Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

Psalm‬ ‭86‬:‭11

Wouldn’t it be great if we simply knew what the next right thing to do was, we had the desire to go do it, and then we just go after it?

We’ve all experienced the satisfaction of having done the right thing. And even the most pessimistic of us has at some point felt the joy of right living.

Does it seem like this becomes harder to do as time drags on, though? After a few months or years of drinking, not only does it get harder to shake the habit, but the desire for the things that are better seems to atrophy as well.

Resignation may be a bigger problem than rebellion.

Giving in to the simple desires to not participate in my own life separated me from others and God.

It was when I gave up this front that I became teachable. I thought I knew so much during the times of my addiction. I thought I was in control and the master of my own way.

I was victim of the delusion that it was all fun and games. Much of the beginnings of my addiction involved friends, fun and video games after all. How did all of that turn on me so quickly?

But it did turn. The focus shifted from those things and onto the alcohol and drugs. It went from amplifying a good time to being the good time.

When I did finally (with help) walk away from that life, I desperately needed to find and stick to the truths of God to direct my thinking and life thereafter.

I need the insulation of the fear of God to pad the edges of my daily walk through this earth. Not in order to blind me from reality, but so that I may truly see myself and others. That I may walk in confidence through this life as though it mattered.

God, guide me as I walk in your truth.