Page 136 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook

Fourth, the Holy Spirit helps provide power against addiction. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians
5:18, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." The solution
to addiction to a substance or practice is to replace it with an "addiction" or focus on God. This is also
the teaching of Deuteronomy 6:5 that adds, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your might."

However, it is also important to note that God may not take away every area of temptation. For
example, the apostle Paul faced an unknown "thorn in the flesh" though he repeatedly prayed for God
to take it away (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). He continued to struggle with a personal issue though God gave
him the grace to deal with it on a daily basis. In some cases, God may allow the temptation or struggle to
remain; however, this does not mean we are to give up. Instead, it causes us to depend on God's grace:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (1 Corinthians 12:9).

Addictions are a very real issue, but they are not impossible to overcome with the help of God and God's
people. Scripture offers much encouragement regarding the reality of addiction, God's power to fight
addiction, the importance of other believers to help, and the strength of God's Spirit for the believer
who seeks to fight against addictive struggles.” 199

How to council with a person suffering from an addiction. 200

The word addiction has two basic meanings. The first definition, and the one most of us are familiar
with, is “to cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming
substance.” Those who are addicted or “given to much wine” (Titus 1:7; 2:3), “drunkards” (1 Timothy
3:3) or “heavy drinkers” (1 Timothy 3:8) are disqualified from teaching or holding a position of authority
in the church. It’s clear that church leadership needs to be sober and self-controlled so that, by their
example, they can teach others to be the same, for we know that “drunkards . . . shall not inherit the
kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Believers must not be dependent upon alcohol, and it stands to
reason that this would also apply to addiction to any other substance, i.e. drugs, pornography, gambling,
gluttony, tobacco, etc.

The second definition of addiction is “to occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something
habitually or compulsively.” This speaks of an unnatural (for the Christian, at least) obsession with
anything other than God: sports, work, shopping and/or acquiring “stuff,” even family or children. We
are to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”
(Deuteronomy 6:5), which is, according to Jesus, the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-
38). We can conclude, then, that an addiction to anything other than God Himself is wrong. God is the
only thing we can (and should) occupy ourselves with habitually. To do so with anything else draws us
away from Him and displeases Him. He alone is worthy of our complete attention, love, and service. To
offer these things to anything or anyone else is idolatry.

Checkout this resource: Freedom from Addiction: Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding
Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson

199 “Compelling Truth,” p. 1, 2020
200 https://www.gotquestions.org/addiction-Christian.html

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