God’s Solutions for Today’s Problems #7

Our passage from the Word of God today is Psalms 33:18. It reads, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.â€

Our quote for today is from Anne Graham Lotz. She said, “If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that’s as obscene as the cross, He can bring blessing from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer. I just have to trust Him.”

Our problem today is “The Problem of Addictions in Your Life” (part 1) from the book, “The Guide to Biblical Counseling” by Dr. Tim Clinton and Dr. Ron Hawkins:

Today, we want to share with you some definitions and key thoughts on dealing with addictions:

Rachel was very active in the church, along with her family. Although she was not always reliable, she was eager to help. She attended church regularly — even the midweek services. One Sunday evening Rachel came in late. She was loud and obviously drunk. Her children were in tow and very embarrassed.

Tim never seemed to have money for all his bills. He was also sick a lot with a constant stuffy nose. Then a congregation member saw him on a street corner in the city playing the cello and begging for money.

Fifty percent of child abuse and neglect cases are connected with the alcohol or drug use of a guardian.

Notice with me these definitions and key thoughts:

– An addiction is a dependence on a substance (alcohol, prescription medicine, marijuana, or street drugs) or activity (gambling, shopping).

– An addiction is a physical (as in alcohol or most other drugs) or psychological (as in gambling or shopping) compulsion to use a substance or activity to cope with everyday life. For example, without alcohol, the alcoholic does not feel “normal” and cannot function well.

– Addiction is a behavior that is habitual and difficult or seemingly impossible to control. It leads to activity that is designed solely to obtain the substance or cover up its use — the housewife hiding bottles all over the house, the drug addict shoplifting to support the habit, the gambler embezzling to pay off debts.

– Characterized by the defense mechanism of denial, the addict blames his or her problems on someone else — the boss is too difficult, the spouse isn’t affectionate enough, the kids are disobedient, or the friends are too persuasive. The addict refuses to take responsibility.

– Drug addiction is the biochemical dependence on a substance — over time the body needs the substance in ever-increasing amounts to stave off the symptoms of withdrawal.

– Non-drug addictions include compulsive overeating, gambling, sexual addiction, such as that to pornography, compulsive spending, and smoking.

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