What is addiction?
The Cleveland Clinic (academic medical center) states:
“Addiction is a chronic (lifelong) condition that involves compulsive (uncontrollable) seeking and taking of a substance or performing of an activity despite negative or harmful consequences.”
The majority of these addictions come from the reward center in your brain, or the need to feel that immediate “high” or “good feelings”. This reward center is built to create dopamine (feel good chemical) when you do things that are good for you to train your brain to naturally do them again. However, addictions can also create a release in dopamine- which trains your brain to naturally want to do them again.
God created the dopamine for a good thing, but we messed it up due to sin.
Victory over the Darkness (Neil T Anderson) sums it up well:
“All sinful behavior is a wrong attempt at meeting our basic needs. The essence of sin is a man living independently of God, who has said He will meet all of our needs as we live out life in Christ
Physical (substance) addictions:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Cannabis (marijuana/weed)
- Tobacco/nicotine
- Prescription drugs
- Illicit/illegal drugs (cocaine/meth)
Behavioral addictions:
- Gambling
- Exercise or dieting
- Shopping
- Sex / Pornography
- Video games / internet
- Work
Where do we see addiction in today’s culture Male vs Female?
Some of the common things we see men struggle with today:
- Lust/sex/pornography
- Alcohol
- Video Games
- Many common addictions for women include:
- Food
- Emotions
- Value
Where do we see addiction in the bible?
The rich young ruler dealer with addiction to materialism
Matthew 19:16-18, 20-23
Judas struggled with addiction to greed
John 12:1-6
Saul struggled with addiction to envy
1 Samuel 18:6-9
David struggled with addiction to women and lust
Potiphar’s wife - (sexual sin)
Genesis 39:6-13
Sexual sin is anything that pulls your heart and mind away from how God values you
Sarah and Abraham (Addicted to value or purpose)
Genesis 16:1-6
Mary & Martha- (Addicted to work)
Luke 10:38-42
Encouragements from the Bible about addiction
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Romans 7:14-25 (NLT)
“14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[d] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[e] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
Ending words
- The saying “show me your 5 closest friends and I'll show you who you will become in the next 5 years” – you are what you eat, you will become who you ultimately spend all your time being around!
- Surround yourself closely with God following believers within discipleship and within the church
- Be vocal with those close in your life about your addictions so they can speak into them within discipleship and within your life groups
- Spend daily time with the Lord, the closer we are walking with Him the stronger we will be to overcome temptations when they come our way
- Even Jesus tells us to pray against evil and leading us not into temptation:
Matthew 6:9-13
The Lord's Prayer
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
