Source: The Health Connection Newsletter | 2nd Quarter 2018
People in the world today are broken. The evidence is clear when we see how many are enslaved by addictions and compulsive behaviors. Ever since the fall, the enemy of God has sought to misrepresent His character. As a result, many have misjudged God as distant, unjust, and unloving. In a desperate search for meaning and healing for their brokenness, many have sought comfort on their own pleasures and destructive practices that serve only to enslave, bring shame and more pain.
This scenario is not only a reality among people who don’t profess faith in God, but also among people of faith. Members of the Adventist church are not immune. We too may experience abusive relationships, grow up in dysfunctional families and can end up turning to substance abuse, pornography, food, work, or other behaviors in an effort to soothe emotional pain in our brokenness.
Over the last several years I have had the privilege to work closely with ARMin Global, a ministry with the mission to “Promote healing and freedom from harmful behaviors by providing resources and training to facilitate recovery from addictions.” ARMin Global has the vision to nurture all to be “Healthy people growing in a relationship with Christ by using principles of God’s Word and choosing healthful practices aimed at finding freedom from harmful habits and addictive behaviors.”
Through this ministry I heard the journeys of many who struggle, but who find healing from brokenness to wholeness through the power of Jesus Christ. My story is no different, for I am among them. Our dream in Health Ministry is to see each Adventist church become a center for healing and wholeness in Christ, embracing every struggling person with love and acceptance. We want to reach the cities for God, extending His healing ministry to all who are broken.
One of the ways ARMin Global is doing this is by using the framework of the 12 steps to recovery integrated with biblical perspectives described in the book Steps to Christ, making it a Christ-centered approach for recovery A Steps to Christ Recovery Edition is now available to be ordered and shared widely. In this edition, the 12 steps are integrated with the chapters of the book, assisting the reader in their personal journey to wholeness and restoration in Christ.
One of my favorite quotations from Ministry of Healing reads, “Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Savior. By prayer, by the study of His word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold them by a hand that will never let go.” (p. 182). What a beautiful reminder! It reinforces the promise of our loving God: “I will be with you always, even to the end of times” (Mathew 28:20, NIV).
May you too experience healing for your brokenness as you walk the journey to wholeness, joining David in his joyful declaration: “You have shown me the path of life.” Psalms 16:11
