Should we condemn ourselves for slipping up again? Should we condemn ourselves for things from our past? Some people condemn themselves for things other people have done to them in the past. We somehow figure out a way to blame ourselves for what they did. We just can’t do that. We have to put the past to bed.

Many of us are still mad about things that happened years ago. We need to forgive the people who hurt us. When we don’t we go back into the anger cycle. First we are offended, then bitter, then resentful, then full blown rage. When we do forgive we regain a proper relationship with God. Mathew 6:14-15 says: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Sometimes we let emotional problem push us right back to gambling. Instead of using gambling as a crutch when thing go bad find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you’re not good at, it’ll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful.

Don’t let the way another person treats you determine your worth.

Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses.”

The next question is, should you condemn yourself for going back to your addiction? The answer is no. But the best way to regain your joy is to develop a better plan to quit your addiction. The most important step to doing that is to get on the same page God is on. He wants you to quit your addiction so that you can fulfill your God given purpose. So first you ask Him to forgive you for your sin if gambling has caused you to sin. Some of you have quit and asked for forgiveness 4751 times and you are losing your faith that God even wants anything to do with you.

For hard core people repenting is not simple. If you have lost all of your money 247 times and lost all of your wifes money 31 times, a tearful I’m sorry is just not enough. Explaining to her the 20 new changes you now promise to make, to make sure it dozen’t happen again is a much better idea. Reminding her every day that you are living out these changes is even better. It is the same with God. Tell Him exactly what you are going to do every day to change. Write it down. Then every day tell Him that you are going to keep doing the things which will keep you from gambling every day.

Now you must create a plan and do it. Don’t let laziness or lack of organization stop you. Be a fanatic about following a plan to quit your addiction.

Also plan for life’s disasters. Don’t let money issues or people issues drag you back into gambling.
Submission is a key to quitting addiction. First and most importantly we are to submit to God’s Word. Even though I am 100% sure God’s way is always best I will get into trouble when I fail to be moderate in all things. This leads to skipping my Bible reading. Only bad things happen when the old me is in charge again.

We are also to submit to parents and managers. In 2017 the NFL is allowing players to kneel during the national anthem. Their refusal to honor the men who fought to make America great and free comes with a cost. In the future NFL players will make 10-20% less.

I want more rights and I want them to have more rights. But I will try to avoid fighting for my rights with the people who pay me.

Key point: fighting with parents and managers may lead back to addiction. Even when they are in the wrong – calm down, forgive and forget – stay free from addiction.

Submit to the government. Some of you want to obey God but you hate the police. My daughter is an EMT. She picks up the body after it flies through the windshield. Nobody is going to force them to wear their seatbelt.

Sometimes the police and the judges are jerks. But God is not asking you to forgive them – He is telling you to forgive them. Forgive them, forget it and accept the great life that Jesus Christ has for you.

People who fail to submit end up injured, in the hospital, in prison or dead in the grave. Satan know that if you refuse to submit he will likely see you in hell someday. Pride makes us want our own way at any cost. Being humble and submissive are keys to freedom from addiction.

God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

To quit gambling easily pray more. Pray the prayer of Jabez which is 1 Chronicles 4:10 (KJV)

^“10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

Remember, that we start to be under God’s blessing when we start to obey the Bible.

This is a great prayer to pray every day. There is also a great book called the Prayer of Jabez which I highly recommend.

Read Matthew 1, you can start with verse 16 if you want to because all of the verses before that are the genealogies.

Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life.

Fulfill your purpose – do something to help. Pray “Father, bring people to this website and give them a chance to overcome addiction, find your love, start to find their purpose and to start to find joy again.” 

Read Matthew 6, Proverbs 29 and James 2

What knocks you off the wagon? You know what or who did it in the past but you don’t know what will do it in the future – or do you? You do, it will likely be the same exact thing that tripped you up in the past. For example, you have avoided gambling for 26 days and here comes the Monthly big poker tournament. While the tourney is nothing special you have almost never avoided playing in it and it has sent you spiraling.

Think for 5 minutes about what “always” trips you up when you are doing well?

Now write it down. Now think about how often you will need to pray about “it” so that from now on it will “never” trip you up again.

If you pray morning noon and night for 30 days that Jesus Christ will help be filled with the Spirit (which satisfies) instead of gambling, it will almost be a miracle if you do slip up. If after all that prayer you are not empowered to have self-control you may want to check if you are slipping into others sins too often to get your prayers answered. If that is happening you may want to check if your life is a vacant empty vacuum with no heavenly purpose. If that is the case I have the answer for you – repent and do things God’s way

.Honoring God starts a trend towards increased blessing, dishonor takes away the blessings of God. Proverbs 3 says to fear the Lord and shun evil – this will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. When we honor God we start to receive the blessing of divine guidance. Proverbs 3:6 says “He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3 talks about how God will help us change our actions.   Make it a goal to live life God’s way and he will start to answer your prayers about quitting addiction.

Honoring God comes from sacrifice. We give money to God, we tell others about Jesus Christ instead of worshipping things that give us pleasure. We help others and we obey – These actions lead to the blessing of restoration and provision from God.

Make a list of 7 things you can do when you start to have gambling cravings. You can attend meetings talk to a friend or pastor or sponcer, read, pray, sports, games etc.

1. _______________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________

Think plan and practice being ready to do these activities. Pray about being ready to do one of these things when you are triggered. Be in the habit of thinking: this is what I will do when temptation arises.
You need to develop the skill of immediately starting one of these activities when temptation hits you.

On a Spiritual level I tell myself all the time to turn aggressively from sin. This is very helpful because sin leads to gambling and gambling leads to sin.
Pray: Father help me to have toughness to be able to say no to my habit.

5. Pray the Lord’s Prayer several times a day (if you can do it each time sincerely) or as often as you can sincerely pray it.

The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

5. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Write down places, people and activities that you need to avoid to stay off the slippery path that leads you back into addiction.

Read Matthew 20

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Thank you for reading day 34 of this program to quit gambling easily.

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 20: What we can learn from Adam and Eve’s mistakes

Day 21: more great stuff from Adam and Eve’s mistakes

Day 22: Self control

Day 23: What to think about to develop self control

Day 24: What are your values?

Day 25: How to pray to fight addiction

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