Author Archives: Shirley Logsdon

About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

Help With Addiction

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Freedom is a choice

Develop a thankful heart

Help with Addiction

There is help with addiction. It comes from the source of all life.

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

Entrapment

Recently a bird visited our garage. He came in through one of the open doors. Then he noticed the window. The bird could see the outdoors clearly because I had cleaned the window panes thoroughly. Banging himself against the window repeatedly, he became increasingly frustrated.

I went out to the garage for something. Seeing the desperate bird I said, “Follow me and I’ll show you the way to freedom.” My walking to the open door had no effect on the bird. I was not speaking his language.

Later David went out to the garage. Upon returning, he told me his solution to the bird’s plight. Putting his hands in thick gloves, David gently wrapped the tired bird in his hands. Walking to the open door, he released the grateful bird to his outdoor world.

Addiction Defined

An addict is someone who has developed a strong habit that is harmful. Such a person may feel trapped, unable to see a positive end.

At times we get ourselves inside a bubble of bad behavior. We know what is right, but this other option looks better. We choose to ignore God for a time. It becomes a pattern and we get hooked.

At first, the bubble is fragile. We can quit at any time, we tell ourselves. Then we go back to our lives.

The longer we engage in what now has become a sinful habit, the more it seems the fragile bubble is becoming an iron cage. No matter how hard we try, we can’t quit. At this point, we are like the bird who would not turn around to see the open doors and fly away to freedom.

Help with Addiction comes from God

God has a solution for every problem we have. “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they” (Matthew 6:26)?

Jesus was telling the listening crowd God loved them. God does not change from one century to the next, so God loves us also.

He has a ready supply of whatever need we have. Our needs do not exhaust His supply. He will never have to go to the store to get more of whatever we need. Strength is not a problem for Him. He has plenty in stock.

The problem is not on God’s end. We do not find release from the chains that seem to bind us because we refuse God’s hand He extends to us. Breaking chains, bursting bubbles, and opening doors in iron cages are God’s specialty.

Living Water for New Life

Jesus once took time to visit with a woman at a well. She came to get water. Jesus told her, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

The water from God has given us everlasting life. This is the new birth when we are born again.

When we get thirsty, we do not have to go anywhere else to get water. Jesus is our supply of well water. But we need to read His Word to get refreshed at the well.

In reading our Bible, the Holy Spirit does something marvelous. He speaks the language of our heart’s cry. By this means we get strength beyond our own to leave our strong habits behind.

In releasing ourselves to the gentle hands of God, we find freedom to obey Him, leaving our sins behind. When we obey God, we experience not just life, but abundant life (John 10:10). This is God’s longing for us.

Are you searching for a way out of some habitual sin? Let God take you to the open door.

Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone  Pentatonix

Shirley Logsdon

Additional Reading

Bad Habits-Good Habits