Addiction is like a black hole. It pulls in everything good and only leaves feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. Like a void growing larger and larger, the struggle of overcoming an addiction can feel like an impossible task to achieve.
It’s hard to say how your addiction grew to such proportions. It probably started small, something casual , helping you unwind after a hard day or when feeling stress, bored helps you loosen up in social circles. But over time, this seemingly harmless habit evolved into something more dark and sinister and difficult to get out of. At this point, you may feel as if all hope is lost. The walls are closing in around you, leaving no options other than to perpetuate the vicious addictive cycle. You might think that God has forsaken you, withdrawn all support and left you to fend for yourself. But this could not be further from the truth. Psalm 50:15 reminds us that God asks us to call on Him in our times of trouble.
" and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
What is an addiction ? Let’s look at the definition. The word addiction has two basic meanings. The first definition, and the one most of us are familiar with, is “to cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance.”
The second definition of addiction is “to occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively.”
This speaks of an unnatural obsession with anything other than God: sports, sex (pornography, adultery, fornication ), money work, shopping and/or acquiring “stuff,” even family or children.
We are to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5), which is, according to Jesus, the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).
We can conclude, then, that an addiction to anything other than God Himself is wrong. God is the only thing we can (and should) occupy ourselves with habitually. To do so with anything else draws us away from Him and displeases Him. He alone is worthy of our complete attention, love, and service.
Furthermore the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:10
" nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, nor adulterers will inherit the kingdom of God. "
GOOD NEWS is God’s love provides us the ability to overcome the most powerful addictions and achieve sustained sobriety and personal success.
How to Overcome Addiction through God
You can conquer your addiction by handing control over to God
(repentance and admitting that you have an addiction)
Find a support network ( Brother, sisters strong in the faith ) By connecting with people around you who share common values and place love, understanding, and fellowship at the forefront of their lives, you vastly increase your chances of abstaining for the right reasons and maintaining the lifestyle long term.
Prayer provides guidance - PRAY PRAY PRAY
When you face up to the fact that you have a problem, the next step is a big one: accepting that you need to change your life, you let go of your old lifestyle, learn to change destructive thought patterns, and create a new life path that supports health and happiness. Through prayer, you can directly connect with God and ask Him for guidance and answers to your questions.
Know that God Is Always There for You
While a support network that involves loving, experienced professionals, understanding peers, and informed loved ones provides you with part of what you need, your relationship with God can’t be underestimated.
In times of need, when you experience cravings or withdrawal symptoms, you can find profound comfort in remembering that you are one of God’s dearly loved children.
Reading the Bible and praying each morning helps you build a routine based on joy and positivity. Repent and ask for His forgiveness, and you can find solace in praying for others.
My friend, when you feel temptation creeping up on you, you can ask God to give you the strength to overcome and not fall into the bait. By focusing on the principles of Christianity throughout the day, you’ll feel God’s power helping you along each step of the way.
There are many passages in the Bible that can help you while you’re overcoming from addiction.
James 4:7“Submit yourself, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he shall flee from you.”
Matthew 26:41“Watch and pray so that you shall not fall prey to temptation. Our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.”
Peter 5:10“And our God of all grace, who summoned you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Addictions may break us but Christ can put us back together.
Invite Him in to your life by praying for His strength and wisdom, reading the Word, developing faith-based relationships, and asking for forgiveness.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Shalom