Many of us facing an addiction look at our current situation and don’t know how we got to such a desperate place. It’s hard to see how, one little step at a time, we got so far off track and out of control. But the truth is, if we were to comb through our past, we would likely find some common threads that led us to addiction. Before we talk about overcoming addiction, let’s find out how they start. Addictions often begin when we:
- Get hurt
- Justify our actions
- Do whatever we want to do
- Hide our mistakes
- Depend on our own strength to overcome any challenges we face.
Just as we have followed a path to get into our current situation, there are also a few steps we can take to start climbing out. Here are five keys to fighting your way out of any addiction.
- Depend on God’s power. Apart from God, you don’t have what it takes. That kind of thinking is what got you into this mess. But in your weakness, He is strong. So put on God’s armor, and fight with His weapons because you’re fighting a spiritual battle.
- Check yourself before you wreck yourself. We all have our own personal Holy Helper: the Holy Spirit. Before you do something that feels potentially sketchy, check your spirit with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit literally enters our being to help us in our weakness and empower us to push back darkness. You are never alone when you face temptation. The Holy Spirit is not only with you—He is in you.
- Admit weakness. Is lust an issue for you? Tell someone. Do you work too much? Admit it. Are you feeling broken, lonely, overwhelmed, or just plain tired? Don’t tough it out. Ask for help. When we try to cover weakness with strength, our strength is not enough, and we end up self-medicating with the wrong things. Invite God and people into your weakness. That’s where real strength comes from.
- Go public. You know what grows in the dark? Nothing good. You know what light brings? Life. Just by going public with your heaviest, darkest secrets, they become lighter. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
- Start the A Way Out Bible Plan. If you’re fighting addiction, you need to dig your heels into God’s truth. The A Way Out Bible Plan will take you through two weeks of God’s power to set you free. Start it today.
