Addiction is one of the biggest problems facing the world today. While most people associate addiction with alcohol and drug use, people can become addicted to almost anything whether it appears harmful or not.
The definition of addiction is developing a feeling of dependency on an object or substance without the ability to stop due to unfavorable consequences. Usually, people become addicted when they rely on an object or substance to make them happy.
When people experience something that they enjoy, the chemical dopamine is released in their bodies, creating a temporary feeling of pleasure. Since people enjoy that pleasant feeling, they often chase whatever will make that chemical reaction happen. Because dopamine’s effects are temporary, people normally seek out the object or substance of pleasure the moment the effect wears off.
As Christians, it is important to remember that sin (no matter if it is gluttony, idolatry, or love of earthly treasures) has addictive qualities. We are told to follow Christ and His ways, but since we are human, we are liable to fall into temptation. If we are not careful, sin can grab hold of us and make its way into our desires.
From then, it is only a matter of time before our sin will make us choose between it and the Lord. Matthew 6:24 (KJV) states, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
While that verse refers to earthly riches, it can be applicable to anything that we allow to get in the way of us and God. An example of this would be Matthew 19:16-23. The story tells of a wealthy young man that wished to follow Christ, but in order to do so, he had to give up his earthly possessions. In the end, the young man chose his possessions, forsaking his walk with the Lord.
We need to realize that sin is only desirable for a short time. The fruit in the Garden of Eden was appealing to the eye at first, but the effect it held did not last long as Adam and Eve realized the consequences of their actions. Even Moses, who was raised in Pharaoh’s palace, understood that sin does not have lasting joy as he chose to stand by God and His people instead of indulging in the fleeting pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).
Only God can give us everlasting joy as stated in John 15:11. It doesn’t matter what sin we were trapped in because 1 John 1:9 tells us that God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. We are given a clean slate to live our lives abiding in Him and His ways.
However, the main problem with an addiction is that it is still a struggle to break. It’s not as easy as saying, – “I am done with it.” After enough time, the mind and body begin to trick people into believing that they can only be happy with that certain object or substance.
The same can be said for any sin that we have grown attached to. While we can honestly say and believe that we are walking away from our sin, that does not mean that we will be exempt from temptation to return to it. John 8:34 covers this by saying, “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
When caught in this seemingly endless loop, we start to feel hopeless and alone as we are faced with temptation to return to something that we really don’t want to allow back into our lives, making us feel depressed and irritated for backsliding against our word.
One Bible character that was able to ignore the temptation to curse God even after all he has faced was Job, but looking back at his life, it appears that Job has set an impossible standard for righteousness. If we were to put ourselves into Job’s shoes, would we have done the same?
When we begin to feel this way, one verse to take comfort in is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
No matter the sin or temptation, we are not the only ones who have struggled against it. Sometimes it can feel as if we are the only ones who have been fooled into a certain type of sin, but God reassures us that other people have faced and struggled with it as well.
Also, no matter how bad the temptation we are confronted with is, there is a way to escape it. God does not want His people to suffer and has given us a way to bear the temptation we face. This verse tells us that we can be like Job and not fall into the sin Satan has placed before us.
It will take work, and we will need to lean on God, but we can put our temptation and struggle completely behind us. In the end, we can live our lives the way Jesus calls us to and maybe help others who are facing the same problems we did.
