Facing Addiction: Body, Soul & Spirit

Audio

Today we looked at the reality of addiction, and how it manifests and affects both the addict and those who are caught in its destructive path. We were challenged to look at addiction through the perspective of Jesus, rather than reduce both the cause and solution to the mindset of the culture. By doing so, we are already moving towards hope! We are bringing the resources of God into our situations. We are being willing to face the “giant” of addiction and properly diagnose both its influence and the ways it can be seized. To accomplish this task, we looked at addiction through three parts: body, soul and spirit. This helped us put addiction in the proper perspective.

Speaking of giants, Goliath was by all practical circumstances far more powerful than David. David didn’t wrap his hope and strength upon personal power; He recognized that if God was on His side, He possessed the intervention resources of the Living God to work on His behalf. In many ways, we are going to need to first face the “giant” of addiction. We are going to need be courageous enough to see its reality. In doing so, we are seeking a remedy to fight “it”, not the person struggling with it. The truth is, addiction is awful and needs to be dealt with like any ferocious foe. However, people are not their addiction. Thus in order to start embarking on this journey, let’s ask ourselves: do I understand the difference between who a person is at a core, versus what they do when manifesting the behaviors of addiction?

Our challenge and mandate is to love the addict, but hate addiction.

Application:

—War can be brutal. There are opportunities to defeat the enemy, and there are opportunities to be hurt.  Risks are involved. And outcomes are not guaranteed. Do you want to engage in the war using God’s weapons?

—Are you prepared to surrender the methods you have used to combat addiction in trade-off for God’s point of view? What do you fear the most?

—How big is your God today?

To encourage:

Yes, addiction is fierce, nasty and overwhelming. But God is more fierce with a pure, holy affection for the entire family’s well being.  And He is on the Winning Team. Right now, transferring to His system is the most important role you have. Focus on meditating on Him, believing He reigns over it and allowing Him to be placed in charge.