Struggling With Addictions
by: Annagail Lynes
What kind of bad habits do you struggle with? Most people think
that when they come to Christ that their bad habits will
magically disappear. And some church people act like if you have
any bad habits in your life that you must not truly be saved, but
that couldn’t be further from the truth. Christians or not, we
are all people, and people make mistakes. People have bad habits.
If you are anything like me, you have poured your heart out in
counseling sessions with your church leaders, stood in prayer
lines, repented and vowed to do better. And still found yourself
giving into that temptation the next time it presented itself,
leaving you asking, “What’s wrong with me?”
Nothing. There is nothing wrong with you. The very fact that you
are concerned about it is a good sign. It’s the people who won’t
admit they have a problem that should worry.
Everyone, at one time or another, struggles with some type of bad
habit or addiction. Maybe it’s shopping too much, smoking,
drinking alcohol, pornography, coffee, sweets, etc. People don’t
want others to know about their problems, so they hide them in
the closet, hoping that no one will ever find out about their
secret. When a problem is hidden in the dark, it will continue to
haunt you. But once it is brought into the light, that is when
you will be able to overcome it.
A bad habit or addiction is anything that robs you of your time
with God, that you feel that you must hide, that hurts your
health or the health of others or is against the Word of God.
It is important that we guard what we are feeding the gates of
our heart–our eyes, ears and mouth. Looking at pornographic
magazines or watching R-rated movies causes those images to enter
our eye gates, and once there, our minds store those images for
safe keeping. Then at the most awkward moments, it will replay
those images. Maybe in your dreams, when you are praising God at
church or when you are kissing your girlfriend.
Perhaps you don’t watch anything objectionable. Instead your vice
of choice is heavy-metal or rap music that talk about killing
cops and degrading women. At first, you may just think the music
has a nice beat, but after awhile, even though, you are not
consciously listening to the lyrics, those words–the ones about
murder, drugs and sex–will seep into your subconscious. You will
find yourself getting into trouble because you have a shorter
fuse than you used to. You will blur the line between right and
wrong. You won’t remember why having sex without a marriage
license is sinful, why stealing and lying are immoral. All
because you didn’t guard what you let through your eye and ear
gates.
How do you overcome the bad habits and addictions in your life?
1. Repent. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” If we didn’t struggle with problems in
life, there would be no reason to repent. However, we do, so we
must ask God to forgive us for our wrongdoings. He is a gracious
God who promises to forgive us when we repent. The mistake most
of us make is in hiding our sin from God. Somehow we think that
we can hide it from the One who sees all and knows all. Run to
God when you slip in your recovery. Run to Him when you sin
because He is on your side. He is not sitting up in Heaven,
waiting to pounce on you anytime you make a mistake. That is not
who He is. God is love not hate.
2. Ask God For Help. In II Corinthians 12:9, God tell us “My
grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness.” God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Think
about that for a moment. In our times of weakness, we can count
on God to be strong for us. If we team up with God, we can
conquer anything. Romans 8:37 promises that “we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us.”
Philippians 4:13 states that “I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me.”
Never be afraid to ask God for help because without Him, beating
a bad habit is like digging yourself out of the bottom of the
Grand Canyon. It’s an uphill battle.
3. Make A Decision. I will–when said together, those two words
can be the strongest words in the English language. Why? Because
they denote choice. Even in the Garden of Eden, we find humans
making their own choices. Eve could have chose not to talk to the
serpent. She could have decided not to eat the fruit. Adam could
have refused the fruit when Eve offered it to him.
Every day we make choices. Will I have the soup or the salad?
Will I cheat at golf? Will I give back the extra change the
cashier gave me? Every day we make up our minds to do the right
thing or to do the wrong thing. But when faced with a choice,
humans usually choose the wrong thing because it is easier to
give into temptations than to say “no.”
So, we must train ourselves to choose the right option. Whenever
you have to choose between right and wrong, take a moment and
determine which is the wrong option and which is the right. If
you don’t know, ask yourself what would happen if you picked a
certain option. If it would result in someone being hurt or in
something that is contrary to God’s Word, it is the wrong choice.
4. Find Someone To Talk To. James 5:16 advises us to “Confess
your faults one to another that ye may be healed...” As I said
before, when we leave things in the dark, they continue to have a
hold over us. In order to stop this cycle, we must find someone
to confess our habits and addictions to. Once it is out in the
open, then you will begin to heal in that area of your life. Make
sure to find someone you can trust to talk to. You don’t want
your sins to be broadcast all over your church, your neighborhood
or your school. Instead go to your minister, youth pastor,
parents, school counselor or a close friend.
Expose your bad habits and addictions to God’s light, and you
will be amazed at how quickly they will crumble under the heat.
Annagail Lynes is editor of VisionHope Magazine. She specializes
in writing articles for young adults about dating, school,
parents, peer pressure and other youth-related issues. Get your
Free Sample Issue of VisionHope, plus free articles and free pen
pal ads at
http://visionhope.ontheweb.com
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