17/05/2025
In this excerpt from the chapter "I Can't Get Enough: On Addiction" from the book The Struggle Is Real, Pastor Ronald Molmisa talks to those going through the journey of recovery from addiction on how to listen to God's voice of healing.
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Marami sa mga addicts ay disconnected sa mga churches bunga ng guilt and shame. Ang iba sa kanila ay galit sa Diyos and going through a crisis of faith. They have lost hope kung maaayos pa ang buhay nila. When we consider addiction a brain disease, we should always consider the work of God as able to defeat this illness. Walang imposible sa Panginoon. He is in the business of restoring broken bodies and shattered lives. Respond to God’s call for healing.136 If you suffer from addiction, learn some principles from the story of a man who was an invalid for 38 years, in John 5:1−17. Dito sinabi ng Panginoon sa lalake: “Gusto mo bang gumaling?”
The first step to healing is humility and the declaration of defeat.
Sa kawalan ng kakayahan na gumaling, umasa nalang ang maysakit sa paghihintay sa Pool of Bethesda (which means “house of mercy”) na kung sakaling galawin ang tubig ng isang anghel ay makakalublob siya at gagaling. Aminin sa sarili na hindi mo kaya ang laban. Never deny the situation. Hindi rin kaya iyan ng simpleng willpower (“Kaya ko itong mag-isa!”). O kaya naman ay paninisi sa iba tungkol sa iyong kaadikan (blaming game).
Seek help from others.
Isa sa hinaing ng lalake ay walang tumutulong sa kanya para makalublob sa tubig. Mahirap pagtagumpayan ang addiction nang nag-iisa. Let other people journey with you. You need a healing community to recover from your addiction. Addiction is healed through gracious and loving connections.
You have to believe and act in faith that you can be healed.
Noong sinabi ni Lord sa lalake na “Bumangon ka at kunin ang iyong higaan,” hindi siya nagdalawang-isip. Kumilos siya at nanampalataya na siya ay magaling na. Many addicts lose hope when they focus on their miserable condition. Hence, there is a need to focus our eyes on the Healer and not on our weaknesses and disease. Tuwang tuwa si Lord kapag nananampalataya tayo sa Kanya.
If you have been healed, forsake your sinful, harmful lifestyle.
Sinabi ni Lord sa lalake nang muli silang magkita na dahil gumaling na siya ay itigil na niya ang pamumuhay sa kasalanan, else may mas matinding karamdaman ang puwede pang umalipin sa kanya. You also have to work out your salvation from addiction. It is a day-to-day decision na talikuran ang mga kaadikan. Develop spiritual disciplines to defeat the works of the flesh.
Always depend on God’s grace and power. God is always at work sa ating buhay. He can empower us to walk in His ways. Never give up on yourself kasi mahalaga ka sa Panginoon at hindi Niya kalooban na alipinin ka ng anumang addiction. Always use your weakness to draw more strength from God.
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The Struggle Is Real by Ronald Molmisa is now available at OMF Lit Bookshops, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada for P375.
In this comforting book on mental health, Ronald Molmisa offers encouraging guidance and help. "Hindi kailangang magmukmok," he says. "Keep your face towards God's restoring light."
In your darkness, the light of God's love is stronger. Sa tulong Niya, kaya mong mabuhay ng may kapayapaan at pag-asa.
The Struggle Is Real acknowledges that there’s a hidden pandemic going on: The pandemic of mental health issues. The writer, a seasoned pastor, counselor, and researcher wrote the book to offer hope and help to mental health survivors and their loved ones.
