Freedom to Be… (Part 6)

Understanding Addiction
James 1:13-16

The Freedom to Be must avoid the bondage that can occur to people, when desires become drives and turn to addictions.  The Bible is an ageless book that addresses the nature of man and his weaknesses and tendencies toward sin. The battles we face are ageless and the answer the same for all generations.  Today we look at the way sin attacks us and how deadly it is for any life.

Since the nature of man is the same, the devil does not even have to change his tactics to kill, steal and destroy which is the agenda of the evil one.

I. Every Man’s Battle - James 1:14

Every person has a “moral aneurysm” which is kept in check when we are strong but can fail when we are stressed, tired or emotionally weakened.

·       What we cannot confess we will obsess. 
What we closet will consume us.

II. When Weakness Wins – The Power of Addiction - James 1:14-15

The word “addiction” is derived from a Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.”

A passion becomes an obsession which becomes a compulsion and finally an addiction.

The clinical definition of addiction has characterized it as something that is Chronic, Progressive and Fatal.

The writer of Hebrews spoke of this as The “Entangling” Sin - Hebrews 12:1

Habitual sin can often be overcome through seasons of prayer or discipleship while addiction requires much greater help.

III. The Loss of Control – The Bondage of Addiction James 1:16

The understanding of how addiction or sin changes the brain does not reduce the personal responsibility of the individual. 

We are not just those who commit “sin”, we are “sinners” whose nature is to sin; we are “made in sin.”

A compromised Reward System can turn a desire into a survival drive controlling an individual.