Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2Co 5:17 NKJV
Addiction is a trap. No matter the addiction, it is bondage, and you become a servant of corruption. Addiction corrupts your thinking, your body, and your mind. For those who have been or still are addicted to anything, addiction rules your thoughts. A physical addiction or dependency often comes with a demonic spirit of addiction. This demon of addiction is assigned to you to keep you in bondage. It enjoys watching you struggle daily with the thing that keeps you miserably bound to its will and steals that part of your soul from peace.
Addiction is a compulsive, chronic, physiological, or psychological need for a habit-forming substance or behavior. Addictions not fed can lead to physical manifestations of sickness, sweating, vomiting, and other uncomfortable symptoms. An addiction not fed can lead to anxiety and fear of what will happen if you don't get your next fix. Addiction not fed can lead to a variety of sins as one tries to get the means to get the thing one is addicted to, and addiction builds on addiction.
Coming out of addiction can be a major struggle, emotionally and physically. Whatever the addiction is, you have developed a habit that goes along with it. For example, if you smoke, you may find yourself needing a cigarette after you eat. Many habits go along with smoking because the addiction is not just a physical one but a behavioral addiction as well.
As creatures of habit, some of us may have more of an issue changing routines and breaking patterns and behaviors than others. Mixing up your life on occasion is the best way to stop unhealthy behavior from getting rooted in your routine.
I see addiction as a cocoon. The beautiful you that is being developed is also trapped in the darkness of a web that has been weaved around you. Of course, the cocoon is designed to protect the moth or butterfly inside it and nourish it as it develops into a new creation.
An addiction cocoon is meant to keep you from developing and keep you trapped. Addiction does not plan on letting you escape. You must claw your way out of it or give it to Jesus.
We cannot talk about addiction without using the words of the great Apostle Paul. Paul said I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Rom 12:1-2 NKJV
To be transformed is to be changed into another form. The Greek word used to translate the word into English is metamorphóō. We get our English word metamorphosis from this Greek word. Most of us understand that a butterfly undergoes a transformation from caterpillar to butterfly through metamorphosis. This tiny creature goes from slithering on the ground to flying above the trees! It goes from ugly to beautiful in a short time while in the cocoon.
We can see our born-again life in Jesus in the same way. He alone can deliver us from the addictions that bind our lives. Sexual addictions are meant to fill a lust in the flesh or perhaps a rejection of the heart. Jesus can meet those needs spiritually, and that obsession can fade. Addictions to substances such as drugs, legal and illegal, alcohol, food, caffeine, and the like can all be healed when one submits to living a life of holiness unto the Lord.
Once we receive the Holy Spirit, we have an opportunity to allow Him to develop the character of God in us, the fruit of God's Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Self-control is defined as the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites.
Paul said it this way, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Gal 2:20 NKJV
I have been recovered from many addictions. I say "been recovered" because I did not go through recovery, but the Lord recovered me. He saved me through faith and began a miraculous work of deliverance in my soul, which led to a healthier body. He can do the same for you; just ask Him.
Let's pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You that I am healed through the stripes of Jesus Christ. Through the cross and Jesus' body afflicted for me, I am free. Jesus has truly set me free, and today I am asking for the full manifestation of that freedom. Lord Jesus, come and break me out of the cocoon of addiction today! Amen
Name that thing that makes you a slave to bondage. Repent for using it as comfort and protection. Ask Jesus to send angels to break those binds that hold and then command those demons out of your life. Lastly, walk it out in His strength with His word! Blessings!