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 Various Scriptures

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called, “Lord, I Have a Problem,” and in this series we are looking at how God helps you with your problems. Today we are talking about addiction. How does God help you with the problem of addiction? (Read Proverbs 14:12 and pray.)

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“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12). Although this verse applies to many situations in life, it is a perfect description of addiction. Addiction comes in many forms. We immediately think of alcohol and drugs, but people can become addicted to many things: food, gambling, shopping, work, cigarettes, pornography, the internet, video games, smart phones, texting, pain medications and so on.

One person described her addiction this way: “It was the best thing until it became the worst thing.” That could almost be a mantra for any addiction. It’s always that way. Whether it’s alcohol or something else, it’s always the best thing until it becomes the worst thing. There is a way that seems right to you—it’s the best thing, the very best thing, the only thing, nothing matters more than this—but in the end it leads to death.

And it’s not even the thing itself that is the real problem, but it’s your addiction to the thing. It’s your addiction that’s the real issue. You were meant to worship God and God alone, and somehow you have allowed something else to take his rightful place in your life.

The word addiction comes from the Latin word addictus, which means “surrender to the gods.” Your habit becomes your worship. The Bible calls that idolatry. Unchecked, it will ultimately destroy you. We desperately need to deal with this problem of addiction.

I. The problem of addiction

So, why is addiction such a problem? It is a huge problem because of the great costs involved.

   A. The cost to society

First of all, there is the cost to society. When you type the words “social costs of alcohol” into Google, it returns over 122,000,000 results. According to the CDC, excessive alcohol consumption costs the United States over $200 billion annually. According to the Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior there are over 100,000 deaths per year in the United States due to alcohol abuse. The Encyclopedia states: “Such statistics, compelling as they are, tell only part of the story. In addition to causing early death, substance abuse makes for a variety of consequences that reduce the quality of life, both for users and other people.” The annual cost of drug abuse is over $100 billion, and the annual cost of problem gambling is $14 billion. Americans spend more on pornography in one year than the annual sales of Coca-Cola, and almost two-thirds of all visits and commerce on the Internet involve a sexual purpose (Sharon Hersh, The Last Addiction, p. 92).

   B. The cost to families

Then, there is the cost to families. Most of us either know or are in a family that has been affected by addiction. Robert Perkinson in his 2004 report on drug and alcohol addiction concluded “that there is not a family in America that has not been impacted by addiction.”
A family is a system, and when the system runs properly it is a beautiful thing. You have a safe place to come home; the family members love and support each other; everyone does their part.

But addiction throws a horrible wrench into the system. Home is no longer a safe place; children end up picking up after their parents; we learn to live with deception and denial; we develop unhealthy coping mechanisms that follow us into other areas of life. Never mind a safe environment—we are just working on survival.

It’s the children who usually suffer the most. They don’t understand why mom or dad isn’t there for them. They don’t understand why their parents continue to do something so damaging to themselves and to their home. Children in addicted households usually experience greater levels of anger or abuse than those in other households. And then, of course, there are the many babies that are born already physically dependent on one drug or another.

Most families struggling with addiction eventually come apart. And so, there is the high cost of divorce or separation, which is another one of the costs to society as well.

   C. The cost to yourself (Proverbs 23:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

So, there is the cost to society, there is the cost to families, and then there is the cost to yourself as an individual. Proverbs 23 warns about alcohol abuse: “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (Prov. 23:19-21). When you are addicted, you are basically out of control. You can convince yourself that you are still under control. You may be functional. You can tell yourself, “I can stop any time I want,” but you are not in control anymore.

Addiction can even affect a person’s eternal destiny. 1 Corinthians 6 says: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Remember, your addiction becomes your god. It is idolatry. If your addiction keeps you away from the real God, it will also keep you out of the kingdom of God. This is the ultimate end-game of Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”—eternal death, eternal separation from God.

So, addiction is a huge problem. There is a high cost to society, families, and individuals. Now let’s dig a little deeper into the Scriptures to see if we can better understand what addiction is all about.

II. Understanding addiction

There are many ways to describe the progression of addiction and how a person becomes addicted, but let me share with you a simple four-step process that seems to cover the main bases. Addiction: 1) begins with hurt, 2) which leads to escape, 3) which leads to deception, 4) which results in slavery. Let’s talk about all four in sequence.

   A. Hurt (Proverbs 18:14)

Addiction begins with hurt. It may be loneliness, guilt or shame, but at the heart of every addiction there is a deep and lingering hurt that has never been resolved. It may be a pain from your childhood or some traumatic event in your life, but there is always an underlying issue that you have never fully addressed.

That’s a scary thought for some people, which is why they continue in their addiction. In fact, that’s the whole point of the addiction. We don’t want to address the underlying issue, and that’s why we try to cover it up with alcohol, drugs, work or food.

The Bible acknowledges the heart-breaking issues of life. Proverbs 18:14 says: “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” God knows a crushed spirit is more than you or I can bear, and that’s why he offers to bear it for us. But when we go looking for God in all the wrong places, we often substitute a life-killing addiction for God’s actual healing power. Addiction begins with hurt.

   B. Escape (James 1:13-14)

Next comes escape. In the children’s book The Little Prince, the prince asks a character called the Tippler, “Why do you drink?” The Tippler responds, “Because I feel guilty.” The prince then asks, “Why do you feel guilty?” The Tippler responds: “Because I drink.”

This is part of the cycle of addiction. We cannot bear the emotional pain, and so we seek escape in our addiction. And we find that escape in something that seems so wonderful, something that makes us feel good for a change, something that soothes all the bad feelings and numbs the pain. It’s how we learn to cope with our hurt. It’s the best thing until it becomes the worst thing. Eventually it becomes the overriding desire in our life.

Addiction has to do with our desires. We make excuses, we try to duck responsibility, but it all comes back to our own desires gone wrong. James 1 says: “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15).

When we are addicted, we experience this cycle of temptation, desire and sin over and over and over again. We eventually despair of ever breaking the cycle, but there is hope. Others have broken the cycle, and you can too! But you must first understand what it is you are doing and why. Addiction begins with hurt which then leads to escape.

   C. Deception (Jeremiah 17:9)

Next comes deception. This is one of the most insidious parts of addiction: the lies we tell each other and the lies we tell ourselves. We become experts at hiding our addiction. We hide it because we are afraid it will be taken away from us if it is discovered. And we’re not sure that we can live without it. So we lie, deceive, manipulate and blame—and in the process, we lose all true sense of self. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” That is never more true than when we are talking about addiction.

The addict’s two main tools are deception and denial. The alcoholic hides bottles around the house. The porn addict encrypts computer files on the hard drive and wipes the browsing history clean. The shop-a-holic keeps separate stashes of money and hides the receipts. The food addict purges in private. The gambler lies about where all the money went.

And talk about denial? Addicts are master manipulators. If I’m an addict, just try confronting me with my addiction, and you will hear an unending stream of deflection and excuses expertly designed to prevent you from touching my idol, my best thing. I might even make you feel guilty for asking.

Here are some of the common lies addicts tell all the time. See if you recognize any of these:

“One drink isn’t going to hurt.”
“I just need a little something to relax me.”
“I’ve worked hard and I deserve this.”
“I can handle it.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“This will be the last time.” (Note: How many of us have told ourselves this lie before? The next time you are tempted to say it, understand that when you say this time is going to be the last time, it’s not going to be the last time. You’re telling yourself a lie. The only way it will ever truly be the last time is if the last time was the last time, not this time.)
“I can stop anytime I want.” Or the flip side to this one:
“I can’t stop anyway, so why even try?”

Even chemical dependency is a lie of sorts. It is a physical lie. It is your body telling you that you will die if you don’t continue with the addictive substance. It’s not true. You will go through withdrawal, it will be horrible, it will be miserable, and yes, you will need a doctor’s care. But you will not die. It’s a lie our bodies tell us, and we believe it. Our bodies believe it.

We don’t just lie to each other. We lie to ourselves. I had a friend who was a recovering alcoholic. He shared with me how in the old days he would be at home and say to himself, “I should go out and buy a newspaper.” And so, he would get in his car and drive to the liquor store to get a paper. He would pass several newspaper stands and convenience stores along the way, but he would always end up at the liquor store to get the paper. And then while he was there, he would just happen to buy something to drink. And then he would go home and drink and never even read the paper. He told me, “Every time I left the house to get the paper, I really thought I was going to get a paper. I would fool myself every time.”

Deception is a tragic part of every addiction. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9).

   D. Slavery (Genesis 4:7; Proverbs 23:29-35; Romans 6:16)

Addiction begins with hurt, which leads to escape, which leads to deception, which results in slavery. This is the final problem with addiction. It is bondage; it is dependency; it is slavery. God told Cain in back Genesis 4:7: “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Addiction works the other way around. Addiction desires to have you, and it becomes your master.

Proverbs 23 describes the person struggling with alcohol:

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35)

This passage very vividly shows all the negative effects the alcohol is having on the person, and yet it is still the driving force in their lives. What is their final cry? “When will I wake up so I can find another drink? When will I wake up so I do it all over again?” This is the cry of every addict. No matter how negative or destructive the effects, our addiction becomes the driving force in our lives, and everything is oriented around when can I get the next drink or the next fix or whatever it is that is controlling me.

Romans 6 says: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16). Addiction is slavery, but it is a voluntary slavery. No matter how we got there, at one point we offered ourselves to our addictions instead of to God, and when you offer yourself to someone to obey him as a slave, you are a slave to the one whom you obey.

That’s the cycle of addition. Addiction begins with hurt, which leads to escape, which leads to deception, which results in slavery.

III. Dealing with addiction

So, how do you deal with addiction? Let me close out this message by sharing with you eight principles from God’s word. If you are struggling with addiction, these principles will help you. If you know someone who is struggling with addiction, these eight principles will help them. If you are struggling with a secret sin, one that you just can’t seem to break free from, these eight principles will help you as well.

   A. God knows and loves you (Hebrews 4:13; Romans 5:8)

Number one, God knows you and loves you. Hebrews 4:13 says: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God knows your secret, and he loves you anyway.

He has always loved you. He has always wanted to be there for you and to heal that hurt or pain in your life. Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words, you don’t have to clean yourself up before you come to God. Come to God just as you are and let him do the cleaning up for you. Jesus died for you when you were still a sinner. God knows you, and he loves you.

   B. It is a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8)

Number two, it is a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” There is a whole spiritual world out there that is aligned against you. No wonder you feel overwhelmed.

1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” There is a spiritual battle going on for your soul, and Satan wants to use your addiction against you to destroy you. Do not be deceived. It is a spiritual battle.

   C. There is hope in God (Psalm 25:3; John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11)

Number three, there is hope in God. That’s important because a lot of addicts have lost hope. They have tried and failed to kick the habit so many times, they think there is no way out. But there is always hope in God.

Psalm 25:3 says: “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” A lot of us feel a burning shame over our addiction. It is one of the reasons we keep it hidden, why we are scared to death of getting caught or being found out. The private shame is bad enough, but we feel the public shame would be unbearable. If that’s you this morning, will you take comfort in Psalm 25:3? No one who puts their hope in God will ever be put to shame.

There is hope in God. You do not need to be addicted forever. That is not what God wants for you. Jesus said in John 10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Satan wants to destroy you; Jesus came to free you from your addictions and to give you abundant life, life to the full.

Remember the verses we read earlier from 1 Corinthians that spoke about people with various sins or addictions and how they would never enter the kingdom of God? That sounded pretty hopeless, didn’t it? But that’s only because we didn’t read the next verse yet, where Paul writes: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor.6:11).

In other words, there were people in the church at Corinth who at one time were excluded from God’s kingdom because of their sins and because they worshiped their addiction instead of God. But Paul reminds them: “That is what you were.” Yes, that was their past, but God changed them. They were washed clean and sanctified in the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God. You can change, too. There is hope in God.

   D. You need God’s help (Romans 7:15-25; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

That leads us to our fourth point. You need God’s help. You have been escaping your hurt for so long, and you are so deep in deception and slavery that you cannot possibly beat this on your own. It is a spiritual battle, and you need God’s help.

Perhaps you can relate to what the apostle Paul said about himself in Romans 7. Paul wrote:

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do … I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out … What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15-25)

Paul was talking about indwelling sin in his life, but his words are easily applied to addiction. Perhaps you have even spoken those same words: “What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The answer is “No one.” No one can rescue you except God. God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross to rescue you from your sins and to help you with your problems. Only Jesus can help you overcome temptation and sin.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” You are not the only person with this problem. You are not the only person experiencing addiction. God has helped others, and he will help you. But you will never beat it without him. You need God’s help.

   E. You need good people (1 Corinthians 15:33; Hebrews 3:13)

Number five: you need good people around you. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” If there are people or relationships in your life that are a negative influence, you need to make a break with them, at least until God has brought your life under control. You need to surround yourself with good people who will encourage you, hold you accountable and help you make good decisions. That is why we have the body of Christ.

The book of Hebrews tells us: “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13). Notice the emphasis on deception again. You can’t deal with this on your own. You need God, and you need others.

   F. Truth is your friend (John 8:31-36; 1 John 1:8-9)

Number six, truth is your friend. You may have been lying to others and yourself for so long you don’t even know what the truth looks like anymore. You need to get reacquainted. Jesus said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-36). Lies bring slavery; truth brings freedom. You need to commit yourself to the truth in all areas of your life if you truly want to break free.

Truth begins with confession—confessing your sin, confessing your need. The Bible says: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Forgiveness for all your sins and cleansing from all your past is only a confession of sin away. You have been lying too long. Truth is your friend.

   G. Count yourself dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:11-13)

Number seven, count yourself dead to sin but alive to God. That’s what Paul says in Romans 6: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus…. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:11-13).

You need to make a complete break with the past. You need to count yourself dead to sin and to your old way of life. There is no going back. Whatever your sin or addiction, don’t comfort it, don’t coddle it, don’t entertain notions that you and your addiction can somehow co-exist in the future. You need to break it off. Count yourself dead to sin but alive to God.

And that second part is key. If you only count yourself dead to sin, you will always be missing your addiction. You will always longing for it. You will always wanting to go back to it. But when you count yourself alive to God, when you offer yourself to him, you will find life and healing and hope for the future.

   H. Grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
      – especially self-control (Ephesians 5:18)

And then finally, grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, especially self-control. Ephesians 5:18 says: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” The idea is this. Do not be controlled by wine; do not be controlled by food; do not be controlled by anything which pulls you away from God. Instead, be controlled by the Spirit of God as he works in you and changes you from within to be more like Jesus.

CONCLUSION: Addiction is a serious problem that affects society, families and individuals. If you are struggling with addiction this morning, you need help.

There’s no quick fix to your problem. It will take time and determination. It will mean opening up to other people. You will need other people to come alongside you to help. You may even need a doctor’s care and assistance.

But with God’s help and by applying these principles from God’s word to your situation, you can have victory. Will you give your addiction over to God today?

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Some helpful resources for dealing with addiction:

Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel, by Edward T. Welch

Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, by Stephen Arterburn

Freedom from Addiction: Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding Freedom in Christ, by Neil T. Anderson

Getting to No: How to Break a Stubborn Habit, by Erwin W. Lutzer

The Heart of Addiction: A Biblical Perspective, by Mark E. Shaw

Inside a Cutter’s Mind: Understanding and Helping Those Who Self-Injure, by Jerusha Clark, Dr. Earl Henslin

The Last Addiction: Why Self-Help Is Not Enough, by Sharon Hersh

Life’s Healing Choices: Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits, by John F. Baker Jr.

Mom, everyone else does!: Becoming Your Daughter’s Ally in Responding to Peer Pressure to Drink, Smoke, and Use Drugs, by Sharon Hersh

No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Addiction, by Marnie C. Ferree

Playstation Nation: Protect Your Child from Video Game Addiction, by Olivia Bruner, Kurt Bruner

Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle, by Michael Cusick

When Good Men Are Tempted, by William Perkins

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© Ray Fowler

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