“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
I have always been one who picks up habits and accents from others quickly. There were two of us like this, in an office of about 8 people. We would talk to people are over the country. I would get off the phone to a couple people standing by waiting for me and laughing. "New York?" they would ask and I would sheepishly have to answer "Yep". I could pick up an accent without even knowing it in the first few minutes of a conversation. Habits too. I knew a girl once who always itched her elbows on her hip bone. I know it sounds weird, but I picked it up. Did it all the time.
Maybe this is why we need to be cleaned of bad spirits and bad attitudes before we lead others. Let's just go for the big one here. What if you are leading others with a spirit of lust on you? You may even be unaware, but all your comments reveal it to those who are able to see it. You may crack jokes that almost cross the line. You may look at objects with a drooling grin on your face. If you are not facing this and ridding yourself of it, those under you will pick it up. You are approving the behavior or maybe even passing on a spirit. We often times are amazed when so many around us deal with the same issues. Maybe we passed it to them or maybe our acceptance of the issue invites those other people carrying it.
I am a believer in the 12 step program. It works if you work it. But, I also believe that if you are in a relationship with Jesus and truly wanting Him to heal you of all your brokenness and cast off any spirits that are attached to you, you don't have to live with the addiction. One thing I don't agree with in AA is their introduction. When it your turn to speak you start with "My name is so-and-so and I am an alcoholic" or cocaine addict or sex addict or whatever, but you are speaking it out and claiming that addiction. I believe there is a time when you have to admit you are powerless over the addiction without the Holy Spirit, but to keep claiming that you are addicted is just wrong.
I don't believe we should resign to living a life with that weakness. I was an alcoholic. I am not anymore. The occasional times when I think a drink sounds good, I have to ask myself one HUGE question, what do I want to escape from? Just like food addiction, we need food, but overeating is an escape. I also believe that some people like the feeling they get from their weakness. Lets take the most obvious, SEX. It was made to feel good. Why would we want to give up sex, food, love or anything that makes us feel good? Because in excess it ruins us. A person who is stuck in bad behavior hasn't really looked at the brokenness that causes them to run to that behavior or truly faced the damage it has done to their lives.
I have heard people say that their addiction doesn't affect anyone else and it may seem that way, but this is not true. To be immersed in an addiction there are things you do whether you want to admit it or not, like lie, distance yourself emotionally, have mood swings, become secretive, manipulate, and blame to name a few. You can't have any of these behaviors without it affecting those around you. It's funny in a sad way, but so many addicts think they are doing a great job hiding their addiction, their supposed need, but many around them pick up on these little behaviors and know, unless they are in complete denial, that there is a big problem.
The saddest addiction I know of is the addiction to love. Or should I say falling in love. There are people who have such broken hearts that they go from person to person falling for them. They fantasize about them in every empty moment, romancing, rescuing, and dreaming that the person cannot live without them. Then they move on to the next one. They hope to fill that empty spot in their heart. It's like our hearts are made of puzzle pieces and as Jesus heals every piece we hand over to Him, He locks it into place. He heals each piece until our heart is whole. But people who are addicted to falling in love don't realize that the main piece in the center of the heart is in the shape of Jesus. He is the only one who can fill that void. It is a sad endless search until they give it to Him.
Intervention is a good thing, but to reach through the attitudes and demonic spirits to the heart of an addict, is not easy. You have to follow God's leading because all those behaviors listed above will come flying out at you. Pride is a spirit that blinds people. It's like falling into a huge tub of flour, you can not be covered in it and not get it on those around you.
“Friends with benefits? More than friends? Don't sample the goodies unless you're willing to risk addiction and withdrawal.”
― Ann Landers
No comments:
Post a Comment