Praying
TO OVERCOME ADDICTION
Helpful Scripture
2 Corinthians 10:5 - We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
John 8:31-36 - 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 8:13 - 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 7:14-25 - 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Starting Points
Many Christians as well as non-Christians are struggling with addictions. They are like spiritual ‘prisoners of war’, trapped in a sin that they are unable to break even though they have tried many times.
Addictions are many and can include but are not limited to:
Alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, gluttony, sex, spending money and anger.
Addictions have a way of growing, they have ‘gateway potential’ and they expand themselves. Some people accept it and believe it is not going to change, but they can be set free and it can change.
The biblical word for addiction is ‘stronghold’ and it refers to the spiritual nature of the addiction. It is a spiritual based addiction. If you try to break the addiction without the right spiritual connection, you will not be released from it because you have not dealt with the core issue that is behind it.
Jesus came to give us life, but just because you have life does not mean you are free. Addicts have life but they need to have freedom.
Addiction is not just repeated sin, it is being under sin, allowing it to become your master. The problem of addiction is a sin that has mastered you. Understanding the cause will lead you to the cure.
The reason we often stay defeated is because of the partition in the mind - there is a blockage in the mind, set up by the enemy. He does this so that the knowledge of God can not get through. The enemy will try to stop the truth of God from entering your mind.
Double mindedness is the partition. Thinking in 2 different ways at the same time. We know who the Bible says we are and that God has already given us the victory over all sin through His death and resurrection, but we don’t listen to that in our mind. When we are addicted, we believe that it is impossible to change, and guilt, shame and fear work together to keep people trapped in their addiction. Instead of listening to the truth of God, we listen to the lies of the enemy.
To be released from an addiction a person needs to know the Biblical truth of who they are. Constantly reading Romans 6, 7 and 8 will fill the mind with the truth of a person’s identity. An addict might say, “I am an alcoholic…” but the truth is that you are a blood covered, born again child of God - a God who has a problem with alcohol.
Jesus will can break the stronghold fuelling the addiction and then we must walk in that freedom, in obedience to the Lord. When a doctor cures someone from skin cancer he will advise the person to stay out of the sun so that the cancer can not grow again. It is the same for the recovering addict; once the Lord has healed you, don’t reinhabit the environment which fed the addiction. Walk free!!
How Do I Pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, I seek Your deliverance from the chains of addiction. Please free me from the hold that substances have on me. Deliver me from every destructive thought and action that keeps me bound in sin. I pray for a renewed mind and spirit, one that aligns with Your will.
Isaiah 58:6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Lord, I ask You to break every chain of addiction that has kept me in bondage. Amen.