CONTRARY TO OUR CULTURE and world, addictive habits are not the way to happiness. The empty wells — including alcohol, gambling, sex and pornography — are ploys of the enemy to devour our lives. Countless men, women and teens are pulled into the lie of addiction. Yet, while under the power and spell of this monster, it is easy to loose sight of God as their only hope.
The voice of addiction says, You can do it on your own — to seek help is a weakness. When in reality, nobody can be free without surrendering their life to God and other people for help. The enemy wants to isolate us and kill us by any means available.
Unfortunately, the lies of addiction help the adversary accomplish his task. Once under its power, Satan can ruin our families, our homes and our lives. He is very shrewd in his chaos and destruction.
The good news is in our “Higher Power” who can set us free from the torment and lies of addiction. As Christians we believe the title of Higher Power belongs to Jesus Christ. When Jesus began His public ministry, His first reading was that of Isaiah 61:1-3.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor … to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
____ Isaiah 61:1-3
If you or a loved one truly wants to be free, Christian Counseling has a tremendous advantage. We aren’t searching for an answer, we already have it. The work comes in walking out our relationship with Christ and doing the work of recovery. Jesus said,
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.
____ Matthew 11:28
So if you or a loved one need strategic help in breaking free of addiction, and you want to ground your recovery in the Word of God, call me. We can discuss a plan and takes steps toward recovery. The goal is to receive everything God has planned for you in the Lord. A friendly reminder however, no one can force a person to stop his or her addiction. Breaking that chain belongs to God. But we can certainly provide a plan and path for those who desire to be set free!
May God bless your footsteps on the path to recovery.
Thomas Isaac Berscheid, MA, LMFT, LPC
© 2015 all rights reserved
Additional thoughts on addiction:
Those who wrestle with addiction are powerless. The first step in any recovery requires that we humbly admit our powerlessness over the addiction and that our lives have become unmanageable. The second step says we came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
Plowing through denial is very hard work. Just ask a person smoking a cigarette through a breathing hole in his larynx. Or a man who lost everything—his wife, children, home, job, everything because of addiction.
Only God can rescue us from addiction. Sobriety in any addiction is just the start. Then we pursue a means to spiritual transformation—the mind and spirit do not renew on their own. It takes time, dedication and work to be transformed. We must bathe in the redemptive love, mercy, power and forgiveness of God who loves us no matter what. Does God have love and compassion for all of us—even in our addiction? Of course! In other words, our relationship with God must become more powerful than our addiction.
When we submit to the healing power of God—and find true fulfillment in the life-giving waters of Jesus Christ—only then can we truly heal. Only then can we drink and be satisfied from the River of God, instead of from the putrid dish of our own sinful desires. Only then can we be rescued from our selves gone riot and the squalor of our secret sins. It’s time to break out of addiction, once and for all, and live a life worth living.
Jesus Christ came to set us free. In every recovery program there is a “spiritual” component, and because we are born spiritually dependent, we will naturally seek a spiritual path. God offers us love and kindness no matter what our personal belief. But only in His Son Jesus Christ can we find absolute freedom and a promise of eternal life. That is total victory! Jesus Christ is a stumbling block to many, but to others He is the cornerstone of life. According to the Bible, all things were created by Jesus, for Jesus and in Jesus they are held together. This claim is made by no other spiritual figure or being. Though once a mystery, Jesus Christ is bigger than any addiction. He can be personally known through our faith, and He will personally set you free. We have a Living God who cares personally about you. To God be the glory. Amen.
© Thomas Isaac Berscheid
July 31, 2012 all rights reserved