Dr Paul Allen

I (Sam) ran into a long-standing church member at the store. We had one short conversation, but it was emblematic of a much broader concern. She’d been going through a bit of a crisis, and we hadn’t seen her at church for a few weeks. So when I ran into her, I told her how much we’d missed her and how lovely it would be to see her in church again. She told me she couldn’t come until she was doing better. She didn’t want people to see her while feeling life’s mess: “I’m waiting until the storm passes and I’ve got things back together enough to be able to walk back into the church building.” Those words were heartbreaking. Church should be the place we sprint to when things are at their worst, not the place we avoid until we’ve got our Instagram-worthy Christianity back. I saw right away that this church member’s perspective was unhealthy. But I sensed something else was wrong, too. There was a mismatch between the beauty of the truth my church proclaimed and the culture we’d cultivated....

There is a direct connection between walking in the Spirit and breaking a sinful habit. Today, many people suffer from drug addiction. Perhaps they began getting high just for kicks, or because they wanted to look cool, but now they are hooked. Drugs as we know them today were not available in New Testament times, but many people were addicted to wine, which led Paul to write to the believers in Ephesus, “Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him” (Eph. 5:18 MSG). To those who are struggling with addiction of any kind, the Bible offers a different master: Be controlled by the Spirit, rather than drugs or alcohol or any other stubborn habit. The Spirit’s control will replace sin’s control. His power is greater than the power of all your sin put together. Perhaps you’re wondering at this point, “OK, how do I get hold of this power?” You begin by clearing the deck. Confess your sin—and the sin must be confessed—and receive God...