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Having family or loved ones struggling with addiction can be very difficult emotionally and spiritually. In this session, Gary and Kelly Wilkerson speak at Teen Challenge about their testimony for how God has given their marriage strength and how he carried them through the times when their children were in the grip of addiction.
Key Points from the Podcast
• The contrast between the Bible’s promises and a beloved addict’s stark reality can be very frustrating for those who love them and are relying on God to heal them. There are often a lot of questions that come up, and we simply have to trust scripture where it describes God as loving and wise.
• Having children or loved ones in the depths of addiction can be incredibly anxiety-inducing as we worry for their safety and wonder why God isn’t healing them. However, God asks us to release them into his hands and his care.
• While God did restore all of Gary and Kelly’s children, they recognize that this is not the case for some families. Some lose their children or other loved ones to addiction, and the grief and difficulty of those situations must be acknowledged. Even so, those who rely on God through such dark times will see a unique facet of his love for his people.
• Maintaining a good marriage while working in ministry is mostly finding ways to remain friends to your spouse, regardless of what seasons of life bring you.
Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast
Mark 9:14-29, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
About Gary and Kelly Wilkerson
Gary Wilkerson is the President and Kelly is the Vice President of World Challenge, an international mission organization that was founded by his father, David Wilkerson. Gary is also the Founding Pastor of The Springs Church, which he launched in 2009 with a handful of people. Together, Gary and Kelly have traveled nationally and internationally at conferences and conducted mission ventures such as church planting, starting orphanages, clinics, feeding programs among the poorest of the poor and the most unreached people of the earth. They have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO.