Addiction

When most people hear the word addiction they automatically think of drugs. However, addiction comes in many other forms such as, sex, food, alcohol and money.

What is one word that the bible uses that can be substituted for the word addiction?

Lust.

Contrary to popular belief, lust does not only refer to sex, but is rather the desire that one has to fulfill whatever they like. In other words, you get a good feeling from doing that activity. So it is with different addictions, people engage in those behaviors because they get a good feeling from it.

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Often, people with certain types of addiction will do other heinous things such as committing murder or stealing to fulfill their addictions.

So where does one start to get help with their addiction(s)?

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There are many different intervention programs that are offered in the world but for the most part they don’t provide a permanent remedy for most people.

For a practical approach we should start with the bible and looking at how God told us to live our lives and the examples that his son Jesus Christ left for us.

The sole purpose of our lives is to have respect for God and to do whatever he commanded us.

Ecclesiastes 12:13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

So let’s take as an example the case of the more popular drug addiction, God gave us a commandment that we should not defile (pollute) our temples (body). So if you’re God-fearing you’re going to do what he says.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Corinthians 3:17

The same goes for people that are addicted to money and do everything in their power to chase after it.

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1 Timothy 6:10-11,14 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Some people may argue that giving up your addiction is not as easy as it sounds. We have Jesus Christ as an example who came in the flesh and lived the same life that we’re living now and had every opportunity to fulfill his lusts, but he didn’t. He fought with all his might until the very end of his life to do his father’s commandments and so should we do likewise.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man [talking about Christ], he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin [talking about Christ].

When you examine people that have different addictions, a lot of them will tell you that it’s something that happened in their childhood that caused them to develop that addiction that they have.

We know that horrible things happen to people at times because of the wicked world that we’re living in, however that does not give a person an excuse for their ungodly behavior.

The basis for this article came from a recent airing on the National Geographic channel that featured several different illegal ways people get their money in Las Vegas, from robbing casinos the traditional way, to people cheating the different card games and “trick roll.” Trick roll is when women dress up as prostitutes and rob their victims.

trick roll

In watching that episode you see the addiction clearly because the people kept doing the same things over and over again even in cases where they got involved in shootouts or they nearly get caught by the authorities. In fact the woman that they featured doing the trick rolling (woman in the picture above) said that she’s “addicted” to it, despite the fact that she had friends that died from doing it. Her justification as to why she does it is also worth mentioning. She stated that she got abused when she was younger by men and later in her childhood got raped several times so she hates men and don’t mind doing what she’s doing.

We should not let whatever evil happened to us in our childhood overcome us; rather, we should overcome it.

Romans 12:21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

We’re also going to be all judged for the things that we do while alive so it’s best to repent from whatever addiction that we have and live Godly.

Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

 

 

 

 

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