What is addiction? Addiction is the inability to stop using a substance or engaging in behavior even though it is causing physical and psychological harm. Addiction doesn’t only refer to dependence on harmful substances such as heroin or cocaine. Some addictions also involve an inability to stop partaking in activities such as gambling, eating, working, social media and even people.
Addiction often has a hugely detrimental impact on all of the loving relationships in your life, from your parents to your husband or wife , children, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours and even God. Many people who struggle with addiction question their relationship with the Father and even turn away in anger and shame. Reconnecting with God can be the missing piece in the puzzle, and combining faith with your relationship with your Creator often gives believers a new sense of purpose in life. It’s this new-found strength that can also help prevent you from relapsing and backsliding.
We turn to sexual sin, substances, food, gambling, and other unhealthy activities as a strategy to overcome hardships, as antidotes for loneliness, and to fill other voids in our lives. Once we are bound to the chains of addiction, feelings of emptiness, shame, brokenness, and loneliness quickly set in. Life then becomes an unending cycle of trying to overcome the pain but feeling powerless to change our circumstances. The hard truth is we cannot overcome these unhealthy patterns on our own, but God can.Though we may believe this in our hearts, our addictions may still make us feel unworthy of God’s love. God sent His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, John 3:16.God loves us so much that He sacrificed His own Son so that you can be reconnected with Him. Jesus calls us to think differently.In Matthew 11:28 God says “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.
The weight of addiction becomes lighter when you seek a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. He knows what it means to be tempted; when Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert, Satan tried to tempt Him. He also knows your sin and He loves you and is willing to forgive you. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” Isaiah 1:18. Addictions may break us but Jesus Christ can put us back together. Invite Him in to your life by praying for His strength and wisdom, reading the Word, developing faith-based relationships, and asking for forgiveness if you fall back into old habits.It is not as easy as 123 but with the Helper , The Precious Holy Spirit, He can help us overcome anything.
By inviting God into your life, you can find the strength for dealing with addiction, and overcome addiction. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “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.”
How do I do this you may ask. Here are 5 ways but they are not the only ways.
1. Let Christ Dwell in You
The first step towards overcoming addiction is to let Christ dwell in you. The scripture says, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Without Jesus Christ in your life, you will not be able to overcome that addiction. Here is an opportunity for you to surrender your life to Christ.
Salvation Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sins.I confess today that I’m a sinner. I also confess today that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins. I have made up my mind to follow Jesus as from this moment, Father forgive me of all sins and accept me today as Your child. Lord Jesus, please be my Lord and Savior. Come into my life and save my soul. I will serve and obey You, please help me in Your name I have prayed, Amen.
Thank you Father for answering my prayer.
Beloved, thanks for giving your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. You are now a child of God.
2. Look for a Bible Believing Church
Please look for bible believing church, pray about it to ask God to direct you to the right church and start attending. Love and Community are part Christian Principles.
Anyone who has been through addiction and recovery will tell you that a support network played a significant role in their healing process. By connecting with people around you who share common values and place love, understanding, and fellowship at the forefront of their lives, you vastly increase your chances of abstaining for the right reasons and maintaining the lifestyle long term. If you’re a person of faith who has lost their way or you’re looking for somewhere to turn, your faith can provide the foundation of support that you need.
3. Prayer Provides Guidance
When you face up to the fact that you have a problem, the next step is a big one: accepting that you need to change your life. Carving out a brand-new path for yourself can be overwhelmingly daunting. For example , with substance abuse recovery, you let go of your old lifestyle, learn to change destructive thought patterns, and create a new life path that supports health and happiness. Through prayer, you can directly connect with God and ask Him for guidance and answers to your questions. As you pray regularly, be patient and watch how God will move in your life. Keep a journal and write down everything you are facing, the good, the bad and the ugly, you will be surprised when you have overcome your addiction how far you would have come and how you can use your own testimony to help others, great surprises are awaiting you.
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3. God Is Always There for You
While a support network that involves loving, experienced professionals, understanding peers, and informed loved ones provides you with part of what you need, your relationship with God can’t be underestimated. In times of need, when you experience cravings or withdrawal symptoms, you can find profound comfort in remembering that you are one of God’s dearly loved children and He is with you. In those early morning hours when you get cravings for something, the pastor, sister, sponsor , psychologists etc is not there. Only God is.
4. Christian Activities which promote Spiritual Growth
Each of the following practices can aid you in recovery. By applying these exercises you become more open to the changes required to move forward.
Openness to learning: Christianity teaches you to never close your mind off with regard to gaining knowledge and understanding of the world around you.
Being Thankful and grateful. When we find love and beauty in the small things we find perspective.
Attending Christian Support Groups
Seeking Christian Counselling
5. Bible Study Offer Encouragement
Make bible reading and prayers a daily affair. Reading the Bible and praying each morning helps you build a routine based on joy and positivity. You can repent and ask for His forgiveness, and you can find solace in praying for others. You can invite God to guide your steps through out the day. When you feel temptation creeping up on you, you can ask God to give you the strength to stay sober. By focusing on the principles of Christianity throughout the day, you’ll feel God’s power helping you along each step of the way. The enemy will try it but you have authority over him, Luke 10:19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.The moment you make this your truth and put it into action , you will really know the power you have over him.
Biblical Meditation: Hebrews 4:12 states that the Word of God is powerful, it’s transformational. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires Biblical meditation helps you to focus on specific passages of the Bible and gain a deeper understanding of the revelations.Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.There are many passages in the Bible that can help you while you’re healing from addiction. Some of these include:
James 4:7“Submit yourself, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he shall flee from you.”
Matthew 26:41“Watch and pray so that you shall not fall prey to temptation. Our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.”
Peter 5:10“And our God of all grace, who summoned you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Our prayers for overcoming addiction are scriptural based prayers designed to break the backbone of any addiction. If you are addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sex, gambling or something else and you are looking for a way out or maybe you are just searching for prayers to pray for a loved one who is addicted to one thing or the other, here is a list of prayers that you can pray while trusting in God to bring total deliverance. Spiritually speaking, most of the things we call addictions today are actually the manifestation of demonic spirit of self-destruction. The demons of addiction enter into someone’s life because the person invited them in the name of pleasure. Perhaps that is the reason why it is usually difficult for the addicted to get out of their addiction. Whatever may be the situation, the name of Jesus , the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit is here to set you or your loved ones free.
Scripture Reading: Romans 7:22-25
22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.
4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!”
8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.”
13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.
15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving
Start by singing songs of praise unto the Lord and give thanks unto the Lord who is worthy to receive all glory , praise and honour.
Prayer Points
Heavenly Father, I thank You for keeping me alive to this day. I confess all my sins and ask for Your forgiveness.
I thank You almighty God for what You are set to do as I pray about this addiction
I thank You Jesus for your mercies and faithfulness, I give You praise and honour.
Almighty God, I come before You today, please forgive me of every sin of drug addiction, sex addiction, e.t.c, (name the addiction you need to be delivered from) that I have committed against my body (1Corinthians 6:18, 1John 1:9) and against You in the name of Jesus.
Everlasting Father I surrender my life to You, please take total and absolute control of my life as from today in the name of Jesus.
My Father in Heaven today I commit my body, soul and spirit I into Your hands, please cleanse me with the blood of Jesus in the name of Jesus (1John 1:7).
It is written, “call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee and thou shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). Father, deliver me from evil spirit of addiction to (name your addiction e.g. alcohol) that I have invited to my life in the name of Jesus.
I renounce and reject every spirit of addiction to (name your addiction e.g. drug). Heavenly Father uproot all form of addiction to (name your addiction e.g. social media) from my life in the name of Jesus (Matthew 15:13).
Father, remove from me the heart of stone that is panting after (name your addiction e.g. drug) in the name of Jesus (Ezekiel 36:26).
Father, create in me a new heart and a new spirit that will be addicted to nothing but the word of God in the name of Jesus (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Heavenly Father, please fill me with the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus (Luke 11:13).
Lord, as I make conscious effort to do without e.g. cigarette, please release to me the supernatural power to hate cigarette and never indulge in it again in the name of Jesus.
13.Lord of Host, please deliver me from every spirit of self-destruction that is posing to be addiction in the name of Jesus.
14.Heavenly Father, You have created me for Your glory (Isaiah 43:7), please help me so that I You can use for Your glory on this earth in the name of Jesus.
15. I declare and decree that I shall no longer desire to (name the addictions) again, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
16. I decree that I shall not be held down in the captivity of (name the addictions), in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
17. You agents of darkness seeking to destroy my life through excessive (name the addictions) I command you and your evil assignment over my life to fail right now , in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ.
18. Every gathering of evil doers against my destiny, I command you to scatter by the fire of the Holy Ghost.
19. I command all strong thoughts and imaginations that lures me into (name the addictions), to be destroyed now, by fire in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
20. Every evil voice speaking from my foundation, and causing me to to be addicted to things that are detrimental to my life, I silence you now by the power in the blood of Jesus.
I pray against every counter attack from the enemy because of these prayers in Jesus’ name. I seal these prayer points in the blood of Jesus Christ.
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