Gambling Freedom in 60 Days: Day 17
www.settingcativesfree.com said the following”7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” 13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” .John 4:7 – 18
In the above story, Jesus Christ spoke to a woman about two kinds of water:
- “This water,” which would not satisfy and would not quench thirst. The woman would have to keep coming back again and again to get more of “this water.”
“The water I give” which would quench thirst eternally.
Then Jesus brought up the fact that the woman had had multiple relationships (5 husbands and a current live-in, 6 total). Obviously, she was finding no permanent satisfaction in these relationships so she had to keep going back to find a new love, each time hoping that this time would be the last. In bringing up her “unquenchable thirst” for different relationships, Jesus revealed to her that she would never be truly satisfied until she began “drinking” from the water He would give her.
List the “water” that you’ve been drinking from and how it has left you “thirsty.”
Note: Jesus offered this woman living water. He said that if she drank it she would not be thirsty anymore; in other words, she would be satisfied and not desire one relationship after another. Here is hope for you and me! Here is the method to enjoying freedom from gambling, or any addiction. If you discover how to receive this “living water,” and how to drink it, you will not be thirsty anymore; in other words, you will be free from the craving of and slavery to gambling. Gambling, in its essential allurement, promises to quench our thirst. In other words, it promises satisfaction. And honestly, it does satisfy – but only for a time. Pretty soon we discover that we are “thirsty” again, and as the years go by we find that we are really never genuinely satisfied. Right?”
Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life
If you are on track great; if not review the red letters from day 7.
Yesterday we talked about praying to be filled with the Spirit of God. The question is what steps do we need to take to be filled. www.wikihow.com had a Christian expert write the following regarding being fill with the Spirit.
“The first step is to become a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who made the full payment for our sins on the cross. Without this acclamation of faith, one cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, for biblically, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and of Christ. This is very clearly stated in the New Testament.”
If you follow a nonChristian religion please read the Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I don’t recommend Christianity because I was taught it as a child. I recommend it because the physical evidence for it is overwhelming and my personal experience has been overwhelming as well. Wikihow.com continued.
“The secound step is to confess known sin and seek and receive forgiveness for all sin by reliance on the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Scriptures teach that God works in those whose lives are free of sin. Keep “short records” with God about sin. Confess sin instantly, letting no departure from God’s will continue.”
Living in the Light
The Bible says that Jesus will free you from everything. So if we are not free, what is the problem? The problem is that we still choose to plug in to the gray. Are our everyday habits border line sin and border line activities which we know from past experience will lead us back to addiction sooner or later?
Instead we need to “fight” to live in the light. Let’s look at someone who is fighting to live in the light. Adrian listens to 5 chapters of the New Testament every day. Spends a fair amount of time in prayer every morning and evening. Spreads the gospel to every messed up friend possible. Works to increase in love every day. Tries to up the standards as often as possible.
Adrian is fighting to live in the light. Working to unplug from bad friends who reject living right and unplugging from lottery – (what do you need to unplug from)?
Living in White areas means living in the Light. If we make a decision to stop living in gray areas we now need to do something else. Living in the light means doing today (right now) what the Holy Spirit wants you to do. The Holy Spirit has a severe shortage of workers at all levels. He does not want you to wait until you are perfect to be a worker. He wants you to commit to trying to live for Him before you become a worker. He wants you to develop a level of skill in how to help others while starting to help others.
When you are fully committed the Holy Spirit will have the green light to start to help you quit gambling more rapidly. When we choose to plug into the light all the time, then – Jesus will free you from everything.
Read John 14 and 1st Corinthians 14 and Proverbs 12
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Thank you for reading day 17 of this how to quit gambling program.
Index
Day one: Quitting addiction exercises
Day two: It is important to admit you are powerless
Day 3: Learn the right way to live
Day 4: Getting rid of negative emotions
Day 5: Remember – money lost is not yours. Don’t try to get it back or you will lose more.
Day 6: can you increase your pleasure by gambling?
Day 7: Staying clean in all ways helps you quit the addiction
Day 8: Decide what pain and pleasure you want
Day 9: Analyze what leads you back to your addiction
Day 10: Change your emotions and your mindsets. Stop believing that your big score will come in.
Day 11: Where the Spirit of the Lord is – there is liberty
Day 12: Learn how to worship God. Also try to develop positive addictions.
Day 13: Write out a letter saying why you want to quit
Day 14: Overcoming cravings and negative emotions
Day 15: You have some self control
Day 16: Have a list of coping statements. Have a list of substitute activities.