Michigan Camp Meeting 2019: As a Witness, Matthew 24:14

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Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Addiction & the Devil's Battleground

Angeline D. Brauer

Addiction & the Devil’s Battleground: Knowledge is Power

Father in heaven, Lord, we are so grateful that you are a God of answers, that you know what is needed and when it is needed and how it is needed.

And Lord, we're so thankful that you haven't given up on any 1 of us, but your arm of mercy is stretched out still.

We invite your spirit to soften our hearts, and we invite your angels to enjoy our presence with them here.

And we pray, Lord, that you will rebuke the devil so that we will hear the message that you want us to hear.

We thank you for your healing power and we thank you for being with us.

So as we talk about the issue of addictions, I wonder, I asked the question already, how many of you are addiction professionals or help support others who are going through addictions?

I wonder how many of you know someone who is struggling with an addiction?

Now that might mean you know yourself, okay.

But the majority of you raised your hand and said that you know someone who's dealing with addictions.

Of those people that you are thinking of, how many know someone who is in the Adventist church who is struggling with an addiction?

Okay, yeah, almost the same number of hands.

So this is very relevant to us, to the church, on multiple levels.

1, because God did say, go into all the world, and so we have responsibility to everyone in the world, and also because we're connected to people who struggle with this issue.

They probably sit behind us in the pew at church.

So this is a really important concept that I think it's important to understand with addictions is that it's very real, it's very personal, and these are human beings.

They may not know it yet, but they are children of God.

And I think it's really important that we put that human face on the issue of addictions because so often what we do is we kind of separate ourselves from them.

We kind of say, oh, you're the addict, you're the problem.

That is 1 of the most dangerous things that we can do, is to put that label on them and to kind of unintentionally, though it may be, to kind of separate ourselves from them.

So a lot of what I will be doing is trying to connect us back to the humanity of what the issue of addictions is about.

You know, we could probably spend the rest of our time talking just about that video and going point by point about what that young boy discovered about the issue of addictions, and we could learn a lot.

But you know, some of the key things that I picked up was when the teenager said, when the young boy said, did you want to become addicted?

And I can probably, I've not talked to every single person who's ever been addicted, but I could probably guarantee that nobody ever wanted to become addicted to whatever it is.

And I think that's really key as we think about, well, how do we think about these people?

So let's look at what was it that really took them down that road.

So first of all, some key terms as we talk about the area of addictions.

There is substance misuse, substance misuse, which isn't technically an addiction, but it's using a substance, And as we'll see, it could be also a behavior.

But using something inappropriately to an extent where it's starting to harm you, but you may not necessarily be dependent on the drug or the behavior, the person, whatever it is.

So it's good to know that there is a distinction because the earlier we start intervention, when they haven't reached the point of addiction or dependency, the earlier we can help them, the better their chances of recovery and the less damage that they have to recover from.

Substance use disorder is, the technical definition, recurrent use of substance causes clinical and functional significant impairment.

So this is where it's really started causing problems for you in your life.

Based on, they look at impaired control, so you have no, you no longer have control.

When you have substance misuse, you often still have control over your life.

You actually can still make the decision.

When we get into a use disorder, that's where you get to a place where you can no longer control it.

There's social impairment with a substance misuse.

You may not realize that people are actually having problems because they seem to be fine.

They have all the normalcy of life, quote-unquote.

But with a disorder, that's when you see they're reclusive, they're starting to pull away, there's erratic behavior that you can't explain.

And also there's pharmalogical criteria, there's certain chemical dependencies, There are also physiological things happening that are deeper.

So we are gonna spend some time at the end of today, hopefully, to talk a little bit more about the opioid issue as well, because I know it's such a massive issue right now.

Also, understanding the difference between dependence and addiction is important.

A dependence is when you have a physiological adaptation.

In other words, your body physically needs whatever that is.

But with an addiction, it's just much more severe.

And the dependency often leads to an addiction, And depending on a number of different issues, whether or not the dependency actually transitions to an addiction.

The addiction involves changes to your brain, we'll talk about that.

Compulsive seeking of the drug or whatever it is, in spite of negative consequences.

We'll see a little bit about why that happens as well.

Another going on, It's difficult to distinguish between dependence and addiction.

You do need thorough assessment for this.

It's to help them recognize that, you know what, whatever the situation, just see if you can get some help.

And this is very difficult because, well, it's difficult for any of us to accept help when we're not ready for it, isn't it?

All the more so when there's an addictive process happening.

There's a lot of denial that's happening.

Tolerance and withdrawal are 2 important aspects to keep in mind.

Tolerance is where you need more and more of the, let's just use alcohol, you need more and more of it to get the same kind of effect, those happy euphoric effects.

And withdrawal is when you take it away and those terrible symptoms happen.

So sometimes the withdrawal process is so painful that the individuals are not able to stay on withdrawal.

They go back to the drug because they may not have the type of support surrounding them to help in that process.

And I've listed on here some of those symptoms, stress, anxiety, depression, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, cramping.

I mean, those sound like things that anybody can be going through, but all the more intense for individuals who are going through withdrawal.

Yeah, so can you imagine stop drinking, have seizures, I mean what are your choices here?

You know, it's a life and death issue either way, either way.

So, definitely needing very intensive care for that situation.

This is a research study that was published in 2011.

It titled, Prevalence of Addictions, a Problem of the Majority or the Minority.

So they looked at 11 types of addictions.

Addiction to tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, those are the ones we think of, right?

But also addiction to eating, gambling, the internet, addiction to love or sex, addiction to exercise, to work, or shopping.

Addiction & the Devil’s Battleground: Power to Heal

Father in heaven, thank you dear God for the closing work in the sanctuary above.

Thank you that you're bringing conviction, conversion, that you're not only giving grace to remove the guilt of sin, but the grip of sin.

Father, we need you and We pray that all of these weaknesses we have will be weaponized as a major terror against the kingdom of hell, because you are building your kingdom of broken things.

For this we thank you, for this we praise you.

Please heal us, rebuild us, and remake us in your image, We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

So last night, as I was thinking about the definitions, the things we learned in class yesterday, what came to my mind is leprosy.

Having been a runaway and started running away from home when I was 5 and then getting into drugs and bulimia for 20 Years by age 11 of this so I'm pretty familiar with being a train wreck But don't you think that God is in the business of making messes into miracles, amen?

And I want every weakness, whether it's heredity, genetics, whether it's stupid choices, I want it to be weaponized for the kingdom of God, turning every curse into a blessing.

And I know that that's why you're here too.

And if left untreated, they become fatal.

It's actually several quotes, but the Lord impressed my heart of these beautiful promises and they're found from a couple of sources, but it's just a short reading.

Although a man, we could insert our own names or a loved 1 or a son or a daughter.

Although a man may have sunk to the very depths of sin, there's a possibility of saving him.

Many have lost the sense of eternal realities, lost the similitude of God.

They hardly know whether they have souls to be saved or not.

I have a message from the Lord for the tempted soul who's been under the control of Satan but who is striving to break free.

Go to those who you know, love, and fear God and say, take me under your care.

Take me under your care for Satan tempts me fiercely.

Keep me with you every moment until I have more strength to resist temptation.

Perseverance is a miracle in a brown wrapper.

He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.

He has promises, he has power, but he has a plan.

And that's what Angie's classes are all about.

Angels are helping in this work to restore the fallen and bring them back to the 1 who has given his life to redeem them.

The Holy Spirit is cooperating with the ministry of human agencies, is that you?

To arouse the moral powers by working on the heart.

There's decay and destruction and brokenness of every stripe, but none of it is too strong for our conquering Savior.

When you surrender yourself entirely to God, when you fall all broken on Jesus, you will be rewarded by a victory, the joy of which you have never yet experienced.

How many of you would like to have that in your life every day?

It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength.

And let's not forget this, that it's a process.

And it's not what you get when you receive this goal, it's who you become as you are achieving it.

You can turn your setbacks into comebacks.

You can learn from your mistakes, and that's what victory is all about.

Really, those passages should give us much hope that they are, God's word is true, amen?

We just have to take hold of it by faith and it can happen for every single 1 of us, regardless of whether we are struggling with a clinical addiction, or a hurt, a hangup, a sin, or all of the above.

Okay, so just a few of you who weren't here yesterday, that's perfectly fine.

You're welcome to be here again with us today.

But we are gonna talk today about the recovery process.

It's another thing to then get on the right road to recovery.

So we're gonna talk about that, and I hope that we all, no matter where we are in our journey with the Lord, I hope that we all find something that we can gain and implement in our personal lives.

Okay, we've got to have information that is practical and that can help change our lives.

Just a quick reminder about our website nadhealth.org.

This is where you can go to find lots of our health ministry resources.

This is the health ministries department for the North American Division.

I do want the ladies to know that we do have, we're working, I am working with the women's ministries to have their women's convention in September of this year.

The entire convention is about women's health and women's health issues.

So I'm sorry gentlemen, I know you love women in your lives, but we're not expecting you to be there, but anyone high school age and above, any woman is welcome to come.

You can go to our website, to our schedule, and find out information about that.

Again, also, we do have our addiction recovery program that was developed by the Adventist Church.

And tomorrow afternoon, after this session, so at 3.30 p.m., we're going to actually do session 1.

So I invite you all to be here for that as well after tomorrow's presentation.

We are having our training program for you to be able to run this program in November in Florida.

So we're going to be in Florida a few times this year.

Now yesterday after the presentation in conversations with various people, the topic of sexual addictions and pornography came up.

And so I want to let you know up front that this is not an issue that the Adventist Church is shying away from.

We are taking this on and we're dealing with it.

Because quite frankly, even though we don't like to say it, it is in the church.

We need to bring it out, not for the purpose of crucifying the people, but for the purpose of healing.

And it's a very, very difficult issue to talk about.

It's very, the personal, emotional situations that come up are really, really mortifying.

But We want those who have been victims or who are victims to know that we support you and we support your recovery.

And we want the victimizers to know that what they did was wrong And it's not acceptable.

So, I've just put a few of the pornography addiction recovery resources that we have available.

If you go to our website, nadhealth.org, or if you go to adventsource.org, you'll find many of these listed there.

Some of these are programs that can be run at church through a video presentation.

Addiction & the Devil’s Battleground: Addictions and the End Times

Dear Father in Heaven, Lord, this topic of addictions that is happening here on the devil's battleground, it's really about the battle going on in our own hearts, in all of our hearts.

And Lord, now as we talk about addictions in the end times, in the time of the end, in that that crucial period just before you come to end all of this pain and suffering.

Lord, we need to know what it is you want of us because we have learned and many of us have experienced that you are the only source of healing.

And you've told us that the part that we play may be immeasurably small, but it's the 1 part that you require.

So give us now wisdom and understanding and help us so that we are where you can save us.

So, do you remember when Christ was seated on the hillside looking at the city of Jerusalem and the disciples said to him, well, Christ said prior, just a little prior, he said, not 1 of these walls will be here, will remain.

And the disciples said to him, Lord, tell us when, when will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming?

You know, a few weeks ago I had the amazing privilege of visiting Jerusalem.

If you ever get the chance, I recommend that you take it to go visit the beautiful city and the countryside where Christ lived and served.

But as they were looking upon that city in its splendor at that time, wondering how could Christ say This is all coming to an end.

And he began to talk, and we know these passages so well, we study it over and over again, in Matthew 24, the signs of his coming.

And he says this in Matthew 24, verse 12 through 14.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Sin, the transgression of the law, right?

And he says, because it will abound, The love of many will grow cold.

But, he says this then, but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

So you see Christ says this is the reality of what's happening, but then he says, but.

And then he says the words that we know so well.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come.

There's so much in that 1 verse that I'd love to unpack if we had time, but I encourage you just go back and meditate and study on that 1 verse and find out what was Christ really getting at.

He says, this gospel shall be preached as a witness.

Now in order to be a witness you have to have what?

Seen or experienced the thing you're talking about.

And he says, that will happen before the end will come.

This gospel, What does the word gospel mean?

So he's saying this good news of the kingdom.

And I think it's so interesting that he says it in the context of iniquity abounding, the love of many growing cold, and then that exclamation of but.

Those who endure to the end will be saved.

And he says this gospel, this good news will be taken to all the world.

This is a quote from Councils on Health, page 615.

I have been shown that we live amid the perils of the last days.

Now, she wrote this in the 1880s, so All the more relevant for us today.

A terrible picture of the condition of the world has been presented before me.

Is that what Christ was talking about too?

Licentiousness is the special sin of this age.

Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now.

The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence." Benumbed.

It's talking about the effect on your brain, right?

Which can then affect your immobilization physically.

But our brains are completely so clouded and unable to make wise decisions and choices because of the special sin of this age.

Now, we talked a little bit yesterday about what, well, we've been talking both days about what addictions do to the brain.

What addictions do to the brain and what we are saying here that sin also does to the brain.

Going on, this is continuing the same quote.

The iniquity which abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer." Okay, now she's talking about certain group of people, those who don't believe, and then those who are the scoffers, the ones who are pretty much persecuting those who do believe.

But that iniquity is not just isolated to that group.

She says, would that this were the case, but it is not.

Many men and women who profess the religion of Christ are guilty.

Even Christians, those who call themselves by the name of Christ, fall under that category.

But then she adds this, even some who profess to be Adventists are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself.

But it's only when we take these hard sayings to our heart that maybe God can reach us.

Going on in that same quote, why is that?

They are not cleansing themselves from all pollution.

They have so long served their lust that it is natural for their thoughts to be impure and their imaginations corrupt, it is as impossible to cause their minds to dwell upon pure and holy things as it would be to turn the course of Niagara and send its waters pouring up the falls." Wow!

This is the state of those who are unbelievers, who are scoffers, who call themselves by Christ's name, and those who appear, who look for Christ appearing.

There's not another class of group out people out there.

That pretty much covers the entire planet.

Ecclesiastes 7.29 says this, lo this Only have I found that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.

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Addiction & the Devil's Battleground

Addiction & the Devil’s Battleground: Power to Heal

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