The human issues that start the process of self-pity are directly tied to our feelings.  When we begin to make choices and decisions based on our feelings, rather than the truths God gives us in His word we begin to move down a slippery slope to destruction.  The hard fact is that our feelings are very powerful and it is difficult to stand against them and say no to the many compulsions they have the power to lead us into.  Some of those compulsions are infidelity or overindulgence in anything that will help us feel differently.  Usually, the feelings that lead us into destruction are based on fear.  Simply stated, we fear that we are not going to get what we want, or believe we deserve.   When we begin to be fearful about being happy we are beginning to walk toward the deep water of stupid decisions that lead to catastrophe.

Destructive thinking is like a plague.  Once it begins it becomes a tidal wave of emotion that can take over our lives.  The solution is to take our thoughts captive, one thought at a time.  It also helps to stop listening to other people who just want to tell us how bad our lives are.  Surround yourself with Godly people who understand God’s word and most importantly – spend time in the word yourself.  Ask God to help you leave the bad neighborhood your thinking has led you into.  If you stay there very long, nothing good will come of it.

(To see other posts on this issue, search “thought life” in the home page search box)

I was addicted to alcohol for many years.    I believed alcohol was my friend.  It made me feel good and had the power to transform me in a way that I achieved a temporary release from  feelings of emptiness and fear.  No alcoholic has a problem with alcohol until it stops working, and it stops working when the transformation no longer happens.  When the anticipated transformation does not occur, the missed feeling of well-being is replaced with terror and a series of repetitive disasters that engulf the life of the victim.  That is the point that reality overcomes fantasy.  I maintained the the fantasy until I was 43 years old.  Then -  it almost killed me.

The reality that overtook my fantasy concerning alcohol included divorce, declining mental and physical health, and bankruptcy.  Each was served up to me in succession.  I reached the place of being at the end of myself and it was at that point I allowed Christ to take over my life.  I became convinced that my own efforts to run my life had failed and I needed  help.  In the 25 years that have passed in sobriety I have learned and accepted the truth that sin does not occur in a vacuum and it not only damages the life of the sinner but rubs off on many others along the way.   It is said the lives of 19 other people improve dramatically when one alcoholic quits drinking.

The unrepentant mind is a master of self-trickery.  When we are embroiled and engulfed in our sin we will think anything and do anything to justify the behavior and permit us to continue in the sin we believe we have to have.  In the end, it leads to destruction and the only hope is to escape the sin.  By human power it is impossible to escape sin.  That is why it was necessary for Christ to die for us and provide a way to overcome it.  Christ is the ultimate reality and when we first realize that truth,  our sin is exposed for what it is and we are crushed by the weight of it.  Then, by faith we believe and He overcomes.  The reality of Christ becomes the light of life and our sin is washed away.

Self seeking flies in the face of everything Jesus taught and demonstrated in His life.  A Christian has no business indulging in self seeking, but the statistics for divorce, addiction and other symptoms of self seeking among Christians are comparable with statistics in secular society!  This fact demonstrates the basic carnality of the American church.

This is a true story about a young man my wife and I have known since he was fourteen years old.  It all resulted from his believing several lies and that allowed him to surrender to an overpowering compulsion to take drugs because they made him feel good.   He believed he was in control; he believed drugs were not harmful and he did not believe warnings about drugs applied to him.

For a number of years I conducted weekly substance abuse meetings at a prison.  A thousand men were incarcerated there and all had similar stories to share about how they wound up in jail.   They all believed lies that led them to tragedy and incarceration.  Sadly, upon release, 75% of them return to prison within four years.  I believe the 25% who do not return find ways to alter their Body of Truth and let go of the lies that got them jailed the first time.   Those who can’t or won’t identify the lies they believe to be true, just keep on doing the same things over and over again expecting different results.  Some say this is a definition of insanity.   I’ll grant that it appears to be insane, but it’s really just the inevitable result of hanging on to lies that are not true, and allowing them to continue to control our thinking, our choices and our behavior.

The truth is found in Jesus Christ, yet so many do not want to look for Him.

Like most people who have experienced addiction, alcohol started out as a form of adult recreation and  fun for me.  Over time it became my best friend and ultimately my deadly enemy.  For many years I could rely on alcohol to make me feel good because it seemed to have a magical power to transform me.  The transformation always gave me temporary relief from the shroud of impending doom that surrounded me most of the time.

Alcohol worked for me until I was in my late 30’s.  Then it almost killed me.  While I avoided experiencing many things that plague alcoholics at the very end, I eventually had enough.  Divorce, declining health and bankruptcy, were served up to me in succession.

My emotional pain eventually became so intense I sensed death.  I knew I had to do something different. The only problem was that I had tried just about everything I believed might make me happy.   I had put my faith in things that had no true value and they had all failed me.  Money failed.  Possessions failed.  People failed.  Alcohol failed.  Everything I believed to be true about being happy had failed.

So, I decided to chase after God, who never fails.