New in 2016
Mark Shaw in his book “The Heart of Addiction” says that “we want and then we act. God designed us to think then obey, then act.” “We escape with drugs (fill in your addiction of choice) Jesus escaped with prayer.”
He continues “Jesus quoted scripture to resist temptation.” Memorize and meditate on scripture so that you have ammo to fight back. Satan operates outside of you. He can only get inside of you if you allow him to by letting him help you think.
We have been hurt and we play the tape of that “hurt” over and over again. Ask Jesus what He wants you to think about. Pray to develop toughness. Many of us have a list of things we can be thankful for. Write them down and think about those things.
Staying free from an addiction is just like a boxing match. The fighter (you have to be a fighter) who is in there throwing attacking punches almost always has the best chance. We attack when we pray aggressively, when we pray to find our purpose, when we do something to help someone else. Ask your pastor what you can do right now while you pray about finding out what God wants you to do.
A champion fighter is created in the down times. He does not sit around watching TV, he is thinking about his footwork during a boring show. He is doing sit-ups and push-ups during commercials. You need to make a habit of praying to turn from sin and ask God to show you what He wants you to do during slower times in your life. Billy Graham was a high profile preacher, but what some people don’t know is that he prayed for 4 hours every day for revival.
A champion fighter does not want to hang with the party crowd. He wants people around him who are pro exercise, disciplined and hard workers. Jesus Christ did not encourage people who just like to “hang” to follow him. He encouraged people who were tough, disciplined, prayer warriors, who insisted on making a difference in the world.
A champion fighter knows how to dance in and out away from his opponent. I keep pushing people to tell others their story and spread the gospel. But is important to become an expert in “dancing” away when people are not interested. Be prepared to change the subject and talk about something else if the other person does not want to hear about Jesus. If you quickly change the subject when they show a complete lack of interest, you can bring it up later. They might be 100% interested 2 months from now.
A champion fighter “had” an addiction before – now he/she is focusing completely on other things.
I tell people “read the Bible every day.” I currently prefer to listen to the Bible on line every day. I am learning a lot from the book of John.
- Pray, Father, I commit to spending time in prayer before you. Please take away my pain and fill me with your Spirit and with your joy.
- Father, take away my pain and help me to worship you instead.