Come Back to the Light.

Layne Boothe

Addiction is a battle fought in the shadows.  It’s not something that announces itself loudly at first. It starts small--a curiosity, a temptation a seemngly harmless indulgence.  For many, it begins at a young age, before we even understand the grip it can have on our lives.  Mine began at age 8.

I know the weight of addiction because I've lived it. I've been in that place where shame, overwhelms, where the need for escape seems stronger than anything else. But I've also experienced the miraculous freedom that comes from surrendering into Christ, and that's what I want to share with you.

Addiction doesn't have to have the final say over your life. No matter how deep the struggle, how many times you've tried and failed, or how lost you feel, there's always a way out. And that way is

 Jesus. Through His power, His grace, and His unwavering love, we can break free from the chains that bind us.  This book It's not just my story, it's a roadmap for anyone who longs for freedom. It's about the journey from darkness to light, from addiction to redemption, hopelessness to hopfullness.

 Whether you are in the midst of your own struggle or walking along side someone who is stuggling with addiction.   I want to offer you  hope.

 At the beginning of my recovery, I was desperate for God’s intervention. I poured   out my heart in prayer, yearning for redemption.  Feeling led, I began a fast,  hoping for clarity and healing. Throughout that day, I immersed myself  in God’s Word and scoured the internet,seeking everything I could find about godly sorrow.

 I sensed that this sorrow—the kind described in 2 Corinthians 7:10,11—was the missing link in my struggle with a 55-year addiction. The Bible says godly sorrow brings repentance and leads to salvation, leaving no regret.  See what a great earnestness your godly sorrow produced in you, yes, clearing of yourselves, yes, indignation, yes, fear, yes, earnest disire, yes, zeal, yes, righting of the wrong! In every respect you demonstrated yourself to be pure in this matter. While worldly sorrow brings death.

I needed to understand this difference.

That night, I had little rest, but the next morning, while praying, I decided to go for a walk. Wandering through the quiet streets of Tulsa, I came upon a park. As I walked through the park, a fine mist began to fill the air.

With uplifting spiritual music in my ears, I suddenly felt something powerful. God was speaking to me, in a  still, small voice the words, “ I am cleansing you from your burden, from your addiction. I am washing you clean. I am baptizing you and giving you a new heart, you are Born Again.”   The feelings that swept over me were overpowering. I could feel the weight of my addiction being lifted, like the mist washing over me was God Himself, purifying my soul. I barely made it back to my room, where I fell to my knees. But no words would come. I wept, overwhelmed by His mercy, and all I could whisper through my sobs was, “Thank you, God, Thank you, God..” I stayed there, quietly sobbing, lost in gratitude for half the morning. God had met me in my weakness, responding to my brokenness with His cleansing power. 

Isaiah 43:1: “But now, thus says the LORD,  Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

 I have called you by name: you are mine.”