Addictions Newsletter 

LESSON #2: 

ADDICTIONS

"A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him."

(2 Peter 2:19)

Addiction: being physically or psychologically enslaved

to a mood altering habit or practice

Addictions come in many varieties.  Our society is riddled with: alcoholism, illicit drugs, prescription drug abuse, gambling, sexual addiction, pornography, cigarette smoking, and food addiction.  All of these addictions share one thing in common-they bring tempo­rary pleasure at the expense of long-term, harmful consequences. 

Alcoholism:  People who drink too much alcohol often ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them; their world is full of strife and sorrow.¹ When a person drinks alcohol, it can go down smoothly at first, but in the end it "bites like a snake and poisons like a viper."² Getting drunk leads to a life focused on sensual pleasure (debauchery).³

People who drink alcohol often brag about how much they can drink.⁴ They stay up late drinking and then when they wake up they want to drink again.⁵  They ridicule others (mock them) and often get into fights.⁶  In the end, alcohol consumption can lead to a life of poverty.⁷ Most importantly, people who live a lifestyle of drunkenness and lasciviousness place themselves in danger of losing the biggest prize of all-the kingdom of God.⁸ 

Gluttony:  For people who eat too much, their "god" is their stom­ach; they have their minds set on earthly things.⁹ Like the drunk­ard, gluttons often end up becoming poor because of their overin­dulgence.¹⁰  The Bible warns us that a companion of gluttons "disgraces his father."¹¹ 

Drug addicts are slaves to their drugs and controlled by their sin­ful nature.^14,15  Living according to the sinful nature leads to death, but living according to the Spirit leads to life.  Those who live by the sinful nature cannot please God.^16,17 God wants us to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, "perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."¹⁸

Sexual Addiction:  People who are sexually addicted have a craving  for more and more sex,  often in  increasingly  perverted ways.  As Christians, we are to abstain from sexual immorality; all other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sex­ually sins against his own body.²¹ We are to learn to control our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the people who do not know God.²²  

We are to "put to death" sexual immorality and impurity and eve­ry-thing that belongs to our earthly nature.²³   We are to get rid of all moral filth.²⁴ Your body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit," who is in you, and which you have received from God.  Therefore, you can't just do whatever you want to do with your body.  It was bought for a price-Christ's death on the cross.  Therefore, you are to honor God with your body.²⁵

People with sexual addictions often take advantage of other people to meet their desires; this runs contrary to God's teaching.  We should treat others with "absolute purity,"²⁶ without even a hint of sexual immorality.²⁷ God has a dire warning for those who live a lifestyle of unrepentant sexual sin-they will not inherit the king­dom of God.²⁸

Gambling Addiction:  The Bible warns us to keep ourselves free of the love of money and to be content with what we have.²⁹ People who want to get rich quickly, get trapped in their sin and do many foolish and harmful things that end up in "ruin and destruc­tion."³⁰ The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.³¹ 

People who love money never seem to have enough.³²  People who gamble want to "get rich quick," but the Bible warns us not to wear ourselves out trying to get rich.³³  The person who chases fantasies of being wealthy will end up with "his fill of poverty,"³⁴ and anyone eager to get rich "will not go unpunished."³⁵

People who are "hooked" on the short-term pleasure of addictions find it extremely difficult to break their habits.  They become slaves to their sin.^36,37  Time after time they have tried to resist, but time after time they have given in to temptation.^38-40 Only God offers an effective "way out" of addictions. All addictions represent a battle between what the flesh wants and what the spirit desires.⁴¹ The first step in overcoming addictions is to recognize that you cannot control your addiction on your own-you need God's help.  Remember that God will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear,⁴² and when you are tempted He will always provide a way out, so that you can "stand up" under the temptation.⁴³

If you are addicted, turn to God.⁴⁴ If you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will receive eternal salvation.⁴⁵  You will be­come an entirely new creation  and  will  be  "born again," and filled with the Holy Spirit, the great Counselor.⁴⁶  You will no longer be controlled by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit of God, who lives in you.^47,48 

Live one day at a time, and pray each day that God will take away your sinful desire.⁴⁹ Completely abandon yourself to God, and seek His will for your life.⁵⁰  Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.⁵¹ "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Je­sus Christ," and stop thinking about how to gratify the desires of your addiction.⁵²

In humility, regularly confess your sins to God,⁵³ and to your fel­low man.⁵⁴  Seek  out  anyone  you  may have  harmed because of your addiction and ask for forgiveness.  Forgive yourself also, for we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God.⁵⁵ Re­member, God showed his love for us by this:  "While were still sin­ners, Christ died for us."⁵⁶  

Always have hope.⁵⁷ Even though you are not strong enough to conquer your addiction by yourself, with God's help you can.⁵⁸ And if the Son of God sets you free, "you will be free indeed."⁵⁹

Finally, once God has delivered you from your addiction, go and tell others who may also be suffering,⁶⁰ so that they too may have hope and come to a knowledge of God's mighty power and author­ity over sin.

 
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are
not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore
honor God with your body.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)²⁵
 
Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
(1 Timothy 5:1-2)²⁶
 
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual
immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,
because these are improper for God's holy people.
(Ephesians 5:3)²⁷
 
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
 idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slan-
derers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11)²⁸
 
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be
content with what you have.
(Hebrews 13:5)²⁹
 
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge
men into ruin and destruction.
(1 Timothy 6:9)³⁰ 

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
(1 Timothy 6:10)³¹
 
Whoever loves money never has money enough.
(Ecclesiastes 5:10)³²
 
Do not wear yourselves out trying to get rich; have the
wisdom to show restraint.
(Proverbs 23:4)³³
 
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the
one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
(Proverbs 28:19)³⁴
 
A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager
to get rich will not go unpunished.
(Proverbs 28:20)³⁵
 
A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
(2 Peter 2:19)³⁶
 
I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
(John 8:34)³⁷
 
I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do
I do not do, but what I hate I do.
(Romans 7:15)³⁸
 
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do
not want to do-this I keep on doing.
(Romans 7:19)³⁹
 
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature. For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out.
(Romans 7:18)⁴⁰

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires
of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is
contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary
to the sinful nature.
(Galatians 5:16-17)⁴¹

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)⁴²

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way
out so that you can stand up under it.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)⁴³

What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this
body of death?  Thanks be to God-through
Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:24-25)⁴⁴

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"
and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9)⁴⁵
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you.
(John 14:26)⁴⁶
 
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by
the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
(Romans 8:9)⁴⁷
 
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die;
but if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the
body, you will live, because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God.
(Romans 8:13-14)⁴⁸
 
I tell you the truth, my father will give you anything
you ask in my name.
(John 16:23)⁴⁹
 
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who
does the will of God lives forever.
(1 John 2:17)⁵⁰
 
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of our faith.
(Hebrews 12:2)⁵¹
 
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
(Romans 13:14)⁵²
 
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9)⁵³ 

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other
so that you may be healed.
(James 5:16)⁵⁴

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:23)⁵⁵

                       
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8)⁵⁶
 
Anyone who is among the living has hope.
(Ecclesiastes 9:4)⁵⁷
 
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible."
(Matthew 19:26)⁵⁸
 
So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed.
(John 8:36)⁵⁹
 
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
(Psalm 89:15)⁶⁰