Addiction begins with an impulsive act, but it quickly escalates into a compulsive behavior until suddenly we are trapped, incapable of freeing ourselves. Struggling in the chains of our addictions, we hopelessly wonder, “Who could possibly save me from myself?”

Read John 4:4-30. Two thousand years ago, Jesus had an encounter with a woman at a well. Her sexual addiction, evidenced by her five failed marriages, had rendered her an outcast in the eyes of her community. All conventional wisdom said, “This woman is too far gone for restoration. She is beyond hope or help.” But Jesus knew better. He came and did the impossible—forgiving her sins, setting her free, and giving her a new life.

This story may seem like ancient history, but in many ways, it is very modern. It is modern in terms of its immorality and loneliness, in her search for true contentment and real intimacy. The reasons people are in bondage today, whether physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental, are not new. Our context may be different, but this woman at the well could be your neighbor, your friend, your family member—even you.

Like the woman at the well, we all long to be fulfilled, so we turn to any number of things to meet this need. But anything we use to try to satisfy our souls outside of Christ will become an addiction. Your struggle may be with alcohol and drugs, or it could be with compulsively shopping, overeating, playing video games, or needing others’ approval. Whatever it may be, Christ has the power to deliver you—but first you must realize your need for His help. 

Jesus came from heaven so that He might redeem anyone who calls on His name, forgiving them from any and all sin. There is no sin that His atoning blood cannot overcome, no addiction that His power cannot break. He alone can set the captives free and release prisoners from their darkness (see Isaiah 61:1). But, to receive His help, you must admit your need.

If you are burdened by guilt and desperate for relief, Jesus sits at the well of your life. Just as He reached out to the woman at the well, He is reaching out to you today—full of compassion and love. Even now, He stands ready to set you free from the crippling cycle of failure and guilt and give you a new life in Him. 

Prayer: Lord, help me remember Your power to break the chains of sin. I know there is nothing that can separate me from Your love. Help me to live in the freedom You have secured for me so that I might be increasingly transformed into Your likeness day by day. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:17).

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