When the Lord’s prayer says: “Hallowed be Thy Name, it has a number of meanings. When I was young I thought, “There is this far-away God who made up a bunch of rules for us.” But God’s commands are not arbitrary at all. He knows exactly what is best for us. When He tells us not to drink or drug, it is the smartest thing in the world to realize that our life is better if we stop drinking/drugs. So when you say great is Thy Name, consider adding: “Father, You are right, drinking/drugs messes me up. You are right, it causes destruction, You are right, sin leads to darkness, and darkness leads to depression. You are right, drinking/drugs kills my joy, kills my purpose, and it starts to kill everything else that is fun when I focus on party incessantly. Your laws are wise and perfect for me. God knows exactly how I should act so that I can live a great life.
Second, since drinking/drugs leads to fear, anger, and other negative emotions, consider becoming obsessed with planning to fight it for a block of time every day. What time will you block off for this fight? How long will you commit to the fight every day?
Third, some don’t quite believe the long lists of the negatives of drinking/drugs that I write about constantly. If that is you, consider copying and pasting all the negative things that you read, that are a result of habitual intoxication, into a Google doc or Word file. Then study that list over the course of the year to see if your consequences are similar to many others.
Or… you could consider printing out the above-underlined paragraph. God knows exactly how mixed up I am. But when I humbly tell Him that He is right, wise, great, and correct about drinking/drugs, He will very likely start to lead me into greater wisdom concerning my folly.
Finally, telling God how “right” He is about drinking/drugs is a great way of emphasizing the words “Hallowed be Thy Name.” It can be a habit that helps you break “The habit.”
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