Addictions

There are many types of addictions in our world. Many of us have been in a situation where we’ve been offered to try something that later quickly became a habit. Some addictions are easy to identify such as drugs and alcohol while others are not so easy to detect. We pray that the following reading will help you understand and identify certain habits or addictions in your life that may be hurting your walk with God. We’ll attempt to seek what the Bible says regarding this issue.

What is an addiction?

According to the Webster Dictionary, the word “addict” means to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively. It’s is also defined as a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something. Webster defines a “need” as something that a person must have: something that is needed in order to live or succeed or be happy. The verb “addict” means to cause (a person) to become physiologically dependent upon a substance.

So an addiction is devoting or surrendering oneself to something harmful that he or she may feel a strong need to have regularly. It is something that we are dependent on. Something we strongly feel we need in order to live, succeed or be happy? If something is harmful then why would we feel that we need it to live, be successful or be happy? The reason this sounds like a contradiction is because it is a contradiction to the truth.

Examples of Addictions

Many addictions can be easily identified while others not so much. An addiction can be something clearly defined such as alcohol, nicotine, illegal drugs, or prescription drugs. An addiction can also be a behavior such as gambling, internet (social media), watching television, shopping, video games, plastic surgery, binge eating, pornography, exercising, energy drinks and even coffee.

What do all these addictions have in common? They are all dependencies that we feel our body needs to make us feel a certain way (make us feel better) or take away a certain feeling (avoiding sadness or pain). They give us a rush, a mental escape from something we want to get away from or not think about. This way of thinking is called Escapism.

The Truth about Addictions

Addictions don’t start off as addictions, it may begin with a desire to try something you may have seen or heard. This temptation goes from something seen or heard to an acting out of that experience. The experience, that high or rush you feel, wears off because it’s a feeling that is not real or true but is based on a lie.

With all addictions, the next time we want to experience that feeling again we need to do more, drink more, see more, feel more, gamble more, smoke more. We get caught up in the addictive cycle. This addictive cycle leads to our dependency to this addiction. This dependency is a sin and sin leads to our destruction. The devil comes to lie cheat and destroy. Now we have to lie, cheat and cover up the mess that we are in and the destruction that has been created.

James 1:13-15 says “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

The devil wants you to be dependent on something other than God, especially if that dependency is on something that is harmful and can cause you or someone else hurt, pain and destruction. In Matthew 4 we read about how the devil attempted to tempt Jesus into depending on something other than God.

Chapter 4 states, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

   and they will lift you up in their hands,

   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”

In this verse we read how during his 40 days of fasting in the desert, Jesus rejects the evil one’s temptation of turning a stone into bread. Jesus uses Gods word to minister to himself in this situation by saying. “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

In this verse God’s will was for Jesus to complete his 40 day fast. Jesus sets an example and shows us that we can reject the devils lie that says our body needs something or needs to do something that is against Gods will. In this verse Jesus also gives us an example of how we are to use scripture to minister to ourselves during times of temptations or trials.

Escapism

Escapism is defined as the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. Wikipedia defines Escapism as mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an “escape” or dissociation from the perceived unpleasant, boring, arduous, scary, or banal aspects of daily life.

Escapism is to run away, to avoid reality, to lie to yourself, and hide from the truth. This type of thinking is against God’s will and therefore it is a sin. Its not hard to concede that gambling, pornography, excessive alcohol, and illegal drugs are addictions and are all sins, but yes even television, social media and exercising can be an addiction and a sin. Anything that we are dependent on for our happiness apart God can be a sin and can be considered Idolatry.

Realsim

As we read earlier, Escapism is the running away from the truth, reality and our problems. The opposite or other side of the spectrum of the Escapism way of thinking is called Realism. Webster defines Realism as the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly. The quality of a person who understands what is real and possible in a particular situation and is able to deal with problems in an effective and practical way.

Realism is Gods will. We need to stop running away. We need to face the facts, look at it straight in the eye and then see thru them to the other side. 

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 says, “ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

This verse tells us that even as Christian believers we will still be hard pressed, we will be perplexed at times, we may be persecuted, and be struck down. Not everyday will be as we expected. Bad things will happen in our lives. We need to understand and accept this reality. No matter who you are, just like Jesus faced trials in the desert, life will have its trials and tribulations.

Body versus Spirit

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, he says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

In this verse “outwardly” refers to the physical body which is something that is seen and “inwardly” refers to the soul and spirit which is something unseen. In this verse the Apostle Paul is telling us not to fix our eyes on our body’s desires which is temporary but we should concern ourselves with our spirit which is eternal. How do I fix my attention away from what my body is addicted to and towards my spirit? How is it possible that my spirit can be renewed day by day?

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 6:7-9 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Life does not end when our body dies but if Jesus lives in us, we have eternal life. Although our physical life is wasting away, when Jesus lives in us our soul is renewed day by day. We must understand and acknowledge the fact that our spirit exists apart from our body and it will go on when our body is gone. Our soul is not to be dependent on what the body wants but rather it should be lead by the Holy Spirit.

Is Addiction considered Idolatry?

The common or known definition of Idolatry is the worship of a physical object as a god but Idolatry is also defined as an immoderate attachment or devotion to something. In Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 God gave Moses the Ten Commandments which states, “And God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

One thing to note is the verse which says that the Lord will punish the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. Do not think that your sins, vices or bad decisions only affect you. There are some sins that we commit that are chained and bound to our children.

How do I know if I’m addicted to something?

Before you can identify if you’re addicted to something, you need to first do some investigation. We need to do some thinking. We need to ask ourselves a few questions. We need to seek the truth and be truthful to ourselves and to God. Here are some questions to ask ourselves:

Do I depend on it to make me feel happy or satisfied? How do I feel if I don’t have it? During difficult times, do I run to it? How do I react if it is taken away? How much time do I spend doing it outside of work/school? 

Think about these questions. Answer each one of these questions. Be truthful to yourself and to God. Take a few minutes to write the answers down. 

Now that you have answered each one, look at your answers. John 8:32 says, ”Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Your answer on whether it’s an addiction is revealed when you answer these questions. Now that we know if we have an addiction, how can you free yourself from it?

How can I get rid of this addiction?

How many times have you stopped trying quit your addiction on your own? How many times did you quit for a few days/weeks/months only to come right back to it? The truth is that we are not just battling an addiction. We are also in a battle against another enemy that we cannot see.

This is a battle that we can’t win alone.

 The good news is that we are not required fight this battle alone and we don’t need to attempt to do it alone.

Numbers 14:41-45 says, “But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”

Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.”

So if I cannot break my addiction alone, how do I get this help, what will help me break this addiction? Here are a few verses that will give light on how we can free ourselves from addictions that we maybe facing:

John 14:15-18 says, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

John 14:25- 27 says, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Ephesians 2 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Colossians 3, says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

These verses tell us that in order to have the power and strength to have dominion over these desires and addictions, we must believe in God and believe that Jesus is his Son our Lord who was crucified for our sins. On the cross Jesus died with our sins, our sinful desires and our addictions. He rose from the dead and by raising from the dead, by the grace of God, we have the gift and opportunity to be born again with him. If we confess this belief with our mouths and believe in our hearts and that this is true by demonstrating it in obeying his commands, then God will send a helper, the Holy Spirit, who will give you the strength, the peace and will meet the needs to be successful.

Stop fighting your addiction alone. Don’t wait to be set free. Do it today. Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and receive the freedom, joy and peace that comes with His Spirit. If you are ready to be set free, Click here to read more about salvation thru Jesus Christ.