2TI 2:19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation
stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the
Lord must turn away from wickedness."
There are good reasons why we should forsake our addiction no matter what we feel it
is doing to make our lives better and more livable. You see, if we didn't think that our addiction wasn't doing something
to help us, we just wouldn't bother doing it. Even if all we have left in the end is just the reason to keep
the discomfort of the withdrawals away, we are still using our addiction to meet a need in our life. This is typically what
we think addiction is giving us:
Protection- We feel that addiction gives us tangible control over any past, present, or
future threats or pain that might come along. When we were kids we had to face pain without any way to protect ourselves,
so as adults we think we can protect ourselves through addiction.
Power- We feel more empowered with addiction to be ourselves and to control people
and the environment around us. But addiction usually just makes us more aggressive, agitated, abusive, and angry. The way
we and other people see ourselves, is usually very different.
Pleasure- Most addiction has some pleasure in it either physically or mentally, otherwise
we wouldn't even bother with it. But addiction is like eating candy that has a little poison in each piece. It tastes good,
but it also creates pain, so we need to eat more candy to kill the pain.
Peace- Addiction plays the roll of a controllable god (idol) in our life. It promises peace
and security, but later on it just creates more and more trouble and gives us anything but peace. Addiction
always promises us happiness, but in the end it always just gives us destruction.
The truth is, that at first it does seem like addiction gives us some of the above
things, but in time these things begin to change, and all you get are just the opposite of them, and you live in
a constant state of peril, prison, pain, and panic. Addiction is a con-man and a pimp plain and simple, and you
become the mark and the prostitute where you must serve as a slave every day just to feed your addiction. It's a
nightmare that you cannot wake up from.
ISA 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the
LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Take a minute now and ask yourself a few questions
about your addiction. 1. Is it really necessary in your life? 2. Is it having a healthy or unhealthy affect upon your body,
mind, and spirit? 3. Does it really fulfill your life, or does it just give you a quick pleasure fix that leaves you more
empty than before? And 4. What affect will your addiction have upon your walk with God and your spiritual future as to whether
you go to Heaven or Hell in the end?
Here are some reasons why we should seriously consider quitting now. Addiction is:
1. Unnecessary- Most addiction is actually quite unnecessary, and a good question
to ask yourself about using it is; Do you feel fear without it? If so, there is a very strong emotional reason
why you are using it and usually it's being used to treat old unhealed emotional pain.
2. Unhealthy- Most addiction progressively destroys our health and mental wellness, and if
you go look into the mirror just see what your addiction has done to you so far. We fry our organs, ruin our looks, and cannot
function well. In the end our addiction will likely kill us.
3. Unfulfilling- Like I said above, addiction has some fulfillment in it at first because
it gives us the illusion of control, protection, and pleasure, but in time we just end up receiving the opposite from it.
In the end we end up using it just to avoid the pain, fear, and withdrawals.
4. Unholy- We take a big gamble with addiction, especially if we are a Christian, because
addiction is idolatry and it keeps us from being used by God. It destroys our witness and God's temple our body, and it gives
demons control. Plus salvation becomes questionable.
The reason that most of us avoid quitting our addiction for good is just plain fear.
Fear of facing life without self-administered protection, fear of the discomfort of withdrawals, fear of being harmed without
some pleasure fix to run to for comfort. Fear, fear, and more fear. But the truth is, that most of those fears are based upon
lies. Lies that God won't be there for us because He has let us be hurt before. It was people that chose evil that
hurt us, not God.
Addiction is life-cheating plain and simple, because God placed humans here on earth
to live life naturally, and addiction lets us face life unnaturally by shielding ourselves from pain. God is testing us all
to see which of us will run to Him, and which of us will run to fake gods through addiction. So if you have been wondering
whether it is time to quit your addiction or not, just go through the above reasons and ask God about it. Today
is your day to live free.
1JN 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (All means all, so trust God to forgive you for everything, no matter
how terrible and despicable you think that they are. We have all done those things.)
