Day 10 Prayers for Faith

Ask for a renewed or strengthened faith in God.

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Today we are praying for renewed or strengthened faith in God. I’ve been asked several times if an addicted loved one who was formerly saved is still saved. Let me start by saying that I am no theologian or Biblical scholar but I have studied this issue and have an opinion on this subject and I’m going to share it here. Don’t take my word for it (or anything else, for that matter). Do your own research and form your own opinion.

I believe that previously saved people who are caught up in addiction do not lose their salvation or status as a child of God. I believe that addiction is a form of idolatry where the drugs are their object of worship. I don’t think anyone consciously decides they are going to worship drugs instead of God but addiction is a sinister thing that creeps up on us and takes over. Drugs and alcohol are not the only thing that we can be addicted to and have idolatry issues with. Sometimes we, as the loved ones of the addicted, get addicted to fixing them and their addiction can become an idol in our lives. We can get addicted to our phones, food, diet dr. pepper (my drug of choice :)), and anything else in life that triggers a reward mechanism in our brains. Is it sin? Yes. Does it separate us from the love of God? Nope but only because Jesus redeemed our relationship with God.

In Romans 8:38-39, Paul says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." We are all sinners. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. If we could make it through this life without sin, we would not need a savior. James 2:10 says "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws." Our sins are no better or worse than anyone else’s. Sin absolutely separates us from God but Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to bridge that gap and I believe the blood of Christ is far more powerful than addiction.

So let us pray that God continues to pursue their hearts and spirits and reminds them where their faith lies. If they weren’t saved before addiction, let us pray that they find God along the way. Some of my favorite people. who are the strongest, most passionate, kick-butt warriors for Christ, are the very ones that have walked through and come out of the fiery pit of addiction. To summarize Luke 12:48, to whom much is given, much is demanded. My experience has been that those that have been forgiven much and know just how much Jesus rescued them from, are the mightiest of our Christian brothers and sisters. Your loved one is working on their testimony and when with God’s help it is complete, it will be a beautiful thing.

That being said, we are working on our testimony too. We can let the experience of loving someone in addiction make us bitter and angry and anxious and depressed or we can lean into God and grow into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. That is why I encourage all of us to turn to God with all the emotions and circumstances we find ourselves in along this rocky road. God is faithful to see us through our struggles and the best gift we can give our loved ones is a spiritually strong and healthy member of their support and/or accountability team when they are ready to seek treatment. That is our job in this situation so let’s do it well!

May God bless you on this journey!

Precious Heavenly Father,

We come before You with humble hearts, lifting up our loved ones who are battling addiction. Lord, we pray for a renewal and strengthening of their faith in You. In the midst of their struggles, remind them that You are always present, never far, and that Your love for them is unfailing.

Grant them the clarity to see that You are their refuge, even in their darkest moments. Help them to trust in Your power to heal, redeem, and restore. Renew their faith in Your promises, Lord, so they may find hope in You and believe that change is possible through Your grace.

When they feel weak, fill them with Your strength. When they feel lost, be their guiding light. Draw them closer to You, Father, and remind them that You are the firm foundation they can rely on through every storm.

We trust in Your mercy and power to work miracles in their lives. Strengthen their faith so they may take each step toward freedom, knowing that with You, nothing is impossible.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Ephesians 2:8

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Matthew 17:20

"He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"

2 Corinthians 5:7

"For we live by faith, not by sight."

Psalm 37:5

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do this."