WRESTLING WITH ADDICTION
Part 5 in Series: “Does Anybody Know, Does Anybody Care?”
Rev. Todd G. Leupold, Perth Bible Church, Sunday October 26, 2008 AM
INTRODUCTION: Let me tell you the true story of a duke who lived during the fourteenth century named Raynald III. Raynald III lived a life of indulgence and was obese. His Latin nickname was Crassus, which means, “fat.”
One day Raynald and his younger brother, Edward, got into a vicious fight and Edward planned and executed a triumphant revolt against Raynald. Edward took his older brother into custody but did not take his life. Edward decided to construct a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk Castle and promised his brother that he would enjoy freedom once again when he was able to leave the room.
Now for the average Joe this wouldn’t have been much of a challenge, because the room Edward built had a number of windows and a door of near-normal size. Neither the door nor the windows were locked - - they weren’t barricaded. So you’re getting the picture by now: In order to experience his freedom again Raynald needed to loose weight. But his brother Edward was no dummy, because he knew just how to keep Raynald imprisoned. Every day he would send Raynald an assortment of tasty foods. And what took place is just sad: Instead of dieting his way to freedom, Raynald grew more overweight and he stayed in that room for ten years until his brother died. But by that time his health was so awful that he kicked the bucket within a year. We can say that Raynald III was a prisoner of his own appetite for food.
So many people today are prisoners to their appetite for lust. Like good ole’ Raynald they may appear to be free, maybe even on cloud nine. They know what they like and they know how to get it. They are doing what feels good to them. But the fact is that every bite they take into the tastiness of lust only makes them more of a prisoner. When you and I indulge in a life of sin and do whatever feels good, we are anything but free. We are, according to God’s Word, slaves to sin.
(Michael Thomas , www.sermoncentral.com)
A member of Alcoholics Anonymous once sent columnist Ann Landers this confession:
We drank for happiness and became unhappy.
We drank for joy and became miserable.
We drank for sociability and became argumentative.
We drank for sophistication and became obnoxious.
We drank for friendship and made enemies.
We drank for sleep and awakened without rest.
We drank for strength and felt weak.
We drank "medicinally" and acquired health problems.
We drank for relaxation and got the shakes.
We drank for bravery and became afraid.
We drank for confidence and became doubtful.
We drank to make conversation easier and slurred our speech.
We drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell.
We drank to forget and we’re forever haunted.
We drank for freedom and became slaves.
We drank to erase problems and saw them multiply.
We drank to cope with life and invited death.
(Bits & Pieces, May, 1990, p. 18.)
It would be just as easy to replace food and alcohol in the above examples with any of a myriad of other addictions such as: drugs, medicines, gambling, lust, pornography, public recognition, work, television, Internet use, compulsive shopping, physical appearance, smoking, chocolate, etc. . . .
It is time that we stand up and confess we that we are all, by nature, addictive people. It is time that we stand up and confess that our addictions – no matter what they are – are both sinful and harmful (to ourselves, those we love, and society as a whole). It is time that we stand up, earnestly commit ourselves, and proclaim that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – Jesus Christ truly is ALL that we need and we will neither accept nor allow any other addiction in our lives!
PRAYER
I.) DEFINING ADDICTION
Dr. Gary Collins writes: “An addiction is any thinking or behavior that is habitual, repetitious, and difficult or impossible to control.” (Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide, by Dr. Gary R,. Collins, pp. 507-509)
II.) CAUSES OF ADDICTION
One of the great struggles in dealing with addiction, is for both the addict and society to better understand it in a why that will produce compassion and sympathy without enablement.
The greatest inhibitor to this may be our presumptions that, if someone has an addiction, it must mean that they are weak, extra-sinful, faulty, stupid and/or ’born that way.’
In reality, there are many and diverse factors that tempt one to seek out and embrace an addictive behavior.
Notice, I said tempt and not cause! These are legitimate factors that help us to better understand the existence and power of addiction. They are reasons, but they are not excuses. The presence of any one or even all of these factors does not compel anyone to have to embrace an addiction. At the point of temptation, there is still always a CHOICE, a choice which we must each take personal responsibility for!
A.) Physical
1.Pleasure Seeking
But, Pastor, didn’t God make and give us tobacco, marijuana, hops, barley, fermentation, etc.? Certainly, then, He intended us to use and enjoy them? As one pastor once answered: “God also made rattlesnakes - I sure would like to see you light one of those babies up and take a toke.”
2.Pain Numbing
3.Chemical
4.Desire For Enhancement
5.Genetic Predisposition
6.Habit
B.) Social
1.Peer Pressure
2.Home Life
3.Ethnic/Cultural Expectations - “Drunk Irishman”
C.) Mental
1.Personality
2.Depression
3.Stress
4.Identity Issues
D.) Spiritual
1.Sin
2.Lack of Faith
3.Misconceptions about God & His Word
BOTTOM LINE: As I said earlier, these are legitimate factors that help us to better understand the existence and power of addiction. They are reasons, but they are not excuses. The presence of any one or even all of these factors does not compel anyone to have to embrace an addiction. At the point of temptation, there is still always a CHOICE, a choice which we must each take personal responsibility for! Greater knowing and being aware of that which can tempt and deceive us into ungodly addictions also provides us the warning system we need to protect ourselves and seek help BEFORE we act it out!
III.) EFFECTS OF ADDICTION
Whereas the causes of addiction may include more than one area of our lives, the effects of addiction will ultimately impact ALL of these areas:
A.) Physical
B.) Social
C.) Mental
D.) Spiritual
BOTTOM LINE: In all of these areas, addiction ALWAYS results in . . .
1.Destruction
2.Dependency
IV.) THE BIBLE AND ADDICTION
God’s holy Word, the Bible, gives us all of the principles that we need to understand, reject and defeat addictions in our lives. They can be summarized according to what attitudes and expectations we are to avoid, and what initiatives we must take and live by (adopted from Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide, by Dr. Gary R,. Collins, pp. 507-509):
A.) Do NOT . . .
1.Be Mastered By Anything But Christ – 1 Co. 6:12; Mt. 6:24; Ro. 6:17
2.Assume Any Addiction Can Resolve Our Problems or Remove Our Burdens
- Psalm 55:22; Mt. 12:28-30; 1 Peter 5:6-7
3.Expect Drugs To Bring You Closer To God – Jn. 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5-6
- If you haven’t noticed, the “Age of Aquarius” is a failed experiment!
4.Become “Drunk” - Ephesians 5:17-18
B.) DO . . .
1.Be Filled With The Spirit of God – Ephesians 5:18-21
2.Depend Utterly Upon Christ – Matthew 6:33; 1 Co. 10:13; Ro. 8:37
3.Practice Temperance, Self-Discipline, and Self-Control – 2 Tm. 1:7; Titus 2:2-8,12; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 5:8
4.Keep Your Body Pure – Ro,. 12:1; 1 Co. 6:19-20
V.) CONQUERING ADDICTION
We Conquer Addiction When We Apply These Biblical Principles!
C.R. Snyder (in his book, The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There from Here, as referenced in Competent
Christian Counseling Volume One, ed. By Dr. Timothy Clinton & Dr. George Ohlschlager, pg. 465) proposed the formula:
Hope = Willpower to change + Waypower to change
Christian Psychologist, Dr. E.L. Worthington (in his book, The Dimensions of Forgiveness: Psychological Research and Theological Perspectives, as referenced in Competent Christian Counseling Volume One, ed. By Dr. Timothy Clinton & Dr. George Ohlschlager, pg. 465) adds to this formula:
the “Waitpower for change”
In other words, there is always hope for conquering an addiction so long as we have the Will, the Power, and the Perseverance to make it so and change our perspective, assumptions and behaviors.
Please turn your attention to a video clip that succinctly illustrates these principles in their simplest form:
“Stop It!” video (clip from Mad TV with Bob Newhart – 6 mins.)
Overcoming addiction, friends, really can be that simple. But it very rarely is – why?
It goes back to “waypower.” In the flesh – on our own efforts or even those of others employing human means – we truly are most of the time too weak to just “stop it!’ no matter how much we want to, need to, are threatened to, or how long we’re willing to wait for ’things’ to ’just change.’
In Christ, however, we have access to ALL of the “waypower” anyone could ever need to completely and permanently overcome ANY and ALL addiction!
Philippians 4:13,19
The real questions that determine the outcome of our struggles with addiction are:
1.) Do we we trust Jesus enough to let Him?
2.) Do we really want Jesus more than when want our addiction? For all of our knowledge, opportunity, and access through Christ, will we choose to be as foolish as Duke Raynald III?
DO . . .
1)Be Filled With The Spirit of God – Ephesians 5:18-21
2)Depend Utterly Upon Christ – Matthew 6:33; 1 Co. 10:13; Ro. 8:37
3)Practice Temperance, Self-Discipline, and Self-Control – 2 Tm. 1:7; Titus 2:2-8,12; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 5:8
4)Keep Your Body Pure – Ro,. 12:1; 1 Co. 6:19-20
INVITATION
FINAL COMMENTS:
A River Funny
A preacher was winding up his temperance sermon with great fervor:
"If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river." The congregation cried, "Amen!"
"And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it in the river." The congregation cried, "Amen!"
"And if I had all the whiskey and the rum in the world, I’d take it all and throw it in the river." And the congregation cried, "Amen!"
After the sermon the preacher sat down. The deacon stood up: "For our closing hymn," he announced, "let us turn to page 126 and sing, ’We Shall Gather at the River.’"
(Mike Atkinson @ Youth Specialties http://www.MikeysFunnies.com)
- God has revealed to us all this morning what we need to know and do. Please, I implore you, let none of us walk out of here and go right back to our addictions!
