With the advancement of technology and increasing immorality in the 21st Century, addiction is a problem hooking many people into bondages challenging to break free.
According to Addiction Center, close to 21 million Americans have an addiction problem. Yet, surprisingly, only 10% are undergoing treatment.
With the effects of Covid-19 ravaging the USA in 2020, drug overdoses were at an all-time high in states like Oregon, Virginia, and Ohio.
Therefore, such statistics begs the question, “What is the root of addiction? Is there hope for addicts?”
The Bible does not contain the word addiction. Nevertheless, it has numerous scriptures that can help us battle addiction.
What is Addiction?
According to Medical News Today, addiction is a psychological and physical problem where the victim cannot stop consuming a drug, chemical, substance, or activity despite it causing harm either physically or psychologically.
As Christians, we must understand that addiction is a spiritual and heart issue. It is exchanging our dependence on God for reliance on something else.
In short, addictions replace God in our hearts with false beliefs that we’ll find fulfillment elsewhere.
Yet, the Word of God tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “…He has also set eternity in the human heart….” Therefore, only God can fully satisfy the human soul.
When we put our dependence on something else other than God, we fall into the bondage of addiction.
As we will see, freedom from addiction comes from a transformed heart. And only the Gospel of Christ can change our hearts and cure addictions for good.
Examples of Addictive Behaviors.
Too much of something is poisonous. Therefore, any activity can turn into an addiction. In this age of technology, we have many ‘smartphone zombies.’
This addiction is destroying social lives and moral character allowing people to live fake lives on social media.
With porn and drug abuse so readily available and promoted on the internet, many have fallen victim.
Therefore, an addiction can range from drug and substance abuse like alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and bang, to behavioral addictions such as masturbation, porn, gambling, and betting.
Addiction is a Heart Problem
The root cause of addiction stems from our hearts. The Bible in Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
When we have not experienced the power of salvation, our hearts deceive us constantly. And the devil takes advantage of this to full effect.
Remember, even as Christians, we can still fall into temptations of various addictions. Hence Peter tells us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).
Sexual Addiction in the Corinthian Church
The city of Corinth was so immoral that the word ‘corinthianize’ became a representation of sexual immorality and drunken debauchery. Therefore, when Paul planted a church in Corinth, sexual immorality issues persisted.
In 1 Corinthians 5:1, Paul reports, “It is reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.”
Most of the Christians in Corinth had at one time in their lives practiced sexual immorality before receiving the Gospel. But, living in a city like Corinth, we would understand the source of this problem.
But even after receiving salvation, the man who sinned with his father’s wife lacked self-control and vigilance. This incident indicates, even though we are born again, we are prone to fall back to our addictions if not vigilant and sober.
Hence, the spirit-versus-flesh battle is ongoing until Christ comes for His Church.
King Solomon’s Addiction for Foreign Women
King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest person to ever live, fell prey to the lust-for-women trap.
In 1 Kings 11:1-4, we read, “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. As a result, he had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.”
Solomon had a total of 1000 women in his life. His desire for women was insatiable. He disregarded the command of God not to marry foreign women.
Marrying one (foreign woman) would be a sin, but he married a thousand of them. The consequence of his disobedience? These women turned him away from God.
With all the wisdom he had, he lacked self-control. Hence, even though God chose him to be King, he was a victim of an insatiable addiction for foreign women.
Thus, without self-control and vigilance, anyone can fall prey to addiction. Therefore, we all must be vigilant, sober and have self-control.
The Cure For Addiction
In John 4:7-26, we find Jesus having a one-on-one conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
During the conversation, Jesus reveals a secret addiction of this woman’s life. She had five husbands in the past and was living with a man who wasn’t her husband.
This woman had an adultery addiction rooted in her heart. She needed deliverance from Christ.
Jesus gave her the perfect cure, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14).
The thirst for satisfying our cravings fuels our addictions. But Jesus tells us, “When you drink from the well of your addictions, you will be thirsty again, but when you drink from my well (the Holy Spirit), you will be satisfied.”
When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s convictions and allow Him to transform our hearts, He will cure our addictions.
However, with the Holy Spirit’s help, we also have our part to play in obeying God’s Word. Otherwise, as the Corinthian man mentioned above, we can fall back to our addictions if not obedient.
Therefore, we must constantly replace what fuels our addictions with the Word of God.
How to Overcome Addiction
It is the will of God to set us free from addictions. But after God transforms our hearts, we also have to play our part by:
Being cautious of activities that fuel our addictions and avoid them altogether.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
Steer clear of friends and activities misleading you. Instead, get new friends if need be. The most effective way is to FLEE, FLEE, FLEE.
Confessing our addictions to trusted people in our lives.
James 5:16 states, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Secrecy fuels addiction and sin. Therefore, once you confess your addiction, it loses its hold and power on you.
Fear of judgment and condemnation may discourage you from confessing, but your soul’s freedom is more important than people’s opinions.
Have accountability partners and fellowship with brethren. Through this, you will have the upper hand to overcome the addiction.
Replacing our addictions with the Word of God, Prayer, and fellowship.
In Proverbs 16:27, the Bible tells us, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” Therefore, occupy your mind with work, bible study, and prayer.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we see that “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Hence, we fight and win our addiction battles in our minds by submitting our thoughts to the authority of Christ.
There IS hope!
Christ desires to set us free from sin and addictions. He did so by dying for our sins, curses, addictions, and poverty. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’” (Galatians 3:13).
Therefore, when Christ has set you free, you are free indeed. But we should be sober and vigilant, always depending on God for His grace to overcome our addictions.
Are you struggling with an addiction? Are you wondering how to overcome it? Please, contact me and allow me to walk with you through it to freedom. CLICK HERE to begin!
By: Angelo Shamoon
Updated on April 2021