Pursuing the character of Christ helps us quit. Jesus always prayed. Always be prepared to pray. Take prayers with you everywhere on 3 by 5 cards, or on a printout. At some point, you will have a bunch of them memorized.
Righteousness is desiring living right over fleshly indulgence. Study blessings, and do what it takes to get them. Living right is “knowing” that short-term pleasure with added destruction is never worth it. That thinking long-term (God’s way) starts to lead to joy. Consider praying:
“Father, show me what living in Your continual presence would be like.”
Tip: The more we live in it, the more joy we start to have.
Second, if you have 100 partying thoughts per day, 90% of them are from satan. When you fight back every time with prayer, or especially with scripture, how discouraged will he be? Answer, quite a bit. If you fight back every time you might be shocked that those thoughts drop to only 10-20 per day. That is just the start, but it is progress.
Proverbs 10:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
It is easy to see death in an Oxy overdose. It is easy to see something starting to die when a person drinks round the clock. It is easy to see something partially dying when a sex addict begins to ruin every relationship.
But it is harder to see it when it is me. I am an expert at ignoring the destruction I cause myself. I do everything to convince others it is not happening. Consider praying:
“Father, show me exactly what my consequences are.”
“Father, help me to flee my drinking/drugs, and help me to pursue righteousness.”
It is hard to think about pursuing righteousness too often. Consider praying this often and pursue it hourly. It will light up your life.
Consider praying:
“You are a great and mighty God, help me to fight this habit.”
“Father, help me to turn from sin, Your kingdom is coming soon.”
“Father, keep me from evil. Help me to run from evil.”
“Father, keep me from temptation. Help me to avoid temptation.”
I love prayers where we ask for God’s help, plus, we commit to going to war against intoxication as well. Each prayer includes an action phrase for us: “Fight this drinking, turn from sin, run from evil, and avoid temptation. If we include our specific desire to change in our prayer, then, are we praying in truth?
Psalm 145:18 ESV The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
The nearer the Lord is to us… the faster we will make progress.
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