Can true Christians have addictions? In today’s Little Lesson, we’re going to talk a little bit about the subject of addictions, which a lot of people struggle with. Including those who are endeavoring to follow Christ.

Probably the first one that comes to mind is addiction to tobacco. I have heard that the tobacco addiction can be tougher to beat than some addictions to things that are considered to be hard drugs.

I don’t know. I’ve never been addicted to cigarettes or to drugs. I certainly have known my share of folks who have struggled with addictions to cigarettes.

Playing With Chemicals in Our Heads and Brains

Of course, obviously it’s a physiological thing. We’re playing with chemicals in our bodies and in our brains when we’re addicted. It’s not just a matter of it being an easy thing or “if I just could muster up enough willpower.”

Although some people have apparently been able to do that. But not so many. so there are different ways that people have to be able to give up smoking. Then there can be other addictions.

Of course, people can be addicted to caffeine. “I’ve got to have my cup of coffee. I’ve got to have my cup of tea.”

And there can be addictions to alcohol. And who wants that? Because that can lead to terrible, terrible things.

Is It Possible for Christians to Be Addicted?

So first of all, is it possible? If you’re addicted to cigarettes or caffeine, does that prove you’re not really a Christian? I certainly don’t think so, and I don’t think there’s any biblical evidence of that.

Of course, cigarettes weren’t around back in Jesus’s day. Alcohol certainly was, and the Bible does warn that no drunkard will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). So, if you’re in that category, finding yourself overcome by, at times, drunkenness, you are in a very precarious position.

Now here’s the good news. Here’s the good news. We all believe as Christians that we have the Holy Spirit in us. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that you could ask or think, according to the power that works within us (see Ephesians 3:20-21).

The Power Within Us

“ As those who have the Holy Spirit, there is enough power within us to break any physical addiction.

So, obviously there’s enough power within us to break any physical addiction that we might have been suffering or struggling against. I would say there’s a starting point of faith.

I think that comes into play in our struggles against any form of sin or doing things that we don’t really want to do. To believe that Christ is the Liberator, if He can set people free from demons, powerful demons, people who are running through the tombs naked, cutting themselves with stones (see Mark 5:1-12).

We’re talking about the God of the universe who put the planets and the stars in their place. That’s the power that’s in us. And so, I would go to work on first of all building my faith that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (see Philippians 4:13).

Fasting to Break Some Physical Addictions

Now, I have had myself I think a mild addiction in past times to caffeine. Anytime I would fast, which is something I’ve talked about not too long ago on our Little Lessons, one of the first symptoms I’d have would be withdrawal from caffeine giving me a headache.

But I would recommend that you might also consider fasting. That’s not giving up water, but giving up food, denying yourself food, as a discipline. And also in conjunction with looking for deliverance from anything else that has got you. Any kind of physical addiction, right?

Because the desire for food can be pretty strong, as I told you when we discussed fasting. The more frequently you fast, the easier that it gets to fast. But the first time you fast, it can be really, really tough and miserable. You think you’re going to die.

To get past those addictions, putting your body in subjection to your will and fasting, denying it food, not denying it water, I believe could also be a helpful method in seeking to be delivered from these other physical addictions.

Deliverance From Addiction

I have seen people delivered from a lot of addictions over the years. I’m thinking of one guy right now who was delivered almost instantly from a cocaine addiction that had him for years.

If God can deliver you from a craving for cocaine, He’s obviously able to deliver you from anything. I’m very thankful for secular and Christian rehabs, where people go to find deliverance from this stuff. Because they work on other things besides the physical side, but also of the mental and emotional side.

Teen Challenge

I’m no expert on that, but the one that has, to my knowledge, the absolute best results is one called Teen Challenge, started by David Wilkerson years ago.

It’s a heavy, heavy discipleship program. Jesus is right smack in the middle of it. People aren’t sitting around watching TV all day at Teen Challenge. They’re involved in Bible study. They’re involved in prayer. And they’re involved in work and service, keeping their minds occupied and their hands busy and so forth.

They have a great rate of success. My understanding is, more so than the non-Christian rehabs. And you have to commit yourself there. They call them Teen Challenges, but it’s not just for teens. It started off that way, but older people go with addictions who just can’t find deliverance. They won’t take you if it’s smoking. They won’t take you if it’s caffeine, but if it’s drugs, that would be a good place to look to see if you could find help.

Encouraging Those Who Are Struggling

But to answer the original question (and this is a Little Lesson), we need to have mercy and compassion upon those who are struggling with these things, and be careful in condemning people who are struggling with these things. Let’s encourage them. Let’s pray for them. Let’s trust God together with them to find the deliverance they’re looking for. And let’s not even suggest that, “Oh, you must not be a Christian because you smoke cigarettes.”

I don’t think that’s right. I think that’s passing judgment. I don’t think you have any biblical warrant for that. When you look at the hearts of some of these good folks who struggle with these things, you know that they really would love to be free, and we just want to encourage them. So that’s what I’m doing today, all right? Thank you so much for joining me on this Little Lesson. God bless you.

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How do I get victory over sin in my life? That’s a great question. The first thing to understand is that that’s not an unusual question because it’s not an unusual struggle. Just because you’ve become a believer in Jesus doesn’t mean that you automatically are a super holy person.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians that “the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17).

This is typical. This is normal. Your struggle against wrong desires—your struggle against sin—is totally normal. I’ve been a believer for over four decades and I haven’t found that my flesh has improved at all. It still has the same wrong desires that it had even before I was a believer. But, I have learned some secrets which I want to share with you as to how to get victory over the flesh.

Defeating Sin through the Indwelling Holy Spirit

The first thing is to realize that you’re in a battle.

The second thing to realize is that you’re not alone. Because if you are a believer in Jesus, God has put his Holy Spirit inside of you, and his name is ‘Holy’ Spirit. Obviously, He has a purpose, a function, a job, and He’s holy. Obviously, He’s going to help us be holy.

The Holy Spirit is very gentle. He’s not forcing anybody to do anything and we have to learn how to tap in to His power. That doesn’t happen automatically either, I’ve found. You have to have faith.

We’ve been talking a little bit about faith in a previous little lesson. Here’s something that has application for what I shared previously about faith. This is not hope. This is faith. Faith that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

There’s the secret. Christ is the power who can help me and I can do anything that God wants me to do through the power of Christ.

Tapping Into the Power of Christ Within You

Where is Christ? Well, I know He’s seated at the right hand of God, the Father. But Scripture also speaks of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), which is another way of saying the Holy Spirit lives in us.

If you have the Holy Spirit, you have Jesus, you have the Father, you’ve got God inside of you. Obviously, having the ability of God within us—the Holy Spirit— is a game changer in the whole area of living a life that’s pleasing to God,

You have to have faith. If you’re thinking, “Well, I’m not sure I have the Holy Spirit in me,” or, “I’m not sure the Holy Spirit is going to help me.” Well, that’s self-defeating and you’re squelching the power of the Holy Spirit within you.

Believe. Believe that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Believe that greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Again, quoting from the New Testament scriptures about the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Make No Provision For the Flesh

Then another little secret that I’ve learned is that we need to, as Paul says, make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust (Romans 13:14). A better translation would be the flesh in regard to its desires. The flesh has desires and one way to make it more possible to have victory over the flesh is to make no provision for the flesh.

Now, what does that mean? Well, that means make it as easy on yourself as you possibly can. Avoid those things which would bring temptation. Isn’t this one of the things that the Lord taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer? Don’t lead me into temptation. I want to stay away from temptation because if I stay away from temptation, I’m much more likely to not sin. Amen.

If you’re near a hornet’s nest and those hornets keep stinging you, what do you think would be the best thing to do in that situation? Well, obviously, get away from the hornet’s nest!

If there are certain things that are causing you to stumble into sin, well, Jesus addressed this very topic Himself. He said, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you… If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you” (Matthew 5).

No one takes Him literally that we ought to be gouging out our right eyes and chopping off our hands. We don’t actually even believe that our eyes or our hands can literally cause us to stumble. What Jesus is saying is that we should get rid of whatever it is that’s causing us to fall into sin.

A Practical Example

Let’s say you are walking to a place of business everyday. Everyday at the same place there is an elevated part of the sidewalk, and every time you trip over it. And you just can’t remember each time to watch out for that elevated part of the sidewalk!

Well, the way to correct the problem is to go a different route! Go to the other side of the street.

For example, let’s say your television is causing you to stumble and you’re watching things that you know you shouldn’t be watching. As you watch those things, something on the inside of you—guess who that is? That’s the Holy Spirit—saying, “Don’t be watching this! This is not good for you. This is not healthy for you. I love you. I don’t want you filling your mind with this stuff.”

Well, you’ve got to get rid of your TV.

You say, “Oh, my goodness! I couldn’t live without my TV.”

Well, you could. There are other solutions that are less drastic. You can create some method of accountability that if you live with somebody, you can have the television out in the public area. And you can say to that person, “Hey, I don’t want to watch certain things, so I’m putting this TV in a public place.”

The same thing with your computer, if that’s causing you to stumble. If you’re going to websites that you know that you shouldn’t go to. Well, if you have somebody else close by, around you all the time, that will be a deterrent to that.

Whatever it takes to avoid the temptation, get yourself away from it!

Discipline Yourself for the Purpose of Godliness

Then finally—and again this is a little lesson—Paul wrote,

Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. – 1 Timothy 4:7

You have to make a determination. You have to say, “I am going to take steps. I’m going to pray every morning. I’m going to get in the Word on a regular basis. I’m going to hang around other people who are going to inspire me to be holy. I’m not going to be giving into the desires of my flesh.” Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

All right. That’s all for today. Thanks so much for joining me! God bless you.

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