Gambling Freedom in 60 Days: Day 41
A gambling addiction tells us quickly what we are doing wrong. But it also tells us what we are not doing right. Are we spending enough quality time with the people we love? Are we learning to love and worship God? Do we take having a career seriously? Do we embrace discipline. Are we making truth an important reality in our lives?
Truth is a virtue that you must master if you are going to quit gambling. The first truth you should want to acquire is the fact that you will not hit the big score. Even if you are really good at something like sports betting or poker you still will not hit the big score. There is one guy who is famous at the world series of poker. He is famous because he is usually the first one out. He plunks down $10,000 and is usually out within 15-30 minutes. The announcer talks about his efforts to stay in. Lately he has been bringing a book to the table so that he will last at least an hour.
He will not accept the truth that he can’t win the world series of poker. He knows that he does not have the patience to win. Poker is a game of patience. But he believes it when the announcer says “anyone can win”. Other players know that they just can’t fold. Even when they know they are behind they just can”t fold. But they too believe in fairy tales. Anyone can win it.
The truth is that 9000 people enter the world series of poker. So you have a 1 in 9000 chance to win (not really). There are always four or five hundred poker pro’s who make almost no mistakes there. They will make up a high percentage of the final 500.
The truth is that even if you are a good poker player you still will not win. In fact it is only a 50/50 chance that you will even cash (If you make the top 10% you get at least a little profit).
The truth is that the casino always wins. The game really is rigged. They always get their cut. Sports betting takes the sport out of watching sports – the spread will always kill you in the long run. Horse track betting is for bored affluent people only because knowing the mood of a horse is something even a psychic can’t do.
Have you have watched yourself not win for months or years or decades. Now you need to tell yourself the truth!
What is the truth about whether you will win the big score? ___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
When you come up with the next great system for beating the odds, what will the truth be about whether you will win? _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________
The truth will improve your ability with Fighting the Urge to Gamble.
Some of you have some skill, but it has not produced consistent winning because of a lack of discipline or because your emotions or something else let you down. You have some idea of what keeps letting you down but you have never been able to consistently overcome it. What is the truth about whether or not you will win in the future? ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
Some of you are really mad at me right now. You believe that you can win. But the system is rigged.
Exercise #1 Say to yourself morning noon and night: The system is rigged in favor of the house. I have seen it and I believe it. From now on I will have the virtue of truth in my life.
Life can be looked at as having 100 levels. You are currently on one level and the goal now is to move up to a higher level. Think and pray about the fact that you want to move up to that next level. A new level spiritually should be the first priority. Others levels include, moderation, prayer, discipline, helping others, purpose, family, quitting addictions, obedience to be in God’s blessing and many others. Pray and think about attaining a new level often.
No matter what stage of recovery you are in you need to be ready for an attack today and every day because it is coming. Only those who have a permanent plan for fighting off the attacks can quit their addictions permanently.
Once you have established habits of Bible study and prayer you are ready for some answers to prayer. We know that God answers the prayer of a righteous person. So as we start to establish righteousness in our lives we can pray some prayers with great faith.
Totally unselfish prayers that will do us absolutely no good can be prayed with confidence. Here is an example. If you pray that people will come to my website and get help – you will not gain anything in this world.
So when satan or one of his buddies attack and tempt you pray: “Father, bring people to stoptheaddictions and help them quit their addiction and be saved.”
Now make it a double barreled prayer and pray: “Father, I pray that you would take away this temptation and cover me with your blood.”
If I make this double barreled attack on satan every time he will slow down his attack. He knows whats up – he knows God loves to answer an unselfish prayer. He knows that you are fighting back and not only winning, but you are making his kingdom crumble.
Ephesians 6:12King James Version (KJV)
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Now I wish I could give you a money back guarantee that if you defeat satan you will always overcome addiction. Because you have to defeat yourself and your own lusts as well. But, if you defeat him it now becomes a level playing field. You can think more clearly. You can focus on other things. Defeating him is 85% of the battle if you are putting in the work to quit.
Once you defeat him and focus on thinking about other things and thinking about your purpose – then you will be done with addiction.
Read Matthew 13, and Acts 1-2
Matthew 5 is about how we can change so that we will start to be blessed by God. www.relijournal.com noted the following
The Fourth Beatitude v6
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
To want justice is to want righteousness. Righteousness is right living. Proverbs 21:21 tells us that we will find love, honor and justice when we search for righteousness. It means we are concerned about the welfare of others, seek out what is honest, stand firm, receive peace and joy and are rewarded by God. Being righteous is a lifestyle that Jesus approves of and it tells us that in Psalm 11:7. There are plenty more verses in the Bible that talk about how to live righteously and about how Jesus is righteous. It is fair to say therefore that God expects us to take notice of it.
We must do our best to want what is right for ourselves and other people and then God will make sure we are satisfied.
Father, help me to quit gambling, to learn how to think about other things instead of gambling and to learn what to do instead.
I need your help. My new book “What The Bible Says About Addiction” is available for sale on Amazon. If you want a copy please purchase one and leave a good review. If you are short on cash you can read the first 3 chapters for free at Amazon and still write a review. This book along with this course will help you change twice as fast. Writing a good review is your way of helping the next person. When you are busy helping the next person, you are starting to think the right way. Click here to access it.
Copyright 2015 © THR Publishing LLC
All rights reserved.
If this article has helped you, share it with your friends. Share buttons are below the index.
Thank you for reading day 41 of this program, Fighting the Urge to Gamble
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.
Day 17: How to find living water that will always satisfy you
Day 18: Do not have faulty beliefs abourt gambling odds
Day 19: Interview with a professional poker player
Day 26: Which prayers are answered quickly – which prayers time more time and persistence
Day 27: How to fill the vacuum that addiction caused
28: Finding a good church
29: Knowing why you can’t quit can help you plan how to quit
30: How to eliminate the vacuum created by quitting
31: Tripping your addiction trap. Overcoming sloth
32: You need clean people around you if you are going to stay clean
33: Use real math not gambling math
Day 34: Don’t condemn yourself
Day 35: Don’t test yourself to see if it is safe to gamble a little bit
Day 36: Knowing why you can’t quit can help you quit
Day 37: Do not chase pipe dreams
Day 38: Getting the anger out
Day 39: The vice of greed
Day 40: Specific planning helps break addiction