Luke records: ‘There met Him ten…lepers, who…lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”…He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And…as they went, they were cleansed’ (vv. 12-14 NKJV). In those days, when someone was cured of leprosy, a priest had to pronounce them clean before they could re-enter society. The Bible doesn’t tell us how far away the priest was, how long the journey was, or whether their healing took place at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. There is an important lesson here for anyone who struggles with addictions. It’s wonderful when God delivers us instantly. But lots of people have the same experience as these ten lepers: ‘As they went, they were cleansed.’ Sometimes you have to walk out your deliverance step by step, trusting God until it’s complete. And this is when we as followers of Christ have to be compassionate, show patience, and stay with them until they are made whole. For example, those who are addicted to pornography deal with a problem that is mental and moral. The same emotional bonding hormones released after sex are released viewing porn. That makes it a powerful addiction. One man who was finally set free from it said this: ‘It was a matter of renewing my mind with the Word, as well as having real discipline and accountability to someone who understood my problem. I had to find people I could trust; people who wouldn’t humiliate me or gossip about me, people who would offer firm and loving friendship.’ Bottom line: God doesn’t give up on people who are hurting, and neither should we.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.