The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
Dealing with Addictions
By Joel B.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Friends, today I want to talk to you about addictions and how to overcome them. Addictions can take many forms, but I would assert that most addictions are a form of spiritual oppression. The enemy latches on to you and makes you feel like you need something that you really don’t need. Why does the enemy do this? Because he wants to drag you down. He wants you to feel unworthy of God’s love and grace. You see, many times addictions manifest themselves as guilt. Guilt leads to stress and stress leads to repeating the addictive behavior. This is the enemy’s game. Get you in a vicious cycle that repeats itself over and over, and make you feel like the only way to cope is the addiction.
Fortunately, we have two wonderful things going for us that can help break this cycle. The first is knowing that the Lord is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and He tells us in Luke 15:3-7 that a shepherd will pursue a lost sheep until it is rescued. This represents the sinner and means that Christ does not give up on us, even when we feel like we’ve given up on ourselves or become disillusioned that the Father in heaven has given up on us.
The second wonderful thing we have going for us is the strength the Good Shepherd provides us. Phil 4:13 is a powerful verse and we can count on it. We know that Christ will provide the strength we the sheep need to overpower any addiction we may face. Just think, the first two words of the verse are “I can.” It is a verse of confidence and assurance.
So, in closing you can be assured of two things. If you’re suffering from an addiction, Christ will pursue you until you are rescued from that pit. Second, Christ will give you the strength you need to overcome the addiction. Friends, don’t be afraid to talk to that addiction and tell it to “get lost” or “take a hike.” These is power in the words we speak, even over things that try to overpower us. Thank you for reading and God bless.
