2CO 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let
us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Believe it or not, there are many people that would rather keep their addictions and
die young, than to have to face life without addiction and feel defenseless and bored. Life has not been very kind to some
of us and the idea of enduring any more fresh pain without some form of pleasure addiction and protection to run to seems
terrifying and unacceptable. Why would God place us in this evil world and expect us to face life without self-protection?
Well, because people here must have the free will to choose good or evil, and plus God wants us to learn to turn to Him when
we are afraid or needing something more in order to feel happy.
What we are really talking about here is feeling in control of our life. Addiction
is about feeling like "we" are in control of our life, our body, and our reactions to what other people do around us. We mistakenly
think that addiction is giving us control, when in fact all addiction progressively makes us lose control and it damages and
threatens us. Addiction is nothing more than fake God or an idol because it promises control, pleasure, and protection, but
in time all you get from it is threats, pain, and trouble. It's one of the biggest cons in existence. All addiction is its
own pimp and pusher, and it just gives the illusion that we are in control.
Facing life without any form of addiction is very scary at first because we feel unprotected,
unpleasured, and very vulnerable and threatened by everything all around us. We tend to be very defensive, oversensitive,
and we overreact to things when we first quit all addiction. But in time we see that addiction was just a lie, and that we
are even more in control, content, and capable of protecting ourself without addiction. Actually God designed life to be its
best when we are in our most natural state with just Him giving us what we need. Even Eve fell for the "I need something more
to be happy" lie in the garden when she ate the forbidden fruit.
I just want to encourage you today to be brave and to be willing to face your life
for once without addiction, and you will see that it is like night and day. Give yourself the chance to get through the withdrawal
phase of recovery and keep telling yourself the truth that this pain will pass. Staying a slave to your addiction may seem
more secure, but in the long run it will just steal every good thing from your life that either is, or that could have been. Stop
allowing addiction to cheat you out of God's best, and take the brave step today to start trusting God for what you need. Addiction
is a thief that steals from you, while Jesus gives you real life.
JN 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
