THE WORD OF GOD SAYS
If you are struggling with addictions, albeit drug abuse, alcoholism, loveless sex, or any other abusive and repetitive habit that are detrimental to your relationship with God and your body, then this is exactly the best place to start cleaning up your life. God has called you to be free and He has the power to break the chains of sin that is keeping you in bondage. When you come to Him as your source of life then God’s fullness will come together for you too. Jesus Chris is able to fulfil every need, when you allow His Word into your heart and acknowledging that it is only the Holy Spirit that can set you free. God is ready to give you a new beginning. He is ready to lift the shadow of shame and give you a beautiful, free and hopeful future.
WHO SAID YOU HAD TO BE PERFECT BEFORE COMING TO JESUS WITH ALL YOUR ADDICTIONS?
The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
Psalms 103:13-14 NLT
How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
Galatians 3:3 NLT
I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
Isaiah 42:3 NLT
DO WANT TO QUIT SMOKING OR VAPING? THEN ASK GOD RIGHT NOW TO REPLACE THE SMOKE IN YOUR LUNGS WITH GOD-STORIES AND GOD-SONGS
Psalms 26:6-7 MSG:[6-7] I scrub my hands with purest soap, then join hands with the others in the great circle, dancing around your altar, God, Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs, telling God-stories.
OH YOU WILL KNOW WHEN GOD HAS SHOWED UP TO HELP YOU TO OVERCOME YOUR ADDICTIONS —HE’S NOT SHY ABOUT HIS POWER AND MAJESTY
From the dazzle of Zion, God blazes into view. Our God makes his entrance, he’s not shy in his coming. Starbursts of fireworks precede him.
Psalm 50:1-3 MSG
UNCONTROLLABLE ADDICTIONS
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
Galatians 5:19-21 MSG
PREOCCUPIED WITH GETTING
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving . People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
Luke 12:29-32 MSG
GET INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
Romans 13:14 NLT
TURN YOUR OLD LIFE IN FOR A KINGDOM LIFE BY ABIDING IN GOD’S WORD
I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.
Matthew 3:11 MSG
TEMPTATION COMES FROM YOUR OWN DESIRES
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.
James 1:13-15 AMP
FIRST BELIEVE IT IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU CAN OVERCOME THIS ADDICTION, THEN TRY DAILY TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts… Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
Proverbs 4:23-27 MSG
JESUS IS CONSTANTLY DEFENDING YOU
My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:1-2 NLT
DON’T PLAY FAST AND LOOSE WITH GOD—GIVE HIM A CHANCE AND EXPERIENCE THE GIFT OF SALVATION FOR YOURSELF
“Time’s up for playing fast and loose with me. I’m ready to pass sentence, and there’s no help in sight! It’s the praising life that honors me. As soon as you set your foot on the Way, I’ll show you my salvation.”
Psalm 50:22-23 MSG
RELY ON GOD’S GRACE AND TRUST HIM TO HELP YOU BREAK FREE FROM ADDICTIONS
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!
Ephesians 2:7-10 MSG
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE USE GOD’S WORD TO HELP US BREAK ADDICTIONS FOR GOOD!
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Galatians 5:22-23 MSG
I OBVIOUSLY NEED HELP! HOW WILL IT EVER BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO BREAK MY ADDICTIONS
But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
Romans 7:17-25 MSG
“THE POINT OF NO RETURN” IS WHEN YOU DECIDE NOT TO TURN TO GOD FOR HELP
“I know you, Ephraim, inside and out. Yes, Israel, I see right through you! Ephraim, you’ve played your sex-and-religion games long enough. All Israel is thoroughly polluted. They couldn’t turn to God if they wanted to. Their evil life is a bad habit. Every breath they take is a whore’s breath. They wouldn’t recognize God if they saw me.
Hosea 5:3-4 MSG
BE ADDICTED TO HOLINESS
As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14-16 TPT
THERE IS A TRANSFORMING POWER THAT CAN HELP YOU GET FREE FROM THIS ADDICTION. BE OBEDIENT BY GETTING THE HELP YOU NEED[Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation].
1 Peter 1:14 AMP
Photo Credit to Vanessa McKeown