Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. —Jeremiah 17:14

For twenty years, my brother was absent from our family because of drug addiction. Countless times, we thought he was dead; according to drug abuse statistics, he should have been. However, my brother is living proof that God is in the restoration business. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what has been done to you. God is willing and able to turn any tragedy into triumph.

After entering many treatment programs with hopes of success and end results of failure, my brother finally found the answer: Jesus. It wasn’t until he met the Lord that he experienced lasting healing and life change. Suddenly, all things became new. My brother didn’t have the strength, willpower, or ability to free himself from bondage, but that changed when he surrendered his life to Christ. The same is true for us. No matter what the bondage is — drugs, lust, gluttony, pride, anger, or fear — until we renounce our sickness and surrender to Christ, we will never experience freedom. On the other hand, when we are willing to give King Jesus our mess, He turns it into our message. And that’s exactly what happened to my brother. Not a day goes by that my brother doesn’t look for opportunities to brag on God and share His message of hope.

Such an opportunity arose one evening when my sister, brother, and I met together for dinner at a local restaurant. Our server was twenty-six-year-old Tiffany. Right away, we noticed two things about Tiffany. She had a natural gift for putting people at ease, and she was very pregnant. While we enjoyed her kind service, we had no idea that God would soon call us to serve her.

It started when my sister refused to allow my brother to pay for her dinner. While my sister loves to give to others, she’s not so good at receiving. I, on the other hand, understood that it gave my brother great pleasure to pick up the check. The Lord knows I didn’t want to deny him his blessing!

Poor Tiffany found herself caught in the middle. Eager to win her over to his side, my brother said to Tiffany, “You see, I was a drug addict for years. During that time, my sisters did a lot for me. Now, I just want to bless them.”

Tiffany’s eyes widened. “You were a drug addict?” she inquired. “I would have never guessed.”

“Yes, I was,” my brother replied. “But Jesus changed all that.” Then he told Tiffany his life-changing story. “I went from being lost to being found; from being homeless to being a homeowner; from being an employee to owning my own business; from being bound by drugs to being set free in Christ.”

Tears filled Tiffany’s eyes as we shared God’s love with her. That’s not all. Later that week, we confirmed God’s love to her by presenting her with a gift for her baby.

When you and I — like my brother — allow God to turn our mess into our message, He not only changes our lives, but He changes the lives of others too.

Dear Lord, Your mercy astounds me. Give me opportunities to speak of Your hope so others may know Your goodness and salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REMEMBER

No matter what your bondage, surrendering it to Christ is the pathway to freedom.

REFLECT

What steps do you need to take today to move from bondage to freedom? Reflect with gratitude on how God has turned your mess into a message that can encourage or bring life change to others.

RESPOND

Go for it! Write out your story of surrender and ask God to provide opportunities for you to encourage others.

POWER VERSES

Luke 19:10; Ephesians 2:8 – 9

Taken from Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living Used by permission of Zondervan.