We Christians don’t struggle with addiction, we just deny its existence in our lives so we don’t have to deal with the guilt, shame and embarrassment that comes along with admitting it. Ouch! That is hard to hear! It was definitely a challenge for me to admit that my glass of wine with dinner or a cold beer after a hard days work had become a problem.
I had quit drinking and drugging in 1976 and was clean and sober for 10 years. I had gone to a church in Phoenix Arizona, where I was living at the time, that thought drinking was a sin so I didn’t do it. Then I moved back to Wisconsin, the drinking capital of the nation, and I was reminded that Jesus turned water into wine so people could party at a wedding, so it must be alright to drink wine at least, right? So I did. For the next 10 years. I drank wine at weddings, and after work and while mowing the lawn, and doing homework and then being in Wisconsin you drink beer when going out for a fish fry or eating a bratwurst or burger or hanging with friends or going fishing or watching a Packer or Brewer game.
And so it was. I should have had a clue when my first glass of wine ended in finishing the bottle that night. I went from buying a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine to a case of beer and a box of wine because, well, it was more financially responsible right? Sure, it was shared with others but I was the one sneaking an extra drink when no one was looking because I didn’t want anyone to know that I was drinking way more than everyone else. So what’s the big deal?
Many Christians will quote Matthew 15:11 “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth” as a rationalization that it is okay to drink, smoke marijuana or other things, especially of they come from God’s green earth. If He made it we should use it right?
I am not arguing the point that there is nothing in the Bible that says that drinking alcohol or using natural herbs or plants that God meant for good are sin, but how many of us that drink more than a drink or two are able to NOT have something come out of our mouths that we later learn was hurtful or is embarrassing or may meet criteria for the psyche unit or jail. We do crazy things when under the influence like threaten to hurt ourselves or someone else. We say mean things to people or do inappropriate things and then we don’t even remember doing it so then we get into arguments about people making up lies about us when in fact it was the truth and we were in a blackout because we were under the influence of a foreign substance.
Because of this denial we do other things like get behind the wheel of a car and drive somewhere, perhaps even with children in the car because we can’t admit that we have begun to put alcohol or drugs first. Our need for a mood altering chemical has taken priority over the rest of our lives. We quit seeking God’s direction and begin telling Him what we are going to do with our lives and why using is benefiting us, trying to convince Him that it is helping us.
Perhaps it isn’t just alcohol, or drugs. Maybe it is food, or gaming, pornography, sex or gambling. It could be anything we do in excess and what excess means is between us and God. The Bible says in James 4:17, ESV: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” God knows and we know and that is what we are accountable for.
Jeff VanVonderan, a Counselor and Interventionist from the television show “Intervention” reminded me at a conference he did in Wausau, Wisconsin that we should consider when and where we engage in our use or other behaviors to test whether what we are doing is consistent with our own values. Do we do it in broad daylight or at night when people are less apt to notice? Are we doing it at church or do we make sure it away from our Christian circles. Would we be comfortable with it broadcast on national news so everyone can see how much and when we are doing it and how we behave when we are doing it? If the addiction is pornography or sex the shame can be overwhelming.
If you are getting a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach at the thought of the entire world following you through your day, there is a problem you need to take a look at. We can’t continue to live incongruently with our own values without it having a negative impact on us mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.
It was one of my clients that got me to consider attending my first alcoholics anonymous meeting. I went under the guise of checking it out to make sure it was a safe place for him to be going because you know that is where all those “bad influencers” hang out. He had told me that AA was a safer place than church because Christians are very judgmental and did not accept those of us who struggle with addiction. They want you to “just say no” without helping you deal with whatever is underneath your need to use. We must always consider that there are those among us who may be struggling with an addiction so encouraging them to have “just one” could end up, like is said in AA jails, institutions or death because one is too many and 1000 is never enough.
Whether it is pornography, gambling, alcohol, drugs or some other behavior that we do to escape dealing with our life as it is, the bottom line is, we are not depending on God. When our first line of defense is something other than going to God in prayer, meditating on His Word and talking to those who He has brought into our lives to help us cope with life on life’s terms, we are missing the good life in Christ that we could be having.
So, if you are a Christian, or some other person of faith whose life is not consistent with what you claim to believe, then it is time to step out of denial and into God’s grace. Grace is what God has offered us because He understands our frail human thinking. He sent His Son Jesus to face these same challenges so we have a witness to the temptations of this world. We are not God. We can’t do it on our own but with the help of God’s Spirit, His words of instruction and the people He has sent to help us we can change.
Today is a new day. Don’t think about tomorrow because it may never come. We have today. Let’s live it as God has created us to live, doing what He created us to do, which is be an example, a faucet of HOPE to others offering them Help Opportunity Praise and Encouragement to press on to another day without using worldly means to cope. We can actually experience what Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
If this article makes you wonder if you have a problem but you are still not sure, consider these questions-
- Have you used this to escape dealing with feelings?
- Have you felt that you should cut down?
- Is it causing problems with family, friends or work?
- Have you gotten annoyed when people express concern about it?
- Did you feel guilty after doing this behavior?
- Did you sneak it or do it in private so no one would find out?
- Is this costing you money or time you don’t have to waste?
- Are you at risk of getting in legal trouble for doing it?
- Is it causing you health problems?
- Does it make you feel separated from God when you are doing it?
I don’t have to give you a score. You know what you need to do. God told you as you went through the list. Now are you going to do something about it? If not, why not?
You are reading this because God wants you to deal with it. He sent me to help you. Let’s talk.
Please reach out for a FREE COACHING CALL and let me encourage you to press on. I have 44 years clean from drugs and 24 years sober. I work at managing my eating habits and other challenges daily and I would like to encourage you as well. Please don’t waste another day.
NEED MORE PROOF….Here’s my Podcast on what all addiction is about…. think of METH Mindset Erodes The Hope Click HERE to listen.
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Linda Larson Schlitz has been a Counselor and Professional Speaker for over 30 years. She has worked in Schools, Outpatient Clinics, Churches and Non-Profit organizations assisting others to discover their purpose in life and learn how to get paid to do it. Linda’s service to the community earned her the prestigious Athena Award and the Red Cross Community Hometown Hero awards and a commendation plaque from the Governor of Wisconsin. Linda is the author of the books “Ditzy Blonde Faucet-It’s a God Thing” and “Speak To Me God I’m Listening” and she offers counseling and life coaching and speaking worldwide.
