How to Beat Addiction and Alcoholism

          Alcoholism and addiction have created problems for those involved as long as there has been alcohol and addictive substances. Yet the worlds best and smartest of counselors, doctors, scientists and therapists cannot figure out how to cure this problem. I worked for over 4 years in an addiction clinic as a certified chemical dependency counselor and I came up with the conclusion that the ones who find freedom from drugs and or alcohol have two things in common. First, they come to a place where they realize that they have destroyed enough. Second, they attack the addiction on a spiritual level. In AA they call it hitting bottom, and realizing you need a higher power to conquer the addiction.

          Today I want to share with you from the book of Luke 4:18-19 and from the book of John 8:34-36.

          Luke 4: 18-19 “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

          John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them. Most assuredly I say to you that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed”

          God wants each of us to be full of Him! In John chapter 4 Christ tells the woman that if she drinks from the well she will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water He has to give then they will never thirst again but out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water! Addiction is a spiritual debt. The emptiness can only be filled with the love and spirit of God. The twelve steps can be taken from the Bible and originally were but Bill decided that if he were to take the direct message of salvation out and number the steps then more people would receive freedom.

          I can declare from my six years as a pastor and 4 years as a chemical dependency counselor that programs offered from the world can offer some relief from addiction and a few even maintain some long term sobriety. But true freedom does not come from anywhere other than finding your purpose from God and living it! Each of us is created with a plan and purpose from God our creator and true freedom (liberty) can only be found by letting Him into your life and following His purpose for you.

          Isaiah 26:2-4  2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

Perfect peace comes to those who keep their mind focused on God’s plan for their lives.

The Power of Personal Prayer

          Many teach and believe that prayer is simply communicating with God. While I agree with that point of view, I also believe that there is a little more to it than that. God does want us to communicate with Him. Yet, God also wants to empower His followers into a realm of personal prayer where we have and enforce His authority on Earth. Jesus seen throughout the gospels withdrawing to the garden or out to the wilderness and regularly praying. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Luke 11 Jesus replied by giving them the Lord’s prayer as an example or template of how to pray.

          Luke 11:1-11

1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father; will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

          Many take this text so literally that it has become the only way they pray. But if we take in principle then we can learn how to unleash the power and life of God into our prayers! Instead of copying word for word the Lord’s Prayer try looking at it as a set of lesson steps. I am currently working on an in depth study series from this part of Luke11. For now I want to briefly look at how the last part of verse 2 can apply to us on a personal level.

          Why would Jesus tell us to pray for the will of God to be done if there was no need on earth for God’s church to pray such? Why pray for God’s kingdom to come? I mean if God has it all under His control, then why pray at all Right? Could it line up with the statement that Jesus made to the disciples in Luke 9:1-2 that He has given us all authority over unclean spirits and to cure sickness? I believe so but I also believe that God has made it part of His plan for us to have responsibility over His kingdoms business while we are here! We, as Christians, have more power on earth than we often realize. Through prayer we can actually enforce God’s will on earth as well as establish His kingdom.

          We must learn to pray as individuals and as the church in corporate prayer meetings if we are to see God’s will happen for our generation. As we do we will see the awesomeness of God’s plan unfold right in our own homes, families, cities and countries.