To what are you addicted? Reese’s Peanut Butter cups? Jelly Beans? Wendy’s french fries? Or something worse?
An addiction is a dependence. It is a dependence on a substance – like alcohol, illegal drugs or legal drugs. Or it is a dependence on an activity – like gambling or shopping. One is a physical addiction; the other is a psychological addiction. It is a dependence that helps someone get through everyday life. An alcoholic feels like she can’t function well without a little drink.
For Christians, forgetting who we are and whose we are can lead us to seek dependence on something else besides Jesus Christ. Some Christians have unrealistic expectations of themselves and when they fail, as we all invariably do, they seek fulfillment in something that is easier to control than life itself. Sometimes, we become illogical and irrational.
Addiction, simply put, is rebellion against God. The addiction itself becomes an idol which consumes our thoughts, guides our behavior, drains our finances, and becomes something on which we based our trust and subsequently our lives.
The bottom line is that addiction has all negative repercussions. They affect your physical health, your mental health, your financial health, your self-image and your self-esteem, but mostly, it affects your relationship with God. It is for that reason that addictions have to be avoided first. But once we find ourselves trapped, we need to back out of it, stop it, and start avoiding those people, places, or atmospheres that contribute to the addiction.
STEPS TO RECOVERY
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2. If it is an addiction to something that impairs your mental abilities, you need to take precautions to keep yourself safe and others around you. If you need to give up the keys to your car, do it. It is for the best interests of all those around you – Matthew 7:12.
3. If the addiction is a chemical addiction, get medical help. Get professional help from counselors or Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
4. If it is an addiction to some behavior like gambling or shopping or pornography, or even the internet in general like web-surfing or things like Facebook, do what has to be done to stop the behavior. Get rid of the internet or get filtering software and have someone else set the passwords. Get rid of credit cards; go to a cash-only basis. Matthew 18:8-9.
5. You have to change your behavior. If stress is a trigger to the addictive behavior, do something that keeps you out of such a stressful environment. Fill your life with better, more wholesome activities and friends – Luke 11:21-26.
6. As a Christian, recognize that Christ dwells in you and has put to death sins in your heart. Now, you have to live in the light of that crucifixion – Colossians 3:5-6.
Don’t get addicted to this world; become addicted to Christ and let His life fill your life with joy and happiness.
–Paul Holland