Drug addiction is not a Permanent State!
You were not born addicted and when you die you will not be addicted in heaven. So 20, 40, 50- 100 years from now or less you will no longer be addicted! That’s the good news.
You simply now need to decide how you want to spend the next 50-100 years of your life until you are no longer addicted.
In our family as is true with many of yours we have had to battle addiction for many years. My grandfather was an alcoholic, and right down the line it goes.
It has plagued our family, as it has many other families. This past week I was speaking with some parents in a lot of pain about their child. As I spoke with them I noticed a few things I would like to share with you.
The first is that addiction is not a permanent state. So all is not lost.
I also have noticed that an addict is not them self. In fact they are about 180 degrees different than they would be without the addiction. An Anti version of the person they really are. Just like an anti-Christ, an exact opposite version of themselves. This is evidenced by the fact that an addict will do things that they would never do if they were not addicted, and act in an evil self destructive and generally destructive manner hurting the very things they treasure the most. Even railing their unbelief in God. This is caused by guilt, and the belief they can’t not be forgiven.
This is a spiritual battle, not a physical one.
I believe that we are spirits by nature having a physical experience. There is no one that believes in Jesus Christ as their savior and can also then deny that Satan is also a real being trying to deceive us and take control of us by whatever means he can.
I believe in Jesus Christ. In my bible Jesus cast our demons. This is a matter of fact and faith as the words are written in red in my bible.
In the bible we read.
Matthew 17:14-21“And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
One thing I would like to point out about this scripture. Is that as Jesus said this kind does not go out except by much fasting and prayer, he was speaking to his disciples, whom he had ordained and given the power to act in his name as thou he was personally there. So then the praying and fasting would not have been to cast out this demon, or heal the child. Rather the disciples were being given instructions on how to obtain the Holy Ghost to guide them, tell them in their hearts what Gods will was, as well as to boost their personal faith in order to do the will of God as reveled by the Holy Ghost.
Simply reading this passage without using other scriptures to help understand it one would think that personal prayer, fasting and faith were the ingredients to cast out an evil spirit, or heal a sick person. While they are all required, the final ingredient is the authority given by Jesus Christ to act in his name.
Understanding why relapse is always worse than it was before.
Jesus also counsels us about the state of those who have had evil cast out of them.
Matthew 12:43-45
43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Any person that had been addicted will tell you that when they have relapsed the relapse is much worse than it was prior to not relapsing. This is also taught in 12 step programs. Here I simply am explaining why this is true.
It is vital that a person then keeps their house in order. Attend their meetings, and most importantly attend church, and stay close to Jesus Christ. Strictly being obedient to his commandments.
Addiction is a form demonic possession, and or influence.
Satan has several really good lies. The first of course is he convinces many that he does not exist at all. For those that believe he does exist, he then disguises himself so we don’t see him as part of the current problem. The biggest lie Satan tells those suffering under his bondage is that God doesn’t love them enough to forgive them. Think of this. If Satan can make you believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ cannot save you, then he has made the sacrifice of our savior of no affect in your life, and hurt the very heart of God. For God had to witness this terrible event and did not reach out to his son to comfort, or save him from it. Imagine the suffering. So if Satan can convince the addicted that they are beyond the Grace or Love Of God, and Beyond the salvation of the Atonement, then he has made this sacrifice meaningless in the life of the person that believes this lie.
Fence sitting is another of Satan’s greatest lies. Upon considering this I have come to two conclusions. Are bodies were never meant to straddle a fence with one foot on one side, and the other foot on the other side too long. And second and most importantly Satan will have a fence sitter feel comfortable as they are trying to be good, and are almost doing what God wants them too. So the fence sitter is pacified. Here is the problem. Do any of us really think Jesus allowed Satan to build a fence for us to sit on, right on Gods property line? In other words, the “fence” is squarely found only on Satan’s property. So it will never really matter what side of the fence you jump off on, you will still be in Satan’s back yard!
There are no gray areas, and no fences to sit on. The beginning of saving an addicted person from this possession is the knowledge of the Grace of God, and the love of our Savior Jesus Christ and that they are of great worth to God, and loved by Him. And can be saved with a simple sincere prayer. It is simple and peaceful.
It is vital that we accept the fact that there are only two influences in this world! There is the Holy Ghost which calls all to Jesus Christ, and testifies of the truth of all things. Just so you know if you are with me this far (That strange soft feeling of hope and love you are feeling right now is the Holy Ghost)! As is (the welling up inside you felt as you considered the love of God in the prior paragraph).
Pray to see Gods hand in your life as well as to see Satan’s hand and influence. You need to clearly see the two to be able to see what is really happening.
That is it. No gray areas. The gray area goes to Satan as only those that have had their garments washed clean, white and spotless by the Blood of Jesus belong to God!
Understanding The Nature of The Holy Ghost
Satan uses drugs and alcohol as substitutes for the Holy Ghost! This is an important fact. Take a drink, take a pill and feel good, happy, and peaceful. No need to be obedient to God’s laws, or to pray, or love your fellow man. Just take this pill, smoke this plant, etc.. The lies go on forever…
One strand of thread at a time do these demons take control of our souls and once addicted they have you. Any addict will confess they have done things they never would have imaged had they not been addicted.
So an addict actually comes under the influence of Satan, not the drug. The drug is the physical tool Satan is using to control the addict, not the spiritual. By this I mean Satan can’t win a spiritual battle so he will use physical means to try and destroy an addict’s spiritual progression by controlling the addict’s temple (the addict’s physical body). One thing to notice is that addicts become more base, or animal like in their actions, thoughts, words, and deeds.
Once Satan has control of the body, then he attacks the spirit. These is why most addicts actually loath themselves, and see them as of no worth. Satan convinces them they are beyond the reach of Jesus Christ, not worth saving. That the things they have done while addicted are so horrible that God can not possible love them, and therefore will not forgive them. This is why Satan is also referred to as “the father of lies”. If Satan can make you not seek the atonement of Jesus Christ, or not accept it, then in a measure and for you he has made the sacrifice of our savior of no affect in your life. A gift is not yours unless you accept it.
An addict or any of us for that matter can’t fight this by ourselves.
The first step to recovery in this life or the next is to remove the evil influence. That can only be done by the addict’s sincere prayer asking Jesus to be their lord and savior! Once that is done, a turning point has happened; Satan no longer owns that soul, and has lost the war! But he will battle on.
Jesus says, once you are in his hand who can take you from him? Once in Jesus hand you will find holy men, and they will find you as lead by the Holy Ghost to help you cast out the evil spirit and heal the dieses element. Jesus will give his angles charge to attend you, and will send those people on earth living their lives in such a way, for Jesus Christ, and guided by the Holy Ghost to you, as they are as living Ministering Angels.
So addiction is no longer a permanent state. 100 years from now or less an addict is saved by the Grace of God through his son Jesus Christ! The addict is in heaven, and not addicted. Satan has lost the fight!
The question that now needs to be answered by the addicted person is how do they want to live the rest of their life? If they decide they don’t want to be addicted anymore, then they and you must consider what Jesus said to Peter when Peter failed to cast out a demon. Jesus said, “This kind does not go out easily, it takes much fasting and prayer”! Please note this… But go out it will and must at the Name of Jesus Christ.
Addiction has a dieses element.
The addicted has the right of choice. They get to chose as they will. Once addicted Satan denies the addicted their God given right of choice. In and by the Name of Jesus Christ the dieses element of addiction can be healed. It is necessary to build the faith of the addicted to the point they can be healed as well as the faith of person acting in the name of Jesus with the proper authority to do so, and guidance from the Holy Ghost.
Consider a person stricken with lung cancer caused by smoking. The person stops smoking, turns to Jesus to be healed and is healed. What does Jesus say when he heals someone whos personal inequity caused their dieses? Go your way and sin no more least a worse thing come upon you! This is true too for the addicted that have been healed of the dieses part.
As a parent or loved one what can we do? We can pray for ministering angels to contend with the demonic influences. Ministering angels can be sent directly from the presence of God to you, but most likely they will come in the form of a fellow human being that is living properly and closely with the Holy Ghost guiding them, also known as a “Holy Man, or Holy Woman”.
We can pray that when our loved one asks Jesus to save them that faith the size of a mustard seed is rewarded by the peace of the Holy Spirit. This can be amplified by our giving up all our addictive activities ourselves. By this I am not talking about just vice, or drugs. But anything that you do addictively that takes the place of or disturbs your relationship with Jesus Christ! Food, shopping, recreation, hobbies, etc.. Not are all bad, but if they keep you from church on Sunday, or from significant daily prayer, they are in the way.
We can prepare to help our addicted love one, by knowing what rehab they will go to, and or a program like U-turn for Christ, or Teen Challenge, or other programs.
We must understand that God allows all of us our free will to choose our path. So our loved one must be and is free to choose their path.
Here is where I will lose many of you. Up and until now we have been speaking of what is wrong with and what to do about an addicted love one. Here is where it is time to put your faith to the test!
Most importantly we must put our own house in order. Are you addicted to caffeine? Do you drink? Do take anything that is addictive, prescribed or not? The real question is have you be deceived so that you have things in your life that is more important to you than Jesus Christ? Is your morning cup of coffee drank before you have said your morning prayers?
Do you go to church each Sunday and honor the Sabbath. Are you doing whatever God puts on your heart? Do you stand when he asks you to stand; do you sit when he tells you to sit? Do you have Charity (the love of Christ) toward others? Make no mistake if you are asking God for anything you must also be obedient to the very laws that you are asking God in the name of Jesus Christ to use to save your loved one. Read the last part of the book of John. How many times does Jesus say “whatsoever you ask the Father in my name that I will do”? Lots of times! Give yourself to Jesus first then seek to save your loved one! Repent of your sins first! Do it now!
We can help them see that they have but three choices right now.
1. Hit the reset button and get help. (Repent)
2. End up in jail. Or
3. Die.
It is important that they understand that they have a choice, and it is their choice, but they have a choice and therefore they have hope.
12 steps?
I understand them, and agree with them as part of the healing process, just as I agree with taking medicine as you may need for an infection. I also know that there needs to be a substitution for the use. Meetings, church or both, if only one? Then Church!
While I understand the concept of hitting bottom, I am not a big fan of it. I do agree that there has to be a change, and a choice made. The choice has to be made likely by contrasting the current situation with how life should or would be without the use. In this respect I see it as “hitting bottom”, and every one will have a different point where they will decide the pain caused by using is worse than the pain of not using, or withdrawal at that point seek a change.
What can you do? Pray that this point comes quickly. That the addict will be caught in their lies, or by the police, or quickly come to the place they want to change.
At the risk of getting lots of angry emails, I will also say I only believe in a one step program. 12 steps are great and have worked for about 15% of the people that try it… I don’t know that is a fact, it is a statistic I have read.
But I think we all get lost when the truth is left out. Belief in a higher power while it may be politically correct a “higher power” isn’t going to save anyone! It sure isn’t going to get Jesus Christ on your side!
If you want his help you must call on and ask in his name! A higher power leaves you in the gray area. As the only way to save some one Jesus is the only power in this life of the next that can and will save! I understand that some don’t believe. I can’t help that. As Paul says “does their unbelief make the promises of God of no affect in my life?” 2 plus 2 = 4. For those that don’t believe that I am sorry this won’t be of much help to you. I only know what I know to be true, and can only tell you what I know to be true!
I understand that talking about devils and influencing spirits can make me sound a bit off. But I challenge you to explain it any other way?
There are no fence sitters, only by faith in Jesus Christ which will lead to strict obedience to God’s laws can you save or be saved. For the addicted, this is the replacement. The Holy Ghost takes the place of the drug. So be clean that the Holy Ghost will find place in you. The Holy Ghost will not dwell in unclean places.
GDBLU’s -- Grant W Davis 