Addictions/Recovery

Healing of The Mind

Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes – The Blessing

Rascal Flatts - Changed

THE AFFLICTED

We become addicted to idols in order to self-medicate our physical, sexual and emotional wounds. These idols are hell-bent on destroying us and others. We are the afflicted.

Our painful wounds create sin in our hearts: anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, un-forgiveness, pride, idolatry, blame/accusations, revenge and self-loathing. And these sins desire to destroy us through self-medicating idols which soothe our pain. We are fooled into thinking it is the pain that must be soothed, but in truth, it is the sin.

We self-medicate with sex, pornography, alcohol, anger, violence, drugs, shopping, eating, adrenaline, work and self-achievement.

The addiction will not go away until the sins in the heart are identified, repented of and bathed in the Blood of Jesus.

No one can make another do this. It is only the work of the Holy Spirit who convicts men of sin.

By our own strength and effort, we cannot overcome these addictions, but it is through the Blood of Christ and the Righteousness of Jesus that we can overcome.

The heart needs healing from addictions and our daily dependency must be on the Blood of Christ and His Righteousness. Jesus doing more for ourselves than we could ever do on our own. Take communion everyday. Drink the Blood of Jesus for your righteousness, your purity, for your ability to overcome the addictions. This is why we fail, because we depend on our own ability to overcome. It is ONLY through HIS RIGHTEOUS BLOOD. YOU JESUS, ARE MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. APART FROM YOU, I AM NOTHING. That my friend is grace.

It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30

THE AFFECTED

The afflicted are those that have the addictions and the affected are those who have been affected by the addiction. If we are the affected, don’t be fooled. We have our own sin and our own addictions – affliction. For healing to begin, we must take care of our own garden (heart). We won’t pull our own weeds if we are looking at the weeds in the afflicted’s garden.

And then if we are not willing to pull our own weeds (SIN) from our own heart, then we will stand before the afflicted as a self-righteous hypocrite.

Their sin produces sin in us. Their sick heart causes us to have a sick heart and vice-a-versa. Gardens full of weeds.

Who then is going to stop this madness, step up to the plate and clean out their own heart first?

We must stop blaming, pointing the finger and take the plank out of our own eye.

JESUS BREAKS THE CHAINS

Jesus breaks the chains for the afflicted and the affected.

Jesus knows the wounds we carry and the beautiful thing is, He was wounded for us on the cross so that we would not have to carry our own wounds. That is why when we repent of the sin that is created in our hearts, from wounds, we no longer need to self-medicate, because He takes it all away. The burden, the pain and the sin.

Does the one who inflicted the wounds have sin? You bet! But we are not responsible for their sin; we are not responsible for the condition of their hearts. We are only responsible for the condition of our hearts before God.

Leave them alone, for their sin is between them and God; for one day they will have to stand before the throne of God and account for what they have done unless they repent. They will reap what they have sown. But so will we, if we do not repent of our own sin.

The wounded are responsible TO God and to the wounders for the condition of their own hearts, but they are not responsible FOR the wounders and the condition of their hearts. Big difference. Remember, sinners will stand ALONE before the throne of God.

When Jesus helps us face our sin, wounds begin to heal and chains of addictions are broken. Let Jesus heal the pain.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains apart.

Psalm 107:14

WE ALL HAVE ADDICTIONS

We all have addictions; no one is immune. So when we gossip, fight, criticize and condemn the afflicted, we are standing before them as the Accuser himself. This does not bring healing. We believe the lie that our words are more powerful than our prayers. REMEMBER, the prayers of a

righteous man, pure and blameless are more powerful than the enemy!

It is wise to say peaceful, healing words to them and set boundaries when needed, such as, “I love you and care about you, but you need to get some help.” It is also wise if we say nothing else, refrain from arguing or fighting, and walk away from the conversation. Go before the LORD in prayer, petition and ask Jesus to show you your own heart in the situation.

LORD knows we want to look at theirs.

WILL NOT TOLERATE

In recovery, the saying goes, “I will not accept unacceptable behavior from myself and I will not accept unacceptable behavior from you.” The affected typically tolerate horrible behavior from the addict, and they typically tolerate horrible behavior from themselves. So we should not tolerate someone’s poor behavior towards ourselves or your families, such as screaming, yelling, cursing, criticizing, put-downs, lies, aggression, violence, anger, manipulation and usage. BUT if WE are not going to tolerate this poor behavior from others, then we better NOT tolerate it from ourselves. Otherwise, we are just a two-faced hypocrite.

So, if I’m not going to tolerate crap from you, then I cannot tolerate it in me. For example, if I ask another to refrain from drinking, anger, or criticalness, then I surely can’t be doing the same. Don’t touch alcohol if you are asking them not to drink. Don’t be angry if you are asking them to not be angry and don’t be critical if you don’t want them to be.

Now there is another truth to this saying; that is why it is such a powerful statement. When I accept unacceptable behavior from others, then I am really accepting unacceptable behavior from myself, because I am allowing them to treat me poorly. A wise person once said, “We are abused, because we allowed it and did not put a stop to their unacceptable behavior.”

Seek counselors or pastors who understand recovery, go to recovery such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Celebrate Recovery, or an Addictions Awareness class. Seek safety shelters if needed or the help of those who help families in abusive situations. Sometimes distancing is needed and sometimes we have to say “no more” a 100 times before the behavior changes. But most importantly, cry out to Jesus for His wisdom. He will lead His precious sheep to the pastor of healing.

RECOVERY

Rehab does not heal the addiction if the afflicted is coerced in going. Bailing them out of jail, giving them more money or aiding them in the hospital does not “help” them either. That’s called putting a pillow under their head when it is about to hit the pavement. The pain has to be bad enough that the afflicted or the affected will do “whatever it takes” to get better. If the pain is not bad enough and they do not want to do “whatever it takes to get better” than leave them be. Do not put a pillow under their head when they fall.

BREAK THE CYLE

The cycle of addiction is passed down from generation to generation such as abusiveness, anger, harshness, criticalness, drug addiction, alcoholism, pornography, sexual immorality, shopping, food, sugar, vanity, gossip, falsehood, cheating, stealing, witchcraft etc. From grandparents to parents to children to grandchildren. The sins of the fathers passed down to the children to a thousand generations of all who hate God.

But someone has to step up and say, “No more addiction.” Through the Righteous Blood of Christ, I will no longer tolerate this unacceptable behavior in myself or my family’s lineage. I will be the one who breaks this wicked cycle of addiction through Jesus. I will no longer tolerate these sins being passed down in my family and it stops with me.” Remember, these are curses and the only way to break them off of family lines is through repentance, Jesus’ discipline and wisdom, His Blood and Righteousness.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10

IDOLS

Idols make us deaf, mute and blind. We trust in them to save us.

I know, because for 10 years, I trusted in idols to “save me.” All the while, Jesus was standing there as the Great Physician ready to heal, but I was deaf, mute and blind and all I could see was fear and my own wisdom. I was wise in my own eyes; trusting in idols that have no mouth, no breath, no feet and no hands. Idols make us run around like a crazy person searching for “pain” relief.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Psalms 135:15-18

When I repented of my “trust in idols,” and trusted in God’s wisdom and power, then Jesus brought amazing healing because He is the Wisdom and Power of God.

But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:24

LINK DEPRESSION

LINK SUICIDE

LINK HEALING OF THE HEART