Gambling freedom in 60 Days: Day 3

The Verses for Quitting

I wrote a thread called how Jesus overcame temptation. But, within a few days, I was back to fighting temptation the way I like to fight it. I like to pray when I am tempted. Praying when you are tempted is a great idea. Keep doing that. But when you feel yourself starting to fall it might be a good idea to do exactly what Jesus did when he was tempted. Jesus fought temptation with the Word.

We struggle to quit because we either don’t completely believe the Bible or because we don’t know the Bible. I can guarantee you that I believe the Bible. So my problem is that I don’t know these Bible verses the way I should.

I bring this up because we need to read the Bible, spend time in prayer and increase our skills and habits for quitting. But at the key moment of temptation, we fight back with the Bible exactly the way Jesus did. There is power in the Word. Print it out, try it, believe it.

Proverbs 28:19 ESV

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

James 5:13 ESV
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Proverbs 13:11 ESV 

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity, and honor. Proverbs 21:21

Hebrews 13:5 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8

Psalm 51:12 ESV /
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:11-16 KJV

Proverbs 1:33 ESV 

But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Collossians 3:1-3

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Proverbs 20:21 ESV

An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” 

Study the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Great stuff.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 ESV 

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

Luke 12:15 ESV 

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Proverbs 8:17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Ephesians 5:5 ESV

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Proverbs 15:27 ESV

Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

If my people will seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9-10 KJV

Proverbs 23:4 ESV 

Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15 KJV

Matthew 6:24 ESV 

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV 

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Proverbs 28:20 ESV 

A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:10-13 KJV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Philippians 4:19 ESV 

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 ESV 

Abstain from every form of evil.

Proverbs 21:5 ESV 

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Information that will help you: Robert Perkinsons in The Gambling Addiction Client Workbook writes about the goodness that is the moral law and said the following: “In all cultures, and in all lands, this goodness is expressed in what we call the moral law. Morality demands love in action and in truth. It is simply stated as follows: Love God all you can, love others all you can, and love yourself all you can. This law is very powerful. If some stranger were drowning in a pool next to you, then this law would motivate you to help. Instinctively, you would feel driven to help, even if it put your own life at risk. The moral law is so important that it transcends our instinct for survival. You would try to save that drowning person at your own risk. This moral law is exactly the same everywhere-in every culture. It exists inside of everyone. It is written on our hearts. Even among thieves, honesty is valued.

To believe in a Higher Power you must believe that this good exists inside of you. You also must believe that there is more of this good outside of you. If you do not believe in a living, breathing God at this point, do not worry. Every one of us has started where you are.”

Where did this moral law come from? Why am I different than my cat. He is perfect with having sex with every female cat in sight. I know deep down inside that I should only sleep with my wife. I know that I should not kill other people. Why do I know these things?
I heard a story on TV and it went like this. A pastor whose name was ironsides was preaching one day at a large venue. When he was done a man came up to him and handed him a note. The note read – meet me for a debate next Sunday at 4 PM. You will debate the proof of Christianity and I will prove that atheism is true. Mr. Ironsides paused and said: I will accept your challenge on one condition. You bring a man and a woman who will testify about how they turned to atheism and that it transformed their lives. Helped them kick alcohol or drugs or sex addictions or gambling. I in turn will bring 100 people who will testify about how Jesus Christ transformed their lives. Helping free them from these addictions and how they have now found joy and purpose. If you agree to these conditions I will meet you here at 4 PM.

Much to the atheists credit he replied – you might be here but I won’t.

To quit gambling you need to understand your Higher Power. In a way this is easy, but in a way it is the hardest thing you may ever do. Many people are ready to talk to God to try to get Him to help them do what they want to do. Only a few people are truly ready to commit to God to do things the way He wants us to do them. But all you can do is to start where you are at. Tell Him that you do not want to live like this anymore.

Next we need to make a decision. Do we want to surrender to God? We can’t compromise, either we do or we don’t.
God has unfailing love for us. Every day I will add another verse that talks about His unfailing love. Exodus 15:13
“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

List four things that will improve in your life if you turn your life over to God.

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________

Some of you (like myself) attended religious schools or Churches that tainted us from Christianity. How are religious situations from your past keeping you from making progress Spiritually .

_______________________________________________________________
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A CELEBRATION OF IRRATIONALITY

Rex M. Rogers noted ” Gambling demands that the gambler abandon reason. It’s a venue of superstition, a religion-free religion. In a time when valuelessness is valued, gambling  fits. In a culture that believes the universe began by chance and that existence and morality are nothing more than the “luck of the draw,” gambling  is oddly logical. Gambling  is the perfect postmodern pastime.

Gambling  is correlated with social pessimism. It flourishes in cultures that no longer believe they can influence their present, much less their future. Gambling  blossoms from a mood of despair, powerlessness, and hopelessness. Life is chance — a crap shoot.

Every civilization in the past 500 years has sought to curtail gambling  or its effects.⁴⁹ Why do Americans think we’re immune to the hazards of gambling ? It is because Americans have embraced moral relativism, the postmodern belief in “mobile truths.” Increasing numbers of Americans no longer believe in absolute truth, in right and wrong. If God exists, He must not have anything to say to people. They reject Him, they reject His Word, and they reject His morality. The only thing left is uncertainty — and luck.

For many Americans gambling  has become a surrogate religion; a pathological hope; a concession to life based on luck; an admission that there is nothing to life but determinism, fatalism, nihilism.

But gambling  is rabbit’s foot religion. Gambling  asks people to play the odds, and always, in the long run, gambling  wins.

Rex M. Rogers is president of Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and author of Seducing America: Is Gambling  a Good Bet? (Baker Book House, 1997).

Why do you need to make a Spiritual decision? _______________________________________________________________
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Today: add How to Quit Gambling idea’s to your journal.

If you want to eliminate gambling from your life strive to learn from people who are trying to quit. We will follow several people to see how they did it. Jan determined to say three times every day: “This temptation will go away if I don’t act on it. If I give in it will return and it may be even stronger next time. If I don’t give in it will go away and someday it will go away for good. I have the self-control to change”.

Bill decided to Pray often each day “Lord keep me from temptation”(This is part of the Lord’s prayer from the Bible).

Mike was undecided about Christianity, but he was intrigued by how a Christian friend lived his life – so when his buddy recommended “The case for Christ” by Lee Strobel, he went out and got a copy.

Thankyou for reading day 3: How to quit gambling.

The #1 rule: never give up and practice self control

60 Day Program Index

Day one: Quitting addiction exercises

Day two: It is important to admit you are powerless