“New Ways of Seeing and Walking Free” Part 15

“Addiction” New Ways of Seeing and Walking Free Part 15

“The unfolding of Your words gives life; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130)  We have been looking at how the Bible approaches addiction. The Bible’s approach is far superior to the world’s medical-biological approach which is not as wide and deep as the Bible’s explanation. The world completely discounts the role of the heart, the soul, the center of worship, desire, and longing: all of which define addiction. Jesus Christ is our Advocate, and He Himself was successful when tested (Matthew 4:1-11), and is sympathetic to our temptations. He knows precisely what it is like. Jesus is eager to give us grace and mercy during those times when we especially need it (Hebrews 4:15-16). 1 Corinthians 10:13 encouragingly reminds us that no temptation can irresistibly lead us into sin. Jesus is present to help us in our time of need; if we choose to turn to Him, He will help us (Psalm 18:6; 22:11, 19; 22:24; 30:2; 38:22; 40:13, 17). “The LORD is always present to help” (Psalm 46:1). How long should we fight against the desires and temptations that try to enslave us? The normal Christian life is one of fighting for our entire lives. The fighting will only end when we have been fully made perfect either through death or at Jesus’ return. The same way that there are steps INTO addiction, there are steps OUT of it. With addictive sins, the process of sanctification (being made more holy each day as we follow Christ and the Scriptures) out of addiction loosely follows a five-step pattern. First of all, we must make clear plans to separate ourselves from any external temptation where possible because ungodly desires and affections are cravings that lure us, and we clearly understand that we are vulnerable beings. Secondly, as the battle rages, we must concentrate our focus more on our own heart, the nature of our heart to worship, than on the objects of addiction that we are using to worship falsely. Thirdly, we must be ruthless with our imaginations; quickly halting any lustful, craving thinking, and replacing those thoughts and fantasies with God’s Word and commands. It’s all about the thinking. Fourthly, we will begin to notice that the things that were once objects of affection will begin to feel more like afflictions. We still notice our heart’s desire for the past idols, but these desires feel more like a nagging salesperson than an object of great love. Lastly, we will find that even though we wish the desire would disappear, it still occasionally shows up, and when we encounter it, we groan, anticipating the day when we will be fully perfected. This is the course progressive sanctification (growing in knowledge and obedience to Christ on a daily basis) runs in our heart. Just like with a young child, growth is not always apparent over a twenty-four-hour period, but careful observers still might notice daily changes in vocabulary and interests. Overcoming addiction takes a commitment to fight daily, to fight always, and to learn to rejoice over the smallest, usually unobservable daily victories God blesses us with. In our last installment in this series, we will look at what we should do if we find we are regressing back toward addictive living. There is always hope…because Jesus is always ready to help.

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