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Addiction?

Wrg1405

Wrg1405

Member
Someone accepts Jesus. Beleives he is the son of God, that he died and rose again. They have an addiction, be it gambling, alcohol, smoking, food, shopping etc.

They seek God daily, they want to be conformed to the image of Christ, they proclaim the gospel to those around them, they pray for people because they feel deep pain for them, they beleive God can heal them, help them, they sense God laying people on their heart. Yet they can't get over their addiction, they cry out to God daily for healing yet it's not forthcoming. Their addiction is secret. It eats away at them every minute of the day, their worst fear is "What happens when I stand before God?

Any thoughts?
 
I have some experience with that....
I kept thinking about how I couldn't serve two masters. I had lots of thoughts about secretly giving up Christianity while pretending to still live it on the outside...because I knew God was real and I didn't want to lead people away from Him. I don't think I ever questioned the status of my salvation, though a part of me also feared dying and going to hell. The other part feared dying and God being disappointed in me.
I don't know what to think, really. That was a few years back. It's long past now.
 
questdriven said:
I have some experience with that....
I kept thinking about how I couldn't serve two masters. I had lots of thoughts about secretly giving up Christianity while pretending to still live it on the outside...because I knew God was real and I didn't want to lead people away from Him. I don't think I ever questioned the status of my salvation, though a part of me also feared dying and going to hell. The other part feared dying and God being disappointed in me.
I don't know what to think, really. That was a few years back. It's long past now.
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Wow an amazing answer. How did you get past fear of dying and going to hell and/or dying and God being disappointed in you? Why is long past?
 
Wrg1405 said:
Someone accepts Jesus. Beleives he is the son of God, that he died and rose again. They have an addiction, be it gambling, alcohol, smoking, food, shopping etc.
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Well Scripture is very clear. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ includes repentance and conversion. So your hypothetical addict did not really repent and be converted.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19). To be converted is to change your lifestyle. See the conversion of the apostle Paul (Acts 9).
 
When it comes to our relationship with Christ it is a matter of the hearts condition not the conditions of the flesh as only God knows the intents of the heart. If the Holy Spirit, whom is quick to convict us, is convicting you of an addiction then you need to give it over to God and never take it back no matter how hard it is to do. In time you will become stronger than the addiction by that of Gods strength when our own is weak. Many of us have struggled with things in our life that wasn't pleasing to the Lord and none of us wants to be a stumbling block, but while others may be seeing and judging that which you try to hide in secret they also need to understand that no one is perfect, but are being perfected daily as we are a work in progress.
 
Wrg1405 said:
Wow an amazing answer. How did you get past fear of dying and going to hell and/or dying and God being disappointed in you? Why is long past?
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I eventually did get rid of the addiction. It wasn't easy and I still felt the lingering effects of it (in the form of depression) for a long time afterward.
I felt so far away from God during that time, I remember going to church almost physically hurt. He never left me, though.
 
Malachi said:
Well Scripture is very clear. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ includes repentance and conversion. So your hypothetical addict did not really repent and be converted.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19). To be converted is to change your lifestyle. See the conversion of the apostle Paul (Acts 9).
Click to expand...
Not to jump on the defensive, but I would have to strongly disagree with this, based on my experience. I was definitely converted before my addiction. In fact during the months before my addiction I had been closer to God than ever before. That being a stark contrast to suddenly pulling away from God and having something else take His place. It was a huge part of where my guilt at the time came from.
Believers don't always act the way they should.
 
Malachi said:
Well Scripture is very clear. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ includes repentance and conversion. So your hypothetical addict did not really repent and be converted.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19). To be converted is to change your lifestyle. See the conversion of the apostle Paul (Acts 9).
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Addiction took root after they became a Christian, before they became a Christian they never knew who their dad, early memory was bad, mother threw them out at 14. Was fostered and foster dad tried to sexually abuse them for 4 years. When they left the Foster home anxiety and depression set in along with addiction. They hate it.

Me thinks you are being harsh.
 
Would also mention (without going into details, need to preserve privacy) that I know people (Christians, who show fruit in their lives) who struggled with addiction for years and who turned away from it. But still struggle with it. Addiction can be chemical or psychological, and to my understanding it's usually a bit of both, depending on what the addiction is towards. Not that I'm an expert on it's effects and causes, though, cuz I'm not.
 
Malachi said:
Well Scripture is very clear. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ includes repentance and conversion. So your hypothetical addict did not really repent and be converted.
Click to expand...

So in a sense we could say "You haven't repented and not saved, even though you hate it and ask daily Jesus help me, help me with my addiction, help me with my unbelief"
 
Malachi said:
This is not a matter of perfection, but of conversion. Did you read Acts 9 before posting?
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Paul's thorn in the flesh was that of Satan's messenger trying to buffet him and what did Jesus tell him.
2Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

His strength is made what...............it's made perfect in our weakness. Those who are Spiritually born again will reach out for help to fight the addiction as we are to weak within our self to overcome them. Conversion brings about Gods perfection in us.
 
Some sins drop off some hang on.. God looks at our hearts not our weak failing flesh.. I remember well the old preacher thumping his Bible pounding the pulpit denouncing the sins of tobacco and alcohol .. mean while the buttons on his vest wire about to pop off... seems he ignored part of the scripture...
Deu_21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
Pro_23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Being raised in a pentecostal home many things were sins... I was 40 years old before i understood a Christian could be christian and some cigarettes...

Php_1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
 
I find the church's response to stuff like this depressing. Most often those who easily say "just trust God" or "if you truly knew God you wouldn't do that" don't know what it's like. Of course, I don't want to make assumptions about people's history, and sometimes I've found people actually do have some personal experience. Just, compassion is the most important thing. Addiction was the hardest thing I ever had to go through, and I promise you, I blamed myself plenty. I couldn't not blame myself. That didn't make stopping any easier. I tried and failed countless times. Most of the time people need outside help and counselling to stop. Even Christians.

I have talked about my experience with depression on this forum. Most of the time I'm talking about that, I'm actually referring to the period where I dealt with addiction. It's just easier and less complicated to tell people it was depression.
 
for_his_glory said:
Paul's thorn in the flesh was that of Satan's messenger trying to buffet him and what did Jesus tell him.
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This is completely off topic. The reference was to Paul's conversion and his turning away from the addiction of persecuting Christians. Please note (Acts 9:20-22):
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Why is nobody reading Acts 9?
 
Addictive substances literally make your body dependant on them, causing physical symptoms and making you feel sick. That's only one type of addiction, too. There is also psychological, where instead of being physically sick you experience things like depression as withdrawal symptoms. Both can occur in addicts.
When people think of addiction they think of drugs, alcohol, or gambling. But actually it can be practically anything, including things that aren't inherently bad.

Believers are still capable of sin, so yes getting caught in bondage to an addiction is possible. Addiction is a disorder that messes with your brain's natural reward system.
 
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I'm addicted to women.
I'm not talking about a sexual thing, I'm talking about my need to be with them and make friends with them and joke with them and hang out with them (My wife doesn't allow that but I still like the idea of doing it because I trust myself).
But my wife says she doesn't trust them so I have to go along with it.
 
Wrg1405 said:
So in a sense we could say "You haven't repented and not saved, even though you hate it and ask daily Jesus help me, help me with my addiction, help me with my unbelief"
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You're name causes me to think of Wrigley gum.
Are you part of the Wrigley family?
Did I bump into you once on the island of Catalina?
 
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