Addiction

“Jesus beckons me to follow him to that place of weakness where I risk the vulnerability of a child so that I might know how strong my Father is and how much he loves me. But truth be told, I would rather be an adult. I'd rather be in a place where I can still pull things together if God doesn't show up, where I risk no ultimate humiliation, where I don't have to take the shallow breaths of desperation. And as a result, my experience of my heavenly Father is simply impoverished.”
― Gary Haugen International Justice Mission


     Addiction is a powerful tool of the enemy.  Some time in a child's life a wound is inflicted.  Maybe it comes from a word or an action, but the wound is on the soul.  As the child grows the enemy whispers in their ear, constantly, "You are no good.  It is your fault.  You should be ashamed of yourself."  The shame grows deep in the soul and the torment gets more and more intense.  Then one day the enemy whispers, "This will make you feel better."  Maybe it's alcohol, a drug, porn, or eating, but it becomes a crutch.  It becomes the only freedom from the torment.  You try to stop, but when you do the pain from the unhealed wound becomes intense again.  It may be from such an early age that you don't even remember what the wound is. 
     You try not to fail again, but the need to escape the shame and pain is too intense, so you pick up the pipe, bottle, fork and the cycle goes around again.  You find that relief but it doesn't last as long as it used to and you are back to the torment, but the shame is even greater.  You have failed.  Just as the enemy told you that you would, you have failed again.  More drugs, more drink, more food, more, more, more and each little escape becomes shorter in duration. 
     You reach out for help, but nobody see the enemy in your ear.  It touches your family, your friends, your ability to work and have fun.  Like a plague it slowly takes over your world.  He has you right where he wants you.  Driving down the road, even on a good day, you suddenly hear him, "One little turn of the wheel and this pain will all be gone."  It's a temptation hard to ignore.  Then you hear him again, "You won't hurt any more, your family won't hurt anymore, the pain of your shame and guilt will all be over and peace will be every where."  This is a lie from the enemy.  First if you have not given your heart to Jesus, if you have not totally surrendered your life to him, you will spend eternity in hell.  Second, your family and friends will experience a new pain, a pain with no hope of you finding peace. 
     I have experienced this, on my way to church, looking forward to being with God, family and friends.  Things have been going well and then he whispers.  Why is it such a temptation?  The pain is a secret.  Sometimes it's even a secret from us.  We don't know or understand where it is coming from and why it is so deep.  Our lives may look good, like all is going well, but we can't escape that gnawing pain that has been there as long as we can remember.  We can't seem to find that one thing that we know we need, but we don't know what it is. 
     This is spiritual warfare.  This is what all addicts have to know to find peace.  The enemy has had you in his grip for so long, it is what you know.  We have to be taught how to fight the enemy, how to shut him up when he whispers in our ears.  "You will feel better with one little drink.  A good porn will take away this anxiety.  A box of chocolates will ease the hurt."  These are all lies the enemy uses to keep us running in circles. 
      I believe our treatment for addiction needs to be looked at differently.  We need to first, pray off any demonic strongholds, any presence that is whispering in our ears and keeping us captive.  Then we have to learn how to replace the lies of the enemy with the Truth of Christ and realize who we really are.  This is taking every thought captive, even those that are not ours and discern the lies of the enemy.  Then dig down, find that wound, talk about it, face it, and heal it.  Forgiveness closes the door on the enemy.  Forgiveness of others and ourselves.  We are not responsible for what the enemy does but we can learn how to be responsible for how we react.  We have to be taught who we are in Christ.  We have to be taught how to shut up the lies satan has been drilling into our heads.  We can't do it alone.  Society has to change it's belief that we choose this life, this addiction.  The enemy wants us to isolate, to believe we are alone.  The enemy is a LIAR!
     The Lord wants us to be free of addiction more than anyone else does.  He wants us to replace the enemy's lies with His Truth to truly set us free.  No more shame, no more guilt, no more secrets.  If you expose what the enemy is doing it takes away his power.  Please, pray that every addict will find freedom, Freedom in Christ. 

My heart is so heavy. I was sitting down this morning to catch up on FB, post Birthday blessing for my daughter....and I read one of my mom's from my mom's group-Crystal....just lost her 22 year old son this morning to a heroin OD after being 96 days clean. She is devastated. She wants to "go be with him". Oh please...this is not a choice.... These people are sick and we need a cure and compassion and to quit saying it is a choice! They are dropping right and left. No one chooses to be dead...this was not suicide, but many people do think suicide is their only way out....one mom RIGHT now is with her son in the hospital because he purposefully ran his car into a semi, another family is making the arrangements for a funeral because their son hung himself. These are people who have desperately fought their addiction in shame and with little compassion by the community for their disease. Many going to multiple treatment centers. Many struggling with co-disorders that precipitated the addiction. My son is one of those. Something has to change.

Monica Weidert