Overcoming Addiction through the Atonement
To those who despair of healing and peace, there is hope in Christ.
Many of us are familiar with the story in Numbers 21 in which the fiery serpents come among the children of Israel. To save the people, at the instruction of the Lord, “Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived”.
This story has particular relevance to our day, when addiction—especially to pornography—is
plaguing our society and families. Just as fiery serpents swept through
the camp of Israel, pornography is sweeping through our world, and even
the Saints of God are not escaping unharmed. President Thomas S. Monson has aptly called pornography “deadly.” President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) called it a “plague” and “poison.”
In very real ways, the serpents of addiction are attacking us as
fiercely and with as devastating consequences as the fiery serpents
attacked the children of Israel.
Most
of us are aware of the sad consequences of addictive behavior, so
instead of focusing on the dangers of pornography and the pain
associated with addiction, I would like to share a message of hope.
Look to the Savior
Numbers 21 isn’t the only scriptural account about Moses’s brass serpent saving the children of Israel. In the Book of Mormon, Alma spoke of this symbol as well:
“Behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live. “But
few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the
hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that
they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would
not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them. “O
my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes
that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather
harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast
about your eyes, that ye might perish?
“If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God” (Alma 33:19–22).
Thank you for sharing this:) I am passing it on to the women on the Hope and Healing LDS forum.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hope! Your name is fitting for all the good work that you are doing! I don't think that anything is by-chance anymore. Bless you for your willingness and desire to help others'. It's something that has affected so many of us!
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
This was a great post. I like the thought of Look to God and Live. I think about that the Savior's atonement covers everything and that we have great hope in Christ.
ReplyDeleteBlessings for this one; I am sure it will inspire many who read it