us in recovery?
But this is a fallacy.
God wants us to recover from all that ails us.
He wants us to recover not only illnesses but any addiction that may have affected us in increasingly negative ways. In fact, throughout the Gospels, Jesus speaks more that once about recovery and what we can do to receive it in our lives.
In Luke 4:18, Jesus gives what can be seen as a mission statement for His entire ministry and recovery is a key part of that:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (NIV).
While Jesus’ famous miracles were primarily focused on physical ailments and conditions, illnesses and disabilities, addiction can easily be seen as another form of bondage Jesus wishes to free all who believe in Him from for their physical and spiritual improvement.
Jesus specifically wants us to do our part in our own recovery, of course.
In John 5, when Jesus encounters the invalid at the Pool of Siloam, a man who has not walked for decades, He particularly asks him, “Do you want to get well?”
He asks the same of all of us who might face addiction. He will not intervene against our will. If we continue to seek out our addiction, recovery is not possible.
But if we WANT to get better and are willing to put forth work to do so, He will be there to help. He tells the man at the pool to “Pick up your bed and walk,” and the man stands through his faith and willingness to obey and seek recovery.
Jesus is often seen as the Great Physician. In fact, in Matthew 9:12, he particularly says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (NIV). While Jesus had spiritual health in mind just as much as physical health, he is there for those in need of both.
Often, in cases of addiction, one can feed into the other. Spiritual health promotes physical health, and vice versa.
This makes a Christian rehab facility like Good Landing Recovery invaluable to its clients.
Rather than focusing on merely the physical and mental aspects of addiction, it brings attention to each client’s spiritual needs, as well, making full recovery more likely with less chance of relapse.
Jesus believes strongly in recovery, and your recovery, too. Don’t refuse his help. Reach out to Good Landing Recovery today and get the help you need.