Breaking Free of Addictions

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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.

We don’t do battle like those who live in our culture. We destroy arguments with the knowledge of God.

In Greek, a stronghold is

A prisoner locked by deception. Living life by something that is not true

We are going to look at several lies from the devil. Today we will look at

Addiction Lies

Addiction is not just for alcoholics, crack addicts, sex addicts…

Addiction: Anything that I do that I don’t want to do but I can’t figure out how to stop doing it.

Anger, porn, phone, TV, food, sports, work

These things will take over your life…

Romans 7:21-

Romans 7:21–24 NIV

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Paul said he loved God, but there was a battle going on inside him. We experience the same things...

Here are some of the lies…

Addiction becomes part of my identity

Not knocking 12 step programs. I don’t agree with, I am an alcoholic forever… You are not what you have done. You are what God sees you as. You don’t have to be that…

When I try to quit but fail, I feel increasingly hopeless

Some of you may feel hopeless because you have tried to change and you keep failing… it just doesn’t work out… and you feel hopeless.

Any threat to my addiction becomes a threat to me

When someone confronts you, you become defensive, lie and attack the person trying to help you. You begin to think they and God are against you.

I begin to lose my life

Sometimes you may think you have gone too far… done too much...

If you will go God’s way, you can have your life… you get it back.

I ease the pain by getting my next fix

Romans 7:24–25 The Message

24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

We can all relate to this. There are things that we wish had stayed in 2019…

Look at the next verse…

Overcoming Addiction in Our lives

Romans 8:1–2 NIV

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

No condemnation… that’s what everyone wants. I’m not talking about faking it…

This church will never be a condemning place. We can’t because we ALL struggle with something and pride comes just before a fall.

We need to be honest with the fact that we are all fallen.

Romans 8:2 NIV

2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

screen only…

Idolatry:

Idolatry: Anything we allowed to sit on the throne of our hearts other than God

whatever you make an idol… it controls you. It becomes something we worship… and we imitate it and we become it.

We are always a slave to whatever is on the throne of our hearts.

How do you get God on the throne of your life?

1. Put God first in every area of my life

Salvation is not when you attend church, fill out a card, raise your hand or get baptized. It’s when you re-order your life around putting God on the throne of your life.

Exodus 20:1–3 NIV84

1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

You can love other things and people, but have to love God over everyone and everything.

Exodus

1 Peter 3:15 NIV84

15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Set Christ as the LORD of your heart. Here is one way you can do that…

1 Peter

Give God the first of everything.

First 15… first day of the week, go to church… tithe of the top…

2. Say no to the flesh

We have to learn to say no to the flesh… fasting helps.

You are three part being: Sprit, Soul (mind, will, emotions) and a body. All three want to be in charge.

If you will learn to deny our flesh on a regular basis, you will keep the flesh under control.

Romans 6:12–14 NIV

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Galatians 5:24 NIV84

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

You get rid of the flesh by killing it. You crucify it with Jesus. You starve it. Fasting will help you say not to the flesh. You develop the habit of telling your ???? whatever it is and say no. We will have another 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting in August.

Gal 5:24

What I starve dies

3. Go all in with Jesus

You cannot just go half way. You will never experience God’s best if you only go half way. People have said Christianity did not work for them, but they didn’t go all in.

Romans 12:2 The Message

2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.