O.B.D pt 3

The alehouse erupted with laughter at the sight of O.B.D. drenched in beer, blinking, shaking droplets from his face, and wiping the stinking stuff from his mouth and chin.

His tormentor laughed along with the crowd, "Don't it smell good, daddy? Ain't beer got a lovely smell to it? You silly, old fool! Why didn't you take it inside [of you] instead of out? Come here, I'll give you another drop. I'll stand you one. You shan't have the shilling, but you shall have the beer."

"I don't want it," O.B.D replied doggedly.

Only someone who has fought with alcohol addiction can understand what a miracle it was for him not to "fall off the wagon" under such intense pressure. The smell of booze alone is enough to set an alcoholic's throat on fire with thirst; to have it on the lips is sheer torture. But such was the magnitude of the miracle that God's grace had wrought in O.B.D. At this juncture, the rest of the lads in the ale house took pity on O.B.D. When they saw his quiet firmness, they "took up a subscription" (collection) for him, and he left the place with his pockets full of money. He also left it a hero.

In the years that followed, O.B.D remained firm, never once touching a drop of liquor. He was a marvel to all that knew him. He saved up enough money so that he was able to go into business for himself. His wife and son joined the Salvation Army, but, unfortunately, due to the physical damage the booze had done to him, O.B.D. was never able to work in the Army. But, in spite of not being able to work full time for his beloved Army, he was still able to reach out to his old associates just by his living example of how God could transform the life of even such as he had been. They knew what he had been, they knew what he had become, and they knew it was God that had made the change. During O.B.D's lifetime in that neighborhood, all the barroom atheists' arguments simply melted away. Every debate ended when some bloke would ask, "Well, what about O.B.D?"

And so we are posed with the same question, "What about O.B.D?" Someone left a comment on my blog asking me if I thought O.B.D's story was relevant to today. Indeed I do. While I chose this story because of it's dramatic nature, the fact is that O.B.D. is only one of many, many people who have been set free instantaneously from addiction by the power of God. My old youth leader was one of those people - a drug pusher and an addict - he's squeaky clean without a craving to this day, and it's been aprx. 20 years since the miracle. Talking with mission workers, they have told me how alcoholics have staggered into the mission and up to the altar where they found that the same God who set O.B.D free could set them free, too - in many cases, while they prayed they became completely sober, even to having the smell of booze vanish from them. Other names come to mind, such as Nicky Cruz, Reginald Arvizu, a.k.a, Fieldy, Brian "Head" Welch, etc., etc.

The question that will be asked naturally is how does one go about tapping into this incredible, transforming power. The answer is both straightforward and complex. On one hand the answer is what it has always been: repentance and faith toward God. On the other hand, that answer is the most profound in the world - a lifetime worth of blogs couldn't plumb its depths. It is also to be wondered that if this power is available, why do so few experience it?

Why, indeed? There are a lot of issues connected to this topic, but I can only comment on the aspects with which I'm most familiar. Working as an inner city pastor, addiction sufferers make up the largest percentage of my small "congregation." I have discovered two facts when counselling these dear folks. Invariably, it is either one, or the other, or both of these facts which are the rock they stumble upon when they ask for help.

1: They are not determined to find God. O.B.D. you may recall said he was "determined" to find God. We live in a world that has become very apathetic toward God, largely due to the fact that we don't really have a healthy fear/respect for Him. We do not fear eternity without Him enough to seek Him until we find Him. God has promised that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. If you cannot find him, you can be certain it is not He Who has failed to keep His side of the bargain. It is a weird, but terrible fact, that addicts may hate their addiction, but they do not hate it as much as they love it, as someone has so wisely stated.

2: They are not willing to fully surrender their life to God. If you want God to fix your broken toy, you must give Him all the pieces. You see, the addict is not merely an addict: he is a sinner, and, in his life, he has other sins beside his addiction - what's more, his addiction is almost always a result of sin... wanton rebellion against God. When we treat the addict as if he only has a sickness, we fall short of the mark. Sick he may be, and sick he is indeed, but his will and the bad choices he makes willfully cannot be left out of the reckoning. (As one alcoholic told me, "I didn't fall off the wagon, I dove off.") An addict, as pitiful as they may be, still has to reach a place where they are willing to live by God's rules in every aspect of their life, not just with regards to booze and dope. The reason for this is that sin in any form separates us from God, and when we are separated from Him, His power is not able to operate in our lives. Therefore, only those who totally surrender their entire sin problem to God can experience freedom from the power of addiction.

As I write this, my mind strays to an article I read recently about addiction amongst the stars and celebrities, and my heart is filled with pity and compassion. The God of O.B.D hasn't changed. What He did for O.B.D, He'll do for anybody. Why not give Him the chance?

Blessings,
Pastor Chelle