LET'S CELEBRATE! 17 Years
17 years of freedom!!! WHOO HOO!!!! March 7th is the day I celebrate being set free from sin, death, addiction, crime, and homelessness. I can honestly say that I am responsible for destroying my life and hurting so many people in my addiction and Jesus Christ gets the credit for restoring my life and setting me free. Thank you Lord!!
Special thanks to the men and women that God brought into my life that have spoken the Word of God to me, shared wisdom, and helped mold me into who I am today. My prayer early in my Christian walk was for God to give me a vision and purpose to serve him all of my days, to use my life to serve God and His Kingdom. There are too many to list by name, but to those who selflessly sowed life into me without asking anything in return- thank you!
A good friend recently said something that caught my attention, “ Hey John, you have had more time clean than in addiction”, he then added, “can you still remember what addiction is like?”
It's a true statement, but I do remember exactly what addiction was like. Living in active drug addiction as a heroin addict is like living the worst day of your life over and over again. How can anyone forget overdosing and dying three times, who could forget prison, homelessness, hunger, pain, physical sickness and destroying the lives of those around me.
Here is a fact, I wouldn't wish addiction on anyone…ever. I know what it's like to be set free and still have that desire to help the next generation be set free. My mentor and now Greenhouse Project Board member Charles Knuckles would always talk about reaching out to others by saying, “Each one teach one, each one reach one.” AMEN!
So is celebrating every year getting old? Is it silly? And if not, why should we celebrate?
This year I thought of three reasons why celebrating freedom anniversaries are important. ARE YOU READY?
To Praise God, To Remember and to Testify.
To Praise God - Having praise daily is so important for my soul, heart and mind. Beside all the scriptural evidence, praise puts into perspective who God is, and who I am. We worship in spirit and truth and we worship who we know. Praise also keeps gratitude in my heart. It reminds me that what I have are all gifts from him in spite of current situations and circumstances. I have pure joy in Him for being set free from sin by Jesus Christ.
To Remember - My celebration helps me remember exactly what God has saved me from. Life is hard and difficult, but when I remember that what God has led me from it builds my faith muscles for the future. We all need to take a trip down memory lane. We can never go back to the past, but we can use the past challenges as fuel to face our current situation. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) and since God has been faithful in the past and that means He will be faithful in the future. Plus life is too short, any chance we get to celebrate God and each other please go and do it!
To Testify - Revelation 12:11 says this, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” I testify as a way to declare what God has done, but also to give hope to others. Jesus overcame, so we overcame as well. I've had the privilege to share my testimony many times, I have learned that my vulnerability equals courage for others going through the same situation. When we share our testimony , we are living proof of God's redemption, that means we Glorify His name! Besides all that, if God can save me, a messed up criminal and junkie, he can save anyone!
17 years is a long time, but it only happens one day at a time, one moment at a time. Meaning all we have is today, the here and now.
To anyone still suffering in addiction, there is hope, there is freedom. Please reach out for help today.
This year we have released a Delaware County Resource Guide to help navigate addiction in the church. Feel free to check it out, share it and email with new items to add to it!
I am very grateful and thankful for each and every one of our prayer partners and supporters. Thank you so much and God bless you!