WHO (or WHAT) CONTROLS YOUR LIFE?
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEPENDENCE AND ADDICTION! (Physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual!)
(THIS IS AN ARTICLE I'VE HAD TUMBLING AROUND IN MY BRAIN FOR QUITE AWHILE!)
I know many people, each with a different form of addiction. I'll list some here! (This is NOT an exhaustive list!)
Some friends let alcohol rule their lives. (Few know how deeply controlling it can be!)
I don't need to elaborate on the many other drugs which ruin lives, both temporarily and permanently! Just look at the many "addiction's websites"! Smoking is included here!
Then there's gaming addiction (both Internet and P.C.s)! It can be very compelling, as you want to be better than everyone else who plays the game! It's a thing of status. (I've been there!)
Then there's pornography. It's one of the several things that destroys marriages. (Failure to communicate often drives this abnormal behavior!)
Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media may cause a dependence, some due to a lack of meaningful relationships, or the RIGHT relationship.
Gambling is a an addictive disorder that ruins lives, both personally and communally (destruction of the family). I've known several gamblers! It's glorified on televised sports networks as if it's some positive virtue! It's a habit that ruins lives!
Internet addiction has become very popular, for those with too much spare time. You'll know that you have it if you're on the 'net more than 10 hours a day!
Shopping is another addiction. To some (whether needed or NOT) buying things fulfills needs.
Then there's plastic surgery addiction. (I don't need to go on. Take Michael Jackson, for instance!) This disorder has to do with your disagreement about the way that God has uniquely made you!
You may have an eating disorder, craving food when you don't physically need it! (Many bored people are overweight and under-exercised!)
Solving these many addictions and disorders takes MORE than simple determination! It's not a "mind-over-matter" deal! Counseling sometimes reveals positive results, and now, with a new approach to your solution, you become accountable to someone OTHER than yourself!
EVERY ONE OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS I'VE LISTED REQUIRES OUTSIDE HELP.
There are two main sources! One is man's help. (Governmental agencies, psychiatrists, and self-help groups, and some preachers like Rick Warren, encourage those who are addicted to be accountable to another person). However, these plans seldom provide a permanent solution!
The ONLY way to be permanently released from bondage is by a complete dependence upon the LORD! Teen Challenge is an example of a very successful non-governmental organization stressing total reliance upon God to combat your addiction!
The REAL battleground in all of these is ultimately for your soul!
The devil WANTS you addicted to something, and so he provides you with a plethora of choices! If you're too busy to bother with God, he's got you just where he wants you! It's been his plan from the beginning!
But God Almighty wants you to come to Him with your troubles, problems and weaknesses!
Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"
Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
I know people who have been delivered from BOTH cocaine and alcohol SIMULTANEOUSLY!
Only Jesus Christ is capable of such a miracle!
Occasionally when I witness to someone they tell me, "I'm an atheist!" I tell them, there's no such thing! SOME THING IS YOUR GOD! It may be an addiction listed above. Their altar may be to themselves!
If you're troubled, and need deliverance, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross paying for all of your sins! He was buried, but three days later He arose from the dead according to the scriptures! This is the gospel! (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
If you humbly admit to God that you need deliverance from your sin and believe the gospel, you ARE SAVED! RIGHT THEN!
From this point, with God as your Heavenly Father, you have His full attention to help. Trust Jesus with your soul!
Only He can deliver!
