Breaking the Stronghold of Addiction
How Can we Cleanse Our Way?
(Part 1 of 5)
Even though the examples used in this study are related to the struggles of men, the principles taught here apply to all people. Both men and women struggle with the flesh and very, very few will ever get to the point in their lives where they will begin living according to the Spirit. The reason I say this is because of the observations that can clearly be seen in any church. Even in my own life I have struggled in the flesh and only by the grace of God have I begun to understand what it means to walk in the Spirit.
I say that I have only begun because the more God reveals this truth to me, the more I realize that I am far from perfection. Growing in the Spirit is a ‘mixed bag’. It is very motivating to see God open my eyes to the deeper spiritual things of God while at the same time, it is very humbling to see so many things in my life that need to be crucified and removed from my life. It is like reaching a hill top along the mountain range of life’s journey. When I look back at where I have been, I am amazed to see how far I have come, yet when I look ahead, I see how far I have to go.
As Christians, our lives must begin to shift away from the world and toward our heavenly home in which we are journeying toward. I say that our focus must begin to shift because very rarely is our focus instantly changed toward the eternal. When someone comes to Christ, it often takes time to teach them to love the things of God. Jesus addressed this very thing in Luke 5:36-39
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 "But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 "And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.' "
There are several important points the scripture is teaching in this passage. First, it is impossible for the old nature to contain the new spirit God places within us. Our flesh cannot contain the things of God. You can’t patch up your old life with spiritual things and repair your life. You must become new. The Bible teaches that the old man was put to death and we are a new Creation in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:6). As a new man, you are able to contain the newness of the Spirit.
Another important truth in this passage is that even though we are new and have the new wine of the Spirit of God, we do not immediately desire the new things of God. A new Christian still lives under the assumption that the old is better. Because a new Christian still views their life with eyes of flesh instead of eyes of faith, they do not immediately recognize the value of spiritual things. Our worldly ways must change and this change only comes through discipleship. This is exactly why Jesus said that we are to make DISCIPLES and not merely converts. The old wine of the flesh will pass away and perish but the new wine is eternal. Consider these two passages:
Romans 8:13-14 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
It is each person’s responsibility to put away the things in our lives that have its roots in the flesh, while at the same time, we must make disciples by teaching others to also live in the Spirit and obey all that is commanded. If you live according to the flesh you will die. You have not truly become a disciple of Christ until you begin putting off the old fleshly desires and shifting your focus to the new things of the Spirit.
The Struggle of the flesh
I have observed the unfortunate truth that most people who claim the name of Christ do not live in the Spirit but live according to the flesh. This goes for laymen and the clergy alike. Today, most churches preach a flesh-centered gospel from the pulpit. We are taught that it is ok and even commendable to live for yourself. The gospel becomes a quest for wealth, happiness and gratification in this world instead of living for an eternal purpose. I haven’t found anyone who seems to understand what it means to walk in the Spirit. Everyone seeks their own ways instead of the things of God.
The great tragedy of the church is that people struggle with deeply rooted sinful habits and have no idea how to change. Rather than overcoming, it is taught that we accept the way we are. In this study, my prayer is that God would reveal to you how to overcome the flesh and begin walking in the Spirit. I want to take you on a journey into a new life that has true fulfillment and everlasting rewards. I cannot count the number of times I have had people ask me how they overcome these deeply embedded sins that seem to drag them down and continuously defeat them. Let me clearly state upfront that you CANNOT overcome unless you are truly willing to die to yourself. The Christian pilgrimage is not an easy life and it goes against the world, your culture and the worldly desires that will inevitably rise up within you.
Your flesh will challenge you every step of the way and there will be times that it will seem unbearable. Even so, there is good news. Your flesh will lose its grip on your life if you will follow these principles. The problem of a failed Christian life is that we feed our flesh so that it becomes strong and dominates our will; however, God has given every Christian the power to overcome. Look at these two passages:
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Genesis 4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
If you have the Holy Spirit within you, you have the power to overcome. Satan is not greater than the power of the Holy Spirit within you. The instruction of God hasn’t change since Genesis. God warned Cain that sin lies at the door and its desire was to rule over him. The message is just as Paul preached in Romans that anyone who sins becomes a slave of sin. The solution remains the same – God has given you the power to rule over sin.
If God stated that we should rule over sin, why does sin dominate so many Christians? It is because we do not know the power of God given to us, we do not understand the dangers of sin, we do not understand what it means to walk in the Spirit and to overcome the sinful habits that so easily beset us.
Why I am writing this message
About a week ago I received a surprise when an old friend of mine was arrested in a sting when he went to meet a 14 year old girl for sex that he met in a chat room. This man was a church leader, led a Bible study I was a part of many years ago and had all outward appearances of a godly life. To make matters worse, the police sting was set up by MSNBC’s ‘To Catch a Predator’ and was seen by all on national TV. I found the episode and watched this horror unfold against him and many other men. What was even more shocking is that three other men arrested also claimed the name of Christ. Two were even ministers. My heart was torn as the narrator said, “This man is about to make a confession that ironically, no longer surprises us”. Following this statement the man admitted in the interrogation that he was a Baptist minister.
What has happened to the church? Is it any wonder that the church has lost its impact on the culture? The Bible gives one sign that the end is near. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
The Bible consistently foretells that in the latter days, the church will depart from the faith. Even though the church as a whole will depart from Christ and His word, do not let this be true of you. Not even the gates of hell can hinder your faith; however, you can choose to depart from the faith by setting your heart on the things of the world. There will be a form of godliness and religion in the last days, but it will be lacking in real power (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The power of God is revealed in a changed life that can live for heaven in the midst of a godless generation (Philippians 2:13-16). We have the power to live holy and godly even when the culture around us is godless and sinful.
It is very difficult to live godly when we have been exposed to sin from infancy to adulthood. Cable and satellite TV brings sex, violence and other immoral messages into our homes and are constantly filling the eyes and minds of all from children to adults. The Internet has made pornography so readily available that even an innocent child can find it and even happen across it by accident. Up until recently, childrensbiblestories.com was a porn site intended to blindside children by exposing them to immorality at an early age. I have met dozens of men who were introduced to pornography at an early age because they stumbled across their father’s hidden stash of magazines. The addiction is handed down from father to son and replicated into another generation.
Someone who has not been in this trap cannot comprehend the grip that addictions can have on the lives of others. Why does alcohol grip the lives of so many people while others are completely unaffected? Why are so many people addicted to gambling while the rest of us can’t understand how this activity becomes such an obsession? There are addictions, obsessions and syndromes that most of us can’t understand but still maintain an ironclad grip on the lives of so many people. Why can’t a gambler just walk away? Why can’t an alcoholic just say no? As long as the flesh is fed, it will become a monster that will seek to be in control. Satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy and he will seize you by whatever method you show vulnerability. He can even defeat you with religion and self-righteousness.
My Testimony
I can tell you assuredly that all pornography is a time bomb. Many make up excuses to justify their use of it by calling it art, softcore, beauty, fashion or just simply claiming that this is the way they are wired and cannot change. The flesh is never content and anytime you give control of your life to the flesh, it will seek to rule over you. Sin masquerades as freedom but is always a door into bondage. It is not a coincidence that all sexual predators are found with pornography in their possession. Sexuality was created by God but if taken outside of God’s design, it becomes a beast within. Sex is one of the most powerful tools in Satan’s arsenal against men.
I know from first hand experience the dangers of pornography. I have shared this with many men but this is the first time I have shared this in such a wide forum. I have been addicted and delivered from the bondage of sexual addiction. As a 9 year old boy, I was exposed to pornography through a neighborhood friend whose older brother possessed many boxes of magazines that we found and viewed regularly for years. It seemed fun at the time but after I became a Christian at the age of 13, I found that putting my past behind was not an easy task. Over the next 20 years, I would promise God a million times that I would quit this practice of lust but could never break free from its bondage over my life. I have a detailed testimony available that I wrote 9 years ago on my website at http://exchangedlife.com/recovery/addiction.shtml.
In short, this addiction dominated my life completely. It was a secret sin that no one knew about. For all but the last three years of my addiction, I went to church, was very active and most people thought I was a model Christian. Indeed I wanted to be and tried to live my faith, but this was like chains on my mind. Often times, without warning, my desire for pornography would roll in like a fog and completely take over my mind. One part of me wanted to say no but my flesh wanted so badly to gratify itself that I would follow along as if I was on a leash. I was miserable, the dishonesty generated by hiding this addiction was destroying my marriage and I had no one to turn to.
At my lowest point, I gave up on living my faith and rarely attended church for 2 to 3 years. I finally got so low that I decided that something had to change in my life. I tried burying my sorrows by crowding my life with my career but I continued to feel more empty and hopeless. Finally I decided that the only place to look was up and I began to seek the Lord like never before. I spent three days walking in the woods and praying. I could barely even pray but I continued to plead with God for deliverance. On my third visit to the woods I walked and prayed seeking an answer from God. As I walked and prayed, God answered in a mighty way. I felt as though I had been engulfed by a cloud. The world faded away and words cannot describe the spiritual experience I had that day. I cannot tell if my encounter with God was 30 seconds or 3 hours but I remember God’s word pouring through my mind like a cleansing flood. It was as if the chains on my mind fell to the ground and I was free from the bondage that had gripped me for over 20 years.
My life completely changed and has not been the same since; however, many things have happened since then that has opened my eyes to the battle between the Spirit and the flesh. Consider this passage from Galatians 5:17-21
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The flesh cannot co-exist with the Spirit. They can never be equals; one will always rule over the other. I discovered this during the last 9 years of my journey. I also discovered that the flesh fights for dominance but the Spirit must be willfully pursued. A couple of years after my great deliverance, I found that my desires began to well up in me again. During the dry times of my life, I began to struggle with lust again and while I never fell into addiction again, I did find myself battling to keep a pure heart. When the opportunity to resist lust came up, I made the willful decision to look instead of fleeing temptation. I found that each time I allowed my flesh to rise up, it was more difficult to keep it from rising up again, and again, and again.
Because I have personally experienced these things I can identify with the inward struggle of those who found themselves shamed on national TV. While I have never been tempted in the area of young girls, I can see how these men arrived there. During my years of addiction, I considered acting out on my fantasies. That is the natural path of pornography. Given enough time, men will find themselves doing things that they would never have considered a few years back. This is not only true of men, but women also can fall into this trap. Romance novels are pornography of the mind for women and these books glorify the same immoral ideas that pornography does in men.
Today I can say with 100% honesty that I am pornography free and God has cleansed me and given me a clean heart according to His promises. I also realize that anyone, including myself, can fall into temptation by taking their eyes off of truth and heeding to the flesh. I believe that God allowed me to go through these things so that He could reveal His power to me. I have seen God’s mighty deliverance and I have also seen how God can take me by the hand to lead me daily into the path of purity. This is a godless and perverted culture. How can anyone be pure in heart while being surrounded by sin everyday. The answer is found in Psalm 119:9
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
How my testimony applies to others
For years I wondered how to lead men into holiness who struggle with lust. When I saw 4 men claiming to be Christians get arrested, I began to pray asking God how men like these can be free. While not all who claim to be Christians truly know Christ, many Christian men do struggle with lust and truly want to be free. God has shown me through my own life how men can break the bondage of addiction. Indeed men and women from all addictions can be free. Even those without addictions must apply these principles because we all still struggle when we live in the flesh. Look at 1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Who doesn’t struggle with pride? Benjamin Franklin provided my favorite quote on pride when he said, “Humility is such a difficult virtue to obtain that if I should attain to it, I would be proud of myself”. Who doesn’t struggle with the lust of the eyes? We all see things we desire and value more than God. We all struggle with the lust of the flesh. These are the things of the world and if these things are opposed to God, how can we ever be right with God? It is impossible for a man to rise above his flesh by human effort; however, it is within the grasp of every person to live perfect in the Spirit. Your flesh cannot be perfect but you do not have to walk in the flesh. You can overcome and God has given you the power to rule over your sinful flesh if you belong to Christ.
The remainder of this study will be a journey through the scriptures that will also provide you with the knowledge you will need to journey through this life in the will of God. You cannot love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength without knowledge of the word. You must seek the Lord with all your heart. If you want a spiritual pill to take that will cure all your ills and require nothing of you, then victory will never come. If you are unwilling to die to yourself, all the knowledge in the Bible will not set you free. You must seek, knock and ask with perseverance. If you expect to ride a wave of God’s movement through an emotional experience, you will soon lose your passion for the things of God as the emotions fade. If you are willing to endure to the end you will see the salvation of God (Matthew 24:13). The race is not to the swift, but to those who run with endurance (Hebrews 12:1).
Indeed God broke the bondage of my mind in a moment, but victory over my flesh was not a one-time fix. I found true and lasting freedom through the word and obedience. I believe that the things that God has shown me to walk in victory in my own life is the same to all men and women. God is not a respecter of persons and He desires that all live godly. If you follow the principles of God, you will be an overcomer. Eight times in the book of Revelation, Jesus promises great rewards to those who overcome. What are you being asked to overcome? Your flesh. Your flesh will always challenge God and if you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and will overcome. The great rewards are promised to those who overcome and you have the power to claim these rewards if you choose to follow God’s word. Most will choose to live according to the flesh and get all the gusto they can get here and now, but God’s desire for you is to obtain the promises of God that will never pass away.
I have never been in a church where this has been taught. In fact, I have only found one Christian who understood this truth, so it is no wonder that churches do not know how to teach it. Each man or woman has the power of the Spirit that will empower them to rise above the flesh and overcome it. Look at Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
God condemned the spiritual leaders of Israel for turning from the truth. Because the leaders rejected truth, the people never learned truth and therefore were destroyed because of this lack of knowledge. The same is true today. No one knows the truth or follows it; therefore, sin dominates almost every Christian’s life. Even a victorious Christian can be destroyed by sin if they shift their focus from the Spirit to the flesh. We must never quit pursuing God and His plan for our life. The first step in the plan of God is to know Him intimately and die to the flesh. If you are willing to do this, you WILL stand before Him and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Even those men who fell so far into sin that their shame was broadcasted around the world can overcome if they will follow the principles of God.
I sincerely pray that this study will turn your heart to Christ and provide you with the knowledge of the things of God so that you can overcome. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to obedience. Knowledge without understanding leads to arrogance and pride. Seek and pray that God would give you knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as well as a heart that never ceases to seek God alone. I sincerely pray that the Holy Spirit would stir your heart and draw you into the will of God as your spiritual desire increases. Deliverance will not overcome the flesh; only walking in the Spirit can overcome the flesh. It is my hope that this study will help you understand what it means to walk in the Spirit.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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