I can't do this! - How to overcome addiction

[Alonsobarraza22]

Breaking Chains
Mountains in the Bible often represented some kind of trial, suffering, or obstacle to moving forward. Perhaps what you’re going through right now feels just like a mountain. Picture that mountain in front of you. Now imagine trying to climb that mountain only to realise that, before you even start, your hands and feet are bound together. You first need to be unbound before you can tackle the mountain. So often we can try and tackle the mountains in our lives without ever seeing the chains that hold us down.

When you meet Jesus, He not only comes with love and grace in His eyes but a key in His hand. It’s a key that unlocks the freedom we so desire, the freedom we need if we’re ever going to overcome the mountain. It can feel incredibly hard to admit we need help, especially if the one giving it comes with an air of judgment. Jesus doesn’t. He comes with compassion; He comes understanding your pain and He comes wanting the best for you. By ourselves, we can’t overcome, but in Jesus, we can.

Jesus paid the price that sin had cost us, the sin that bound us and took away our freedom to overcome. To find that freedom we need to go to the one who purchased it for us. We need to apologise for going our own way and commit to following His way, the beautiful way to true life. As we follow Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, it’s in this relationship that our chains begin to fall off. There are two Scriptures I believe God wants you to hear today, the first - a promise, the second - a call to action.

The promise: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” When it comes to God’s promises in our lives, the biggest tension we’ll face is that of our experiences against what we’re assured. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed, regardless of your past reality.

The call: “For freedom, Christ has set us free: stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” It’s a commitment to keep moving forward and not return to what enslaved us.

Response:

Spend a few minutes where you are asking Jesus to show you what freedom looks like in Him and wait in stillness for His response.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the first chain that needs breaking.

[Ray_M_C_Laren]

meetings got me sober but if jesus works for you i wish you well

[Alonsobarraza22]

AA meeting led me to the Big Book. The Big Book led me to the Bigger Big Book which is the Bible. The Bible led me to Jesus. Jesus led me to God.

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 ESV

And Thank you for the blessing.
God bless you too.

[Alonsobarraza22]

The Unseen Chain

Maybe you’re new to the idea of ‘breaking chains’ or maybe you’ve grown up around this language, either way, sometimes it can feel a little too ethereal when all we want is something tangible. We want something we can relate to, something we can understand. By no means am I a scientist but I’ve learnt a few significant things about our brains. Without venturing into too much detail they contain particular chemicals and pathways designed to help us feel, learn and remember. As we become addicted to something we begin rewiring those pathways and training our brains to act and respond in ways they were never intended to do. As the enjoyment of our addiction subsides, our brains still remember what it used to feel like and the hunger to have that again continues, despite the negative impact it can have.

One of the Holy Spirit’s titles in the Bible is ‘Counsellor’. Jesus explains to His disciples that He will send the Counsellor to guide you into all truth (John 14:16-17). He is the best Counsellor because he remains with you every moment of every day, always ready to remind you of the truth. When we begin a relationship with Jesus, we’re given a completely new status, one that says ‘free’. However, just because that’s what we are, it doesn’t mean we automatically think that way. Addiction has trained your brain to think a certain way. We need the Spirit to remind us of the Scriptures, which will most likely happen when we are immersed in them. Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We’ve been set free, but to start living in that reality means thinking differently, thinking in the way of a free person which we learn from the Bible.

The truth of God’s Word is powerful, more powerful than we might know. It’s so essential to read and re-read His Word daily and allow it to begin re-aligning our mindset and thought life with the truth of His Word and not the chains of addiction. In His grace, He’s also gifted people like counsellors and therapists with incredible skills to help on a practical level to re-wire those chemical pathways.

Response:

As you commit to reading the Bible daily, ask the Spirit to break the chemical pathways formed in your mind and to re-align them with His truth.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the second chain that stops us from overcoming in Jesus.