Jason Strickland

On September 28th, 2021, I walked into Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center to say goodbye to a methamphetamine addiction that I had struggled with for years. It was my 41st birthday. Less than 12 hours earlier, I had attempted to overdose so I didn't have to try anymore. I was hopelessly lost and scared to death of sobriety. I was done. God wasn't.

I worked their program. I worked on myself. I got sober. I started focusing on my relationship with Jesus because my addictions had essentially destroyed all other significant relationships.

When I left rehab, I lived alone in a small RV. The silence in the evenings was deafening. I started reading my Bible every morning to bide my time. I desperately wanted to hear from God, and I needed the distraction from the sadness of my solitude. What better way to hear from Him than reading His Word? I had nothing better to do.

That lasted a couple of weeks, then one day I forgot. How could I hear from God if I wasn't reading? As a last-ditch effort to stay in the Word, I reached out to three guys who I loved and respected. I asked them for permission to create a group text where I would read the Bible, write a journal entry, and share it with each of them daily. If they didn't hear from me, they had permission to call me out. My first official entry was on December 2nd, 2021.

Psalms 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

My sobriety was made possible by "the daily washing of the Word" (Ephesians 5:26).

The entries shared below are a continuation of this "habit" of scripture meditation. They are daily snapshots into my personal, one-on-one time with the Holy Spirit. If you choose to read them, it is my prayer that they are a blessing to you. It is a blessing that I have the opportunity to share them with you. I would also encourage you to read His Word for yourself. Use my entries, look up the verses, and dig deeper on your own. Use them as accountability. Create your own accountability network to keep yourself in the habit of reading.

The Holy Spirit is ready when you are.