While reflecting on this past Sunday’s message and preparing to write this blog it became apparent to me that what impacted me most was not something that was said during the preaching but rather something that was said during a prayer. Before preaching Pastor John spoke a prayer in which he said, “we worship our way into addiction and we are going to worship our way out.” I began to ask myself what that meant exactly. How can worship lead to addiction?
In order to answer that question we must first have an understanding of what worship is. Webster’s Dictionary defines worship in this way, “to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.” According to that definition, anything or anyone that we place in the highest regard within our life becomes an object of worship. That object may be something negative such as drugs, gambling or pornography, but it also may be something positive such as family, success, or influence. Scripture tells us that it is God who should have the highest place of honor in our lives. If anything or anyone else holds that place, even if it is positive, we find our selves living outside of God’s will and moving down a very dangerous path.
You see, a person who is an addict didn’t wake up one morning and decide that it was a good day to become an addict. His values and priorities slowly began to change until he reached a point that he was no longer in control. He allowed something or someone other than God to become the object of his affection and over time he worshiped his way into addiction. So how does he worship his way out? The answer is by worshiping in the manner for which he was created.
God created us to be worshipers but He gave us the freedom to choose who or what we worship. We have to CHOOSE to place God in the highest regard. That doesn’t necessarily mean that life suddenly becomes easy and addictions suddenly disappear. There may still be consequences for past actions but God will be faithful to carry you through the process of being free. Making God the object of your worship is simply the first step in the journey, but it is the most important step. Every other step out of addiction is based on the foundational decision of who or what we worship.
So ask yourself this question…Who or what has the highest place of honor in your life?
Quinn Stanfill
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Sunday's message & experience was incredible. I am thankful that my family was there to be a part of it. I definitely worship God. I am closer to him because He has brought my family through a most difficult time & finally to a place to begin healing. I am reminded of the Serenity Prayer which describes us accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. I used to never look at that way, but b/c of God & the Celebrate Recovery program, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We still have a long journey of healing ahead, but as we keep our worship focused on God, all things are possible. The blog made me stop & think about how I have been spending a great deal of my time lately in helping others in need. So, if I do this too much, it could become an addiction? With my long history of being an enabler, I am having to guard myself against falling into this role again both inside & outside my family, as I am assisting those in need. This sermon series is for every one of God's children. We ALL have at least been hurt or have hurt someone, & then there are the habits & hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery has given me the opportunity to open up & be honest confidentially to other Christian ladies who understand these life issues, & who love, & support. I missed being there Wednesday night for the 1 minute testimonies, so I want to take this opportunity to say that God has many areas of my life to work on, but I can truly say that after many, many years, God has given me Victory over being an ENABLER. I pray that others will realize what IT is in their life that is preventing them from being in God's will.
ReplyDeleteHow often I have been reminded of David (a man after God's own heart) and the way he worshipped and praised God, not only in his victories, but in a multitude of hardships and things some of us could never imagine. There have been times in my life that Satan has been on my trail and I have cried out in despair, but you know, God has always been there. David not only was a worshipper, but he really had a heart that was 'in tune' with God, and that is what it takes to accomplish victories. Other writers have said that God 'honors' praise and worship, and believe it or not, 'Victories' do come through sincere worship and praise. There was a time in my life that a missionary friend told me to 'praise' God for the things that I was going throught. In my carnal thinking, I though she was crazy. But looking back on the situations now, I know for a fact that it was a word from God.
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