Note from Pastor: “Addicted to God” New Ways of Seeing and Walking Free, Part 7
“The unfolding of Your words gives life; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130) In this series we have highlighted some biblical metaphors for addiction (idolatry, adultery, foolishness, disease/illness, being attacked by wild beasts) to help us understand God’s perspective on the issue. These metaphors have clearly highlighted something: principles for change for addiction are similar to those for any other sin problem. The word “sin” can be used as a club, but we must remember that we are talking about THE Good News. The Kingdom of God has come in the Person of Jesus Christ to liberate captives! This is cause for celebration. It is beautiful. It is the path of life. It is the path on which God never tires in extending grace and mercy. “The LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.” (Isaiah 30:18) Addicts must know that in salvation, they are being given a gift from God, and those of us who wish to help them must remember that beautiful gifts must presented in the most attractive way possible. God’s beautiful gift of salvation and victory through the death of Jesus Christ came at a great cost and therefore demands a very active response from us who accept it. It requires a new way of walking free. True freedom from addiction and true peace come from going to war with yourself. We are truly the “walking dead.” (Colossians 3:1-5) What are some biblical principles of change for addicts (and for all sinners)? They include: not excusing addiction because that encourages the self-deceptive consequences of sin; confessing addiction as sin against God regardless of whether or not you believe it is caused by some chemical imbalance, biological condition, or mental disorder (2 Corinthians 7:9-13); grow in faith and obedience to God by learning the Scriptures; learn to delight in obeying God; don’t rely on self but learn to partner with and be accountable to wiser saints; pursue wisdom: the skill of godly living that comes from reverence for Jesus, and pursue it aggressively, don’t just avoid sin, learn to hate it; realize that addiction, like all sin, doesn’t impose itself on us unless we have been willing to entertain the seeds of it in our imaginations; realize that true, biblical, God-pleasing change is not merely behavioral, but motivated by our inner-heart, motivational belief system; and finally, learn to look to Jesus as the One who shows endless, inexhaustible grace and mercy to idolaters who seek to repent and change. Hebrews 12:1-12, sets Jesus forth as our example in enduring hardship, fighting against whatever wants to drag us down, knock us out, and enslave us. Jesus is not a religion. He is not a faith system. He is not a “genie in a bottle.” Jesus is a Person. He is our Helper. He is our source of strength and guidance. He is our God, our Savior, and our Friend, especially in our time of need. All sinners must nurture and protect and guard that friendship with the King of Kings in order to stay on the straight and narrow and eventually hear, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the Kingdom prepared for you.” Take these principles of change seriously and seek out an accountability partner and before you know it, you will be growing in the Faith and growing stronger each day.
