By the time he was in his late twenties, our oldest son was an alcoholic.

We often bailed him out of jail. He lost his driver’s license. For a long time, we drove him nearly everywhere he went.

We pleaded with him to stop drinking, pouring the booze down the drain. My wife and I pleaded with God, praying every day that our son would break his addiction.

One morning he drank so much that he quit breathing. His heart stopped beating. The paramedics had to do CPR to restart his heart and rush him to the hospital.

In the hospital, he asked the doctor for a list of rehab facilities in our area. We took him to one and picked him up when he completed the program.

That was over four years ago. He remains sober today. We are very proud of his accomplishment.

We never gave up on him — just as God never gives up on us.

1 Corinthians 10 contains a long list of addictions: sex, food, drink. All are idols if they are valued and cherished above God. Yet, no matter how often we fall or fail, God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18).

Trust Him. Cry out to Him. He will purify you, help you put away all idols, and see you through.