Jesus Can Heal Addiction

We all have wrong desires and are tempted, but God has given us an Advocate who will help us resist sin if we are willing. Are you tired of being addicted to alcohol, sex, drugs, pornography or greed? Jesus has made a way for you to be free. This is how you can resist temptation and allow Jesus to heal your addiction.

There are countless people who are enjoying an addiction because they have not faced consequences yet. Galatians 6:8 tells us if a person “sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life that the Holy Spirit gives him.” There is no peace or freedom found in loving an addiction or sin. If you want to be healed, you have to turn away and renounce the addiction or sin.

Resist the Temptation

2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”

• Temptation happens to everyone; no one is being singled out
• Learn to recognize the people, things and situations that overtake you
• After recognizing the tempter, resist him
• It’s your choice, so choose to do what pleases God
• Pray for Jesus to help you
• Seek friends who love God, have resisted temptation and can help you

There is Healing

Jesus is able to heal every kind of addiction, even those we willfully sought out. Jesus is able to "restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (Joel 2:25), even if suffering is His chastisement to a person for sinful behavior. God's purpose is never to tempt us to sinful despair but to make us holy and useful. (James 1:13; Hebrews 12:11-13) David, who knew something about God's chastisement, said, "Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice." (Ps. 51:8) Ask Jesus to heal physical or emotional pain from an abusive parent, the brokenness of losing a child, the loneliness of the death of a spouse, or being orphaned.

An addiction is not going to heal you. Letting a sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting God’s Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:6

Eternal Healing

In Bible times, leprosy was a dreaded, incurable skin condition. It caused physical deformity. It meant victims couldn’t come to worship meetings. They had to live by themselves. It made a good picture of what sin does to us. Sin is a disease that affects young and old, great and small. It cuts us off from God and from others.

Sometimes We’re Reluctant

The Old Testament book of 2 Kings tells about a man named Naaman. He was a great army captain in the time of the prophet Elisha. Naaman had been told the prophet could heal him of his leprosy, and paid him a visit. Instead of meeting him, Elisha sent a messenger instructing Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan River.

Naaman was insulted, saying, “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!…Aren’t the rivers of Damascus (his home country)…better than any of the rivers of Israel?” (2 Kings 5:12)

Humility is Part of the Cure

At first, Naaman he was too proud to accept Elisha’s “prescription.” In the same way, many people today let their pride stand in the way of accepting God’s plan of salvation.

It was a good thing that Naaman’s officers had better advice. They convinced him to take the treatment: “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” (2 Kings 5:14)

When You Hear His voice, Don't Harden Your Hearts (Hebrews 3:15)

From birth, we’re all “infected” with something worse than leprosy. It’s sin. It is our very nature, not just our actions, that offends God’s holiness. “You are not a God Who is pleased with what is bad. The sinful cannot be with You.” (Psalm 5:4)

What is the result of sin? “When sin completes its work, it brings death.” (James 1:15) -- not just physical death, but eternal separation from God. When heaven is described in the Bible’s final book, it says, “No one who is sinful-minded or tells lies can go in.” (Revelation 21:27) Fortunately, this verse continues: “Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life can go in.”

God’s way is not just the best way: it is the only way. Naaman’s leprosy was washed away when he humbled himself and submitted. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is willing to wash away your sin. Are you willing to trust Him today?

Receiving Blessings from God

God has already done it all!

If God has already provided all of His spiritual blessings for us, how do we get those blessings? Ephesians 1:3-4 and 2 Peter 1:3 say we have what we need already. “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.” His provision is here - now. We need to understand and use the blessings He has provided. How do we do that?

How do we receive blessings from God?

You receive God’s blessings from His spirit. We must remember that spiritual blessings aren’t usually what we picture. The purpose of spiritual blessing are to make us “holy and blameless.” You have to know what pleases God before you can put His spiritual blessings into practice.

The “Fruit of the Spirit” is a great example of this: “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled…” (Galatians 5:22-23) I Corinthians 13:4-8a tells us “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” Do you want to love like that? You can! But it is not the fruit of your own heart. It is poured out by God’s Spirit. It is literally His fruit.

God’s Work, God’s Way

Think of it this way: if you own a business, paying all its expenses, you would not let your business sell a product people should not have. In the same way, God’s promised blessings are for living the life that pleases Him, not a life that opposes Him. Living by faith (1 John 5:4) means understanding what pleases God (Ephesians 5:10) and counting on Him to “hold back nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right.” (Psalm 84:11)

3 Reasons to Love Your Enemies

Last week we saw that Jesus demonstrated how to love and forgive our enemies. Here are three more reasons we should love our enemies:

Vengeance is God’s Business

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

When we have been hurt by someone, we naturally want to hurt them back. But God says to let Him take care of it. First of all, He knows, much better than we do, what someone did wrong and what he or she deserves. He is totally just, and his judgments and decisions are 100% correct.

When imperfect humans try to take revenge or carry out “justice,” a never-ending, escalating cycle occurs. In its fullest form, it is known as “war.”

It’s About Eternity

The verse above from Matthew shows that our main concern is not this earthly life (which is like a “vapor” according to James 4:14). Rather, it is eternity. If someone hurts you, steals your property, or even kills you, that is not important in light of eternity.

God has promised His children that we will live in a perfect place, free from want, worry, fear and mourning. No human can take that away from us; so there is no reason to strike back at someone who attacks us.

We Will be Rewarded

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35)

Again, God sets the example: HE is kind to the unthankful and wicked. What right do we have to be less kind than God?

We know that heaven will be wonderful, but God's children will enjoy greater rewards there if we've lived God's way here on earth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live God’s way, treating people with love and kindness, especially our enemies. And we can trust Him to glorify Himself and to bless us with heavenly rewards.

How to Love Your Enemies and Pray for Them

The love of Christ is so great it can even save His enemies. God’s love reaches out to the whole world and continues through the entire length of our lives. His love is so deep, it can reach you in discouragement and depression. He even reached Lazarus after he had been in His grave four days. This is the Savior’s love.

God is Love

The Bible tells us that if a person knows nothing about love, they can’t know God, because God is love. Jesus displayed His love for His enemies as He was dying. While Jesus was on the cross, He was praying for those who placed the nails in His hands and feet. Is there anyone else who could love like this?

Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing” Luke 23:34. Jesus was praying for the Roman politicians and soldiers who were putting Him to death. God responded to this prayer when the soldiers who witnessed the crucifixion admitted the truth by saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Matthew 27:54

Do You Offer Love When Offended?

What is your first reaction when you are wronged? Do you plan revenge or show anger? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44, “…love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Many people try to get even and punish people who wrong them. Jesus tells us not to do this. If you pray for your enemies, you can overcome evil with good. When we follow Jesus’ commands, we show that He is Lord over our life. We must trust in the Holy Spirit to help us show love to our enemies.

Have You Forgiven Past Wrongs?

Sometimes we hold grudges, even after a person dies. Matthew 5:44-46 says, “…love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven… If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?” We are to separate ourselves from sinful behavior and live holy lives. We should live our lives devoted to God’s desires rather than our own. That means we should forgive enemies of the past as well as in those of the present.

Being a Follower of Jesus

Why Would You Want to Follow Someone?

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” Matthew 10:24

Our almighty God, in the form of a human servant, came to reach out to you, me, and all people. We can be followers of Jesus. Remember, there has never been another person like Jesus. He leads us straight into the presence of our heavenly Father.

Jesus is perfect in His love for others, His power over evil, His compassion for people and His hatred of sin. His understanding is endless, and His joy is deep. He drew all kinds of people to Himself when He lived on earth. His presence was like a magnet to those who needed hope. He is everything good, and people really wanted to be around Him. He is truly one of a kind, full of hope, love, trust and forgiveness.

We Become Like the One We Think About, Care For, and Trust

“But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:21

Silly little ducks. Have you watched them before? They all follow the mother without even thinking about where she is going. They make a line behind her - keeping her pace as best they can. For some reason I keep thinking of them as the perfect example of a disciple.

They never stop to consider anything except how important it is to keep their mother in their sight. They feel lost without her, they become so worried if they cannot find her. Yet, they are also very content when their eyes are set on her. They are ‘practicing the truth’ by watching her walk, swim, eat, and then doing the same. We have so very much to learn. We are like these ducklings. Yet, we have a perfectly caring leader.

We Are Like Him?

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….” Genesis 1:26

Try to realize that we ARE made in God’s image. We long for Him. We can know Him better and better; We were created to follow after Him. It is where we flourish, grow, live and find our true pleasure. When we follow Jesus, we become His disciples.

How To Share Your Faith With Your Friends

My little daughter’s friend was playing at our home one day. Suddenly, I shouted “no!” and she burst into tears. Why? She was about to put a fork into a nearby electrical outlet. I hated to upset her, but her little life was too precious to risk, and her parents trusted me to protect her.

Are your friends precious to you? Do you know that God holds us responsible for one another? He tells us, “If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.” (Ezekiel 3:18)If worries are keeping you from sharing your faith with your friends, these simple ideas can help overcome those fears:

Be Prepared

Think about how a discussion might go. You can’t expect to agree on everything, can you? A former U.S. President said, “If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking.” Don't be afraid to disagree sometimes, especially about important things. Be ready to share hope with others. (1 Peter 3:15) God tells us to make a stand, “having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;” (Ephesians 6:15). Valuing friends means even more than this…

Be Compelling

It is good to memorize a gospel presentation, so that you include all the main points. But don't just repeat the words. Tell your friend that this news is too good to keep to yourself. Jesus said, “go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23). Don’t give up easily - and don’t be afraid to let your urgency show.

Be Creative

A standard approach may help with a stranger. But if you know someone well, share in a way that will relate best to them. “And have mercy on those who are wavering—save them by snatching them out of the fire; but on others have mercy with fear—hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23). Starting gently works best for some, while a warning about judgment works better for others.

Sharing Jesus with your friends can bring discomfort for a moment. But don’t let it keep you from telling them about God's love for them. Imagine the joy of seeing them embrace Jesus - or the regret of knowing you kept your hope a secret, locked behind silent lips.