Jesus, Freedom, & The In-Between
*Heads up…
For this article, we at 7328 have chosen to write on the painful topic of addiction and recovery, from a standpoint of the grace, goodness and wonder of Jesus…We know this subject touches everyone in one aspect or another. As a collective of writers, we made a commitment to engage, dive into, and process some of the realest and hardest realities facing our lives and this world. If this subject is a personal topic to you and your story, we encourage you to extend grace to us on the areas where you may disagree with our approach. And we want you to know we are here for you. Be brave. God loves you. And He can change everything.
When I was a little boy, I had no idea what the value of innocence was…
I didn’t realize I would walk one day headfirst into things like pain, addiction, loss and grappling with my depravity. I was worried about little boy things. When would be the next time I’d get to sip on a milkshake with dad? Or what if my parents see the bad math grade I got on that test in middle school?
As I grew into a man, those questions would change. From little worries and boyhood curiosity, I would be introduced to a new world of beauty and terrible chaos. I would eventually ask questions like, “Why did this have to happen to me” Or “How could I possibly see good in this situation.”
Like many, I started off on a track that felt exciting and promising. From high school into college, life felt full of joy and an eagerness for the unexpected. And, like most of us, something changed. After introductions to things like sex, porn, and party life – there would be a void to take place in my heart. My soul would undergo a broken process that the Bible calls “Sin.” And in the years that followed, without even being really all that aware of what was happening, I would slowly fade into a lifestyle where I was filled by anything but Jesus.
And so there I was, like everyone I used to judge and shrug at. I was addicted, co-dependent, lost, hurting and living with a roaming soul and a recklessly troubled heart. I was undone and convinced that I had good reason to be angry with God and disengaged from His presence. From advocating for Jesus to justifying my sin, I was good at hiding from Him. Or so I thought.
And then I was invited to this thing called “Regeneration.” Reluctantly, I began to attend. I quickly realized this was not your typical recovery program. It was filled with people in all different walks of life learning what it meant to be loved by God, and to love Him back. My life changed. Not overnight. Not in one month. But it changed in a way I never dreamed possible. Slowly and surely, I began to get to the root causes of the addictions that had me stuck. To the root of the cycles that had me helpless. To the core issues of my heart and how I viewed Jesus. And as a guy who grew up in the world of church and ministry and Christian lingo, I was utterly reintroduced to who God is. And so, I found the secret sauce to recovery. For years I thought it was striving. Trying harder. Feeling good about wins. Hoping that I would have what it takes or muster up enough strength to protect and guard my sobriety. But Regeneration broke that line of thinking and that emotion of hoping. I learned that at the core of all of my sin and hangups and setbacks was a heart that was interested enough to associate with Jesus, but not one that prized Him enough to want Him more than anything…
Recovery only gets to the root of what is hurting us or holding us down when we walk through recovery with Jesus. As people who know God, He has given us the freedom not only to find and pursue recovery, but to regenerate our entire life. The core meaning of the word regeneration is the constant and never-ending process of formulating and forging into something new. The promise and hope of the gospel is a commitment by God to His children to sanctify (set us apart) through the process of Regeneration. It is the rebuilding of your life on the realities of grace…The cornerstone of freedom is not sobriety in itself – it is the message of the gospel. That we were created by God to enjoy and worship Him. That sin entered the picture, drove a wedge between us and God, and sought to shipwreck our life. And then through the blood and resurrection of Jesus, we are made new in Christ. Reunited with God through the covenant sealed by the suffering of calvary.
The keys to freedom are not found in recovery alone. They are obtained in the realization that God created us to take part in the story of redemption in His world. Recovery is just one of the steps. That in our weakness and failings, His power is made manifest through the practice of confessing our sin, accepting His grace, and never looking back. To recover towards Jesus is a critical decision to run from everything that we allowed to drag us down. But you don’t run the race with freedom being your objective goal…You run the race set before you by understanding that communion and intimacy with Jusus is at the finish line, beside you on the track, and behind you pushing you forward.
God did not create us to live a life full of striving after what we wish we could be.
He created us to understand what we already are…
His. Beloved. Valued and pursued by Him at the greatest cost.
And the process of slowly grasping onto that truth is where change begins to set in, takes root and radically transforms our life. That’s when we’ve really let the healing in.
If you are free today – welcome to the family. Press onward and never look back.
If you are in recovery today – welcome to the family God is calling you to and drawing you into. Press onward and never look back.
And if you’re somewhere in between…hung up on a pattern or what feels like an unbreakable addiction, tasting moments of freedom and pulling through seasons of setback – welcome to Regeneration. The process every single person in the family of God can be a part of and experience. Regeneration is for everyone – the addicted, the free, and the in between. God has called every Christian who desires to testify to His goodness to actively live in the reality of a life that being healed, led, and changed by Him. That’s all that regeneration really is: It’s recovery through the lens of the gospel. The pursuit of lasting freedom. And the personal commitment to make much of Jesus through every step.
Going back to when I was that little boy with all the little boy worries…I had no idea what was in store for me. What I did know was that I wanted to have ice cream with my dad. That’s what I did know. Childlike faith even in the raw reality of sin and trials and recovery as an adult is same thing…it’s wanting to fellowship and spend time with God. Trusting that He is bigger than all our problems. And clinging to the promise that He is more than capable to pull us through, heal our heartache, and exchange bondage for freedom.
What’s your story? Where do you fall in between the chasm of freedom and bondage? Who are you running to? What has you hung up, held down, and feeling low? Freedom is a gift of God’s presence that He wants you to experience in all its’ fullness and wonder. If you’re bringing a substance to the table of fellowship with God, He wants you to be honest with that. If you bring resentment, anger, pride, fear, or depression to His table of fellowship, He wants you to be honest with Him. He will invite you to sit down. He will do business with your heart. He will love you enough to invite you to take part in the richness of His mercy. And He will regenerate every part of your life.
I think you know the question that leaves you with…
Just how badly do you want Him?
What’s “Re:Generation?”
In this article we mentioned the principle of Biblical regeneration. We want you to know it’s also a very real, life changing and Christ centered recovery ministry located in the heart of Dallas at Watermark Community Church. Re:gen is a ministry that is reformatting the evangelical approach to Recovery. It happens every monday night from 6:30-8:30 at the campus of Watermark. Re:Gen is literally for everyone. From pre-recovery to post, it is full of people learning the weekly enjoy the power of discipleship, community and growth. Ready to join the family? Click here.
