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Get a New Life!

I know a teenager who got into drugs and alcohol pretty young (okay, I know a lot of teenagers like this but I'm talking about one in particular). He had a broken family life and sought acceptance at school with a crowd that had a bad influence on him. He found acceptance in the group of "friends" but found emptiness from the hole in his heart. He got snagged by a youth pastor who took him under his wing and he started to feel a pull at his heart to fill it with something more satisfying than the emptiness drugs offered. God met him when he was crying out for more and permeated his physical being with love. He found the acceptance he was seeking and filled the gaping hole with the infinite love of the Heavenly Father. He became a new version of himself that his friends no longer recognized and he no longer sought the numbness that came from the habits of his old life. The habits fell away as the love of God and the desire to do his filled his heart.

Look back at the story above and try to find where he leaned on self help. It's not there. I can certainly understand where reading about your disorder or learning how others have stopped addictions might be educational but it usually ends in disappointment or failure. The start is always fun and exciting but the follow through is almost impossible. As triggers arise, we lean on old habits or mindsets and fall back into what we were trying to escape. It's time to stop trying to be a better you and become a NEW you through Jesus. Let him bloom inside your heart and watch your life have purpose. His character and love will chip away at all the bad hanging on and a shiny, new you will emerge from underneath the weight and darkness of who you used to be. The new life blooming inside you will change your desires, hopes and motivations. It will fill holes in your life that you didn't even know you had; it'll unlock a side of you that you weren't even aware existed. You'll be able to interact with people you never would have approached and do things you never would have tried. You'll unlock who God created you to be. The fulfillment of living out your purpose as God intended will bring happiness you never knew you could have.

If you're already living as the "new you," continue to seek God and grow in a relationship with him. Unlock more of the puzzle and discover all that he wants for you. Get grounded in the Bible, seek council with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and be accountable to those in authority. Check in with God daily and cultivate a lasting, trusting relationship with him so that your faith stays strong. It's not a formula to be a good Christian - it's a couple suggestions for you to consider to stay shiny and new as you walk with the love of God blooming inside.
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