Breaking Habits and Sin - Christians in Recovery

Sin is Not Exclusively a Part of __________________

In the above label, each of us must fill in the blank space for ourself to determine if we are a slave to our habits.

That’s what Jesus taught, and any addict – whether it be to heroin or bad language, shoplifting or smoking, alcohol or anorexia, gambling or bad temper, pornography or pedophilia, incest or masturbation – is forced to agree that behind life-controlling problems that we choose to experience, is a spiritual power that we seldom, if ever, tap into.

We act as though we have been abducted and enslaved by habits and evil forces, and we have. Resistance to these pleasurable habits is useless. When you are a slave, if your master barks an order, you obey, or he’ll whip your flesh to shreds until you do. The pleasure of the moment owns you. You’re only hope of escaping from a slave master is death or if another master buys you, but eventually death occurs.

Jesus let himself became Satan’s plaything, so to speak, in exchange for our life. Jesus was harassed, bullied, beaten, bound, tortured, and killed. However, Satan discovered that Jesus was too strong for him. The victim became the victor! Innocence won out! It reminds me of the song "Amazing Grace" where a "Retch like me was saved". Jesus Guaranteed our release, by defeating the forces of evil and rising triumphant from the grave.

Those forces that once enslaved you, can try their old tricks, threatening you with all their hellish fury, luring you with all their seductive charm, and you can walk away, a little shaken, but you can walk away. Drugs, drink, lust, greed, or whatever, haven’t changed, but they no longer own you. You are a willing partner with Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul writes; "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

You see, our body is a place where God through the Holy Spirit, lives. Some of our dietary lifestyles would have us ingest great amounts of "junk food". Our mind is constantly filled with evil and lustful thoughts, so much so that we literally push the good thoughts right out the door.

In Romans 6:13 Paul again writes "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been Brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."

So what are we to think? Is change necessary? Oh, Yuck, now you want me to give up the pleasures I have?

We hate having to continually satisfy this craziness by partaking in questionable behavior or questionable activity. But, the thought of being bossed around by God, however, seems not a lot more pleasant. I got enough of that when growing up, and being forced to go to church, and then watching everyone around me continue to do the things that they did before going to church!

That’s because we really didn’t know what God was all about. He is nothing like the selfish, power-hungry fun-spoiler we imagined him to be. Discovering that God is devoted to maximizing your happiness is a most liberating experience that we can have. He is the God who made every good thing we have ever enjoyed. Yes, I know that there are those who believe in the "big-bang" theory that would disagree.

But, how can we ever have imagined that God is a killjoy? And somehow we’ve ended up with the ridiculous notion that God frowns on us, and what of the scripture that says "God so loved the world that He gave Hi only begotten Son?" Why is that so hard to believe that God is smiling on us right now?

This is the way that Satan plays his ugly game. Incidentally, God never forces us to do anything, but Satan has the power to make us do his biding, pleasure is his game, what to play with me?