Recently, a well-known actor announced that he was a “high-functioning” alcoholic.  He prided himself on being able to party hard, and yet still be a success. He rationalized his sinful choices by explaining that he drank to escape from the pressures of life.  

This caused me to think about the many other sins that we engage in while somehow managing to hold it all together and make life work. This actor’s attitude toward sin is nothing new.  I could easily come up with a list of celebrities, politicians, business owners, and even pastors who were “high-functioning” even while their lives were dominated by sinful behavior.

The general attitude of our times is that if we are still operating, then all is well. Even if our sin is destroying our relationships, sapping our strength, draining our resources, robbing us of our usefulness and godliness, and basically sucking our spiritual life dry, we go on sinning as long as we are functioning well enough today.

Why would we press on in sin, in spite of both conscience and common sense? Ultimately, we do it because we like the way it makes us feel. We like to feel carefree; we like to feel in charge; we like to feel popular; we like to feel important; we like to feel invincible; we like to feel as if we are on top of the world.  It’s easy to ignore the coming consequences when we are full of strength, energy, and resources. We ignore the warning signs and put off dealing with sin because we believe we have time.  Our attitude is “Tomorrow, I will change… but today I will enjoy my life.” However, unforsaken sin always destroys. We may remain “high-functioning” for a time, but it never lasts. Sin promises all of the fulfillment our flesh craves, and for a time it will deliver through fantasy and sometimes reality. But the sweetness of it quickly fades, and afterward comes the bitter price. 

There are a growing number of people in their mid-40s to mid-60s whose lives are totally spent by past sinful choices.  People who in their youth had nice homes, new cars, plenty of money for vacation, and not a health worry in the world are now staring down a road filled with difficult and painful choices. They are enslaved to addictions (alcohol, drugs, or prescription drugs), financially trapped in an upside down mortgage, with no more energy or strength to work, and seemingly endless bills left to pay.   

In more extreme cases there are legal bills from DUIs, divorces, or felonies.  Eventually all of the bills come due, and the “high-functioning” find themselves destitute and helpless.  They consistently borrowed on the future to pay for the pleasures of the present, and when the time for change finally comes, the cost is more than they want to bear. Anxiety begins to dominate their every thought, and depression envelopes and paralyzes them. 

Sadly, I believe most people in these circumstances are turning to Cymbalta or Prozac for relief rather than to Christ.  Even more discouraging is the number of churches that turn a blind eye to this practice.

At the heart of the matter is a self-willed life which has never come under the authority of God’s Word.  In the days of their youth they gave into the drinking parties, lusts, sensuality, and idolatry (1 Pet 4:1-5) and said to themselves, “tomorrow I will change.”  Their tomorrow has come and the Lord is no closer to them as they replace repentance and obedience with a pill and a song. 

At some point, if real lasting change is going to come, these people will have to forsake their sin, forsake their wisdom, forsake their self-willed life, and bow their knee to Christ. The idols that once promised joy and life must be put away, and Christ alone must reign in the heart.  Until then, their debts will keep stacking up and the tyranny of life will push them further into sin’s web, because an honest look at life is just too hard to acknowledge.

But for those who do forsake sin and follow God, there is hope.  God rescues the broken and restores our souls.  God is willing to forgive sin and restore sinners.  God is able to transform our broken lives.  While the road may not be easy, it will be infinitely more valuable and satisfying than the road they are on now.

I was recently reading through some of my college course notes and I came across these words from Dr. Wayne Mack.  I think they help put in perspective the process of restoring a broken life.  I have adjusted them to fit this article and I have added a few of my own, but he did the major leg work in putting these ideas together:

If you are seeking to rebuild your life from a pattern of sinful living, then commit to following these principles and you will find the peace of God in the midst of your journey.

1.      Develop a vital relationship with God

a.       Begin a relationship through confessing your sin and repenting (1 John 1:9).  Learn to trust in Christ as your perfect Mediator between you and the Father (1 John 2:1-2)

b.      Commit to remove any obstacles which would hinder you from having a deeper more meaningful relationship with God

2.      Make the Scriptures relevant to the situation (2 Pet 1:4; 2 Tim 3:16-17)

3.      Correct erroneous concepts of God by filling your mind with sound theology: Jerry Bridges, Trusting God; John MacArthur, God, Coming Face to Face With His Majesty; J.I. Packer, Knowing God; A.W, Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

4.      Focus on the attributes of God that are most relevant to the issues at hand - Find Bible studies on God’s grace and God’s love; also Jerry Bridges, Trusting God and John MacArthur, Coming Face to Face with His Majesty

5.     Become aware of the potential and possibilities for good that the problem may bring – Find studies on Joseph and Paul

6.      Avail yourself of resources that are available to us as believers – Bible Software like Logos, sermons from GTY.org, SGBCVenice.org, GIBCJupiter.org, great books and local Bible studies

7.      Consider how often people just like us have faced similar difficulties successfully.  The Church is filled with people transformed by God.

8.      Earnestly and consistently pray that God would produce and sustain an attitude of hopefulness (Phil 4:6-7)

9.      Use biblical terms and labels to describe your problem.  Define your problem from God’s perspective, not yours.

10 Recognize that we as believers are free from slavery to sin and external circumstances (Rom 6:1-3)

11 Correct wrong language and concepts (2 Cor 10:4-5)

12 Identify and confess sin (1 John 1:9)

13 Accept personal responsibility for actions and reactions

14 Identify and lay out a specific biblical procedure for true change.  To truly fight sin you have to know what to put off and what to put on.  (Col 3:9-10)

15 Memorize and meditate on the relevant promises of God found in His Word (1 Cor 10:13)

16 Avoid continuous association with hopeless people

17 Refuse to spend large amounts of time reading literature that encourages doubts and hopelessness

18 Spend time with hope-filled people

19 Read biographies of hope-filled people
 

20 Regularly devote time to devotional reading and the study of God’s Word

21 Learn to take charge of your thoughts; dwell on the truth (Phil 4:8)

22 Commit yourself to being a part of a church where the authority of God’s Word is evidenced in the preaching of God’s Word, and in the practice of the ministry

23 Stop being satisfied with anything less than Christ-likeness

24 Seek to know and practice God’s Word (Psa 119:9)

25 Yield your life to the Spirit of God as you seek to obey His Word (Gal 5:16; Eph 5:18)

 

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