Skip to main content

You Can Quit

Addiction is not just a chemical dependency

Having an addiction doesn’t have to be a physiological dependency on chemical substances. Simply defined, an addiction is any habitual occupation or involvement in any behavior or appetite that controls you. A person can become addicted to food, sex, gambling, smoking, work and many other things, and when they do these addictions must be dealt with like any other addictions.

So, how can we regain control over our life from some addiction? Our first step is to turn over control of our life to Jesus Christ. Once we do this we have the Holy Spirit living within us giving us strength and victory over our sinful behaviors. We can only have victory over sin through a personal relationship with Jesus.

Any addiction that robs a person of self-control is a problem of the whole person – spiritual, emotional, physical and social. Addictions begin by our seeking relief from the pain, pressure, or some void in our daily lives. That hunger for whatever we use to resolve our problem and provide our temporary comfort will never resolve our issues, or help us deal with life and its trials. Our inadequacies, faults and problems only become intensified by our addictive behavior. That good person we once were can change into someone even we don’t recognize. It can be real scary.

Addictions cause a person to blame others or blame a circumstance, to deny they have a problem. This denial leads to deviousness and dishonesty which is required to cover up the addiction. Admitting you have a problem is your first giant step to overcoming any addiction. Confessing that problem to God comes next. Help is then on the way.

God’s plan for recovery is fair. In [Ezekial 18:30-32] the Lord says, “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies.” God’s plan is to prosper you not harm you [Jeremiah 29:11].

The first step in overcoming any addiction is to admit you have a problem and be willing to accept help. When you do this you are taking responsibility for your actions admitting you are not capable of dealing with your addiction alone and that you need help. For Christians, confession and repentance are critical for taking responsibility for problems. Confess the problem to God then ask your pastor or a mature believer in Christ for help.

You will be successful! You can quit your addiction.

Popular posts from this blog

A Dead Battery

Last year, around the end of summer, our power-mower gave up the ghost. It was getting harder and harder to start every time I wanted to use it. So, I finally gave in to buying a new one. Bless her heart, my wife Sally told me if she didn’t have to pull that difficult, old starter-cord every time she wouldn’t mind helping me mow every once in a while. She even said it might be good exercise for her. This extra help with the yard work would be welcomed I thought. I went online checking out the outrageous prices of new lawnmowers; it had been four or five years since I bought our last one. Most of the retailers; Lowes, Home Depot,  WalMart and Sears were priced about the same, still way too much for me, but if I was going to get something Sally could start easily it would have to be one of the new key-start models where she didn’t have to pull a cord, she could just turn the key, like her car, and it would start right up. I bought one of these new models.They are great! Last week, an
Post a Comment
Read more

We Rob God

Were God a greedy God He would expect ninety percent of our earnings leaving us the remaining ten to support our needs, He doesn’t though. Instead, He asks exactly the opposite of our potential, one tenth, a tithe. Have we excluded God out of our plans? Sure we have! Do we continue to exclude Him from what we want to believe is rightfully our world, our government, our lives? We not only exclude Him, we deny Him of what is rightfully His from the very beginning. Even worse, as a nation, a world, a people we deny He exist! We have declared He has no place in our government, our public buildings, and our schools. Pity us, it is no wonder we are under a curse as a nation with so much turmoil in our lives – we are robbing God. This is not a sermon, but wait, yes, it is! We are truly guilty of “me-ism.” We have become a world of “what about me?” Our insatiable greed has consumed us, so we have no choice but to continue feeding our monster, because it’s demanding more and more. Nothing is
Post a Comment
Read more

Sanctity Given

A person can’t accomplish sanctification by themselves no matter how much he or she studies the Word or desires this quality. It is not even something God would produce in you as something you would contemplate yourself. Instead it is the Holy Spirit, His Spirit of holiness alone, who can or will communicate His holiness and continue to renew the same in you. By our complete faith we become partakers of His holiness. It is Jesus who sanctifies us for God.  (1 Corinthians 1:30) says, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.'” We seek to surrender ourselves to God by faith, so He may enable us to live life moment by moment. By His Spirit, we are to believe the Lord will, lead us into, and keep us in, this life of holiness and consecration to God’s service. We choose to live in obedience of faith, listening to God’s voice – the
Post a Comment
Read more