Where does my help come from?

I recently received an email newsletter from SettingCaptivesFree.com entitled "The Gospel for the Church in Recovery: Part 2: Chained Captives". I'll let you read it for yourself, and then I'll give my take on it. Feel free to add your own two cents.

We people face many problems in life. Sometimes, like Job experienced, hardships and troubles come in numerous ways, seemingly all at the same time. When difficulties come and we face trials of many kinds, it has been the habit of many people throughout history to turn to other people for the solution. It seems far easier to trust in man for solutions rather than to seek the Lord and call upon Him.

And yet turning to man and trusting in man demeans the living God and puts a curse on man. As Jeremiah 17:5 says: “⁵ This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.’” If we want God’s blessing instead of cursing we must learn to turn to Him, ask for His help, seek His face, and trust in Him.

Oh how true this is especially in the area of “addiction”, or rather dealing with our sin problem. Numerous groups and programs abound encouraging us to “work the program” or “follow the steps”. And all the while, God alone has the solution, and is Himself the answer to our sin problem.

We come now to our second study in Psalm chapter 107. There are four word-pictures given to us in this chapter. These word-pictures show us that God is the answer in each and every situation. It is my hope that these studies will help to wean us off of our fatal dependence on man and turn us to the living God. To read the rest, click here. [I didn't read the rest of this.]

Featured Testimony: "Though raised in the church, I turned away from God because I didn't want to live like the people I knew that attended church. I walked away from God and became enslaved to sin. I sank deeper and deeper in sexual immorality, becoming a fornicator, adulterer, and slave to pornography and sexual gratification. I was drowning in sin and harming everyone within my influence. My wife compelled me to seek help through a conference. I did that and had accountablity, but was still enslaved to sin. My brother and wife told me to take a bible study through Setting Captives Free. Through this bible study, God's grace and revelation, the chains of sin has been broken in my life. I was determined to be free even when I attended the conference, but SCF helped me to understand how to really be free. Jesus already dealt with my sin even before I was born. I have received his work, God's grace and mercy, and I am walking in the Spirit of the Holy and Living God. I felt the chains being broken immediately after I started this course. It took a long time for me, but I am at the finish line and ready to continue the race that has been set for me. I will run without sin dragging me down. I am free because I have been set free by Jesus himself. I have been walking in victory for about 7 months now. I know that I am set apart for the work of my master. I Love God.

I have to say, I somewhat agree, but there is a point I don't agree with. Yes, God is the answer to our problems, but that doesn't mean he won't use other people as instruments of His will - like "Setting Captives Free", for example. Different strokes for different folks. Don't knock twelve step programs and conferences. They help many people, even if it's only one step in the journey to healing.