2 Chronicles 29:12?19 (17)
My Tennessee neighbor was a rough man. He was not a Christian and yet he seemed to like to be around me. Occasionally he would come to church. His two small children were regulars in our Sunday School and often came to the parsonage to play with our boys.
He was an alcoholic but he seemed to be concerned about his problem. Finally, he confided in me that he wanted to stop drinking. I began to pray for him and would at times ask him how he was doing. On one occasion I drove his pickup into the church parking lot. I went over and began to visit with him. I noticed a six pack of beer on the seat beside him. As we talked he told me he was still having trouble drinking and needed to stop. I reached through the window of his pickup and over him to get the six pack of beer. I then proceeded to open each can and pour it out on to the ground. He watched me with a sad look on his face and said, “Bro. Woods, that really hurts.” I told him, yes, sometimes it is painful to break away from the things that are destroying our lives but if we want deliverance that is exactly what must take place. As long as we make place for sin in our lives we may struggle with the chains that bind us but we will never be free.
By Dr. Gayle Woods