Religious/Spiritual Addiction

Everyone suffers from some type of addiction. Society paints those suffering from substance abuse or alcohol as the only ones who suffer from addiction, yet daily everyone makes a choice as to whether to let money, food, power or another type of addiction to take control over one’s life. Gerald May (1988) states that “addiction attaches desire, this bonds and enslaves the energy of desire to certain specific behaviors, things or people. These objects of attachment then become preoccupations and obsessions; they come to rule our lives” (p. 3). True freedom from any type of addiction is hard, but there is a way out of the darkness and into the light through God’s love and grace. Research has shown that “exposure to religious/spiritual doctrine

Humans are created with an innate craving that needs to be filled. The problem is that instead of allowing God to fill that void people fill it with their own desires, which leads to addictions. Shaw and Hines (2014) both believe that “God intervenes for our protection”, we are not helpless because God has already equipped us with the tools to defeat temptation (p. 35). James 4:6b exclaims “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”, allowing us to see that in one’s humility one can realize that they cannot overcome their addiction on their own and that God’s grace is sufficient for them. One needs to realize that “humility submits to God’s commands, God’s grace, and God’s methods, which are so different from the ways of the world” (Shaw & Hines, 2014, p. 36). The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds”. God has the power to release those who are in bondage, suffering from

This sponsor can consist of a recovering addict or a counselor who specializes in addiction. The sponsor takes the role as the person the addict contacts to help them when they feel themselves caving back into their addiction. There are those who believe that God should be an addict’s sponsor. Timmons (2012) describes this idea by stating “understanding God as sponsor happens as addicts assess their addiction and recovery in the context of God’s plan for their lives”. God needs to be in the big picture, working with the addict to help them overcome their addiction. God has a plan for everybody’s life and an addict needs to see that their life has purpose and meaning beyond the scope of their addiction. With God by their side, “recovering persons learn and/or apply Christian beliefs that God is their helper” (Timmons, 2012). God wants to be our shield and helper as we deal with our addictions. Psalm 18:2 sums it up by saying “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”. The Lord is who we should be turning to for help in our times of