The Temptation of Addiction


 

addiction
/əˈdɪkʃn/

noun

the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.


Everyone is addicted to something. Shopping, gaming, gambling, working out, food, pornography, smoking, drugs, medicated oil, medicine, supplements, etc.

All kinds of addictions are bad, because an addiction consumes us. We often put our satisfaction, gratification, desires, trust, on our addiction instead of God. 

I don't know about you, but for me, the temptation comes when my mind is idle. For me, scrolling social media causes my mind to be idle. It would actually trigger my desire to do what I am not supposed to do. Should we just stop looking at social media or short videos? If you tend to succumb into your temptation, then probably it is best to not look at it at all. However, I ever experienced a period when I was "spiritually strong", and that the thought of doing what I am addicted to, actually disgust me. 

This is the solution to not fall into your addiction: never let your mind be idle, but always fill your mind with God's words. When you spend a lot of time with God, chatting with Him, reading His words and meditating on His words, you would not want to fulfill your addiction desires. You actually would hate the thought of it. Filling ourselves with the presence of the Holy Spirit, chases away darkness and evil. 

But this solution is not "do one time and it will be solved forever". Filling ourselves with God's words and God's presence is a daily ritual. As long as we are living in this imperfect world and in this imperfect body, we will always be subjected to temptation. And as soon as we are just a little far away from God (means you are not praying, reading the Bible, doing God's laws), the devil is going to swoop in and tempt you with the pleasures of the world, and pull you away from God's goodness. 

Maintain our relationship with God, like how we should maintain our relationship with our loved ones. Constant communication and 2-way relationship with God, will make us stronger than the temptation of our addiction/s.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB1995)
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

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