3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV) 

I must admit to you today that I have a few addictions. They are, in no particular order, ESPN, chocolate, & fast food. No doubt, you also have an addiction or two (or three). That's why today I want us to focus on some of the more critical personal and spiritual dimensions of addiction. But first we must answer a question. What is an addiction? According to the Random House Dictionary an addiction is "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma." So in other words, an addiction is an enslaving, destructive dependency. The addiction usually brings short-term pleasure, but there may be long-term consequences in terms of one’s health and welfare. 

What are some identifying marks of addiction?  It absorbs your focus. All addictions consume time, thought, and energy. They are not mere pastimes—they are obsessions and preoccupations that demand more and more from us. Your tolerance for whatever you are addicted to becomes greater and greater. This law of diminishing returns means that we need increasing amounts to maintain the same effect. Drug addicts need more crack to get the same high. Alcoholics need more alcohol to maintain the "buzz" that came so easily at first. The sex addict moves from soft- to hard-core pornography, or from normal marital relations to socially and biblically forbidden encounters. Then there is denial. In order to protect the sacred moments of our pleasure, we deny that our "interest" is ruining us. We hide from others the extent of our enslavement. We convince ourselves that we can stop whenever we want. We learn to live in two worlds at the same time. We even believe our own stories. We become accomplished actors in front of others because of our fear of being found out. Then, of course, there are the damaging consequences of our sin. There is no such thing as a harmless addiction. All addictions are destructive to ourselves and those we love. Directly or indirectly, our obsessions can destroy our family and our friendships. We can lose our job, our health, our self-respect, and our reputation. Last, but certainly not least, there is the painful withdrawal. Anything we habitually use to give us an artificial sense of well-being results in pain when taken away. When deprived of our addiction, we tend to feel that we have lost something essential to our survival.

Most experts believe that addictions have two components. The first component is the obsession, which is a mental preoccupation or craving. For example, the workaholic may obsess about the tasks that need to be completed and the constant guilt feelings that whisper, “You need to be doing more.” The second component of the addiction is the compulsion, which is behavior that lives out or acts out the mental obsession. For example, a compulsive spender buys things that he cannot afford to satisfy his craving. Here's another question for us to ponder. Is an addiction a disease? Some argue that an addiction is a disease, however, at the Minirth-Meier Clinic, the doctors do not call addiction a disease. They call it a disorder. They say, “It is vogue these days to refer to addiction as a disease. The problem with that word is that it sounds like something you catch, like a virus, rather than something you choose to do. Recovery does not take place until the addict takes responsibility for his or her choices. By calling addictions such as alcoholism diseases, we risk conveying that the addict is not responsible for the addiction.” Addiction is a choice and every addiction is 100% curable if the addict is willing to take responsibility for his or her actions.

As Christians, I believe there are three things that we can do to overcome any addiction and we find all of them in 1 Corinthians chapter 6:

1) I need to live a life of SELF-CONTROL in all areas 

9Don’t you know that evil people won't have a share in the blessings of God's kingdom? Don't fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual 10will share in God's kingdom. Neither will any thief or greedy person or drunkard or anyone who curses and cheats others. 11Some of you used to be like that. But now the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of God's Spirit have washed you and made you holy and acceptable to God. 12Some of you say, "We can do anything we want to." But I tell you that not everything is good for us. So I refuse to let anything have power over me. (1 Corinthians 6:9-12 CEV) 

What did Paul mean when he said, “I refuse to let anything have power over me”?  The word translated “to have power over” (your translation may say “mastered” or “enslaved”) is the Greek word EXOUSIA which is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 28:18 when He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore Go…”  Paul would not allow himself to be brought under the control or authority of anyone or anything except the authority of Jesus Christ.  A child of God is to be in control of his desires at all times. Self-control is the virtue of one who has learned to master his desires and passions. When addiction is present we are no longer in control. God expects His children to be in control of self – denying ungodliness and holding to the new nature that has been given to us through Christ. 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). 

2) I need to live a life of SEPARATION for the Lord

You also say, "Food is meant for our bodies, and our bodies are meant for food." But I tell you that God will destroy them both. We are not supposed to do indecent things with our bodies. We are to use them for the Lord who is in charge of our bodies. 14God will raise us from death by the same power that he used when he raised our Lord to life. ( 1 Corinthians 6:13-14 CEV) 

God can lift us out of our plights, but we must do our part and that is to turn to Him. You need to turn to the Lord for help and really be serious about changing.  29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper (Proverbs 23:29-32 NIV). Notice it says that it is best not to even look at wine, much less drink the stuff. One way to completely avoid certain addictions is to not indulge in them in the first place, even in moderation (drinking, smoking, drugs, sexual misconduct, etc.)

3) I need to live a life of SURRENDER to the Holy Spirit

15Don't you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No, it isn't! 16Don't you know that a man who does that becomes part of her body? The Scriptures say, "The two of them will be like one person." 17But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him. 18Don't be immoral in matters of sex. That is a sin against your own body in a way that no other sin is. 19You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God (1 Corinthians 6:15-20 CEV).

Some of you may look at yourself in the mirror and think, “so what’s so special about my body?” (especially in the morning when you wake up with ‘bed head’). Well, here’s the answer, your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Master (EXOUSIA) and Savior, the Holy Spirit immediately takes up residence in you. 16How can the house of God get along with false gods? We are the house of the living God. God has said, “I will live in them and will walk among them. I will be their God and they will be My people” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NLV).  What are the false gods Paul is speaking about here? Anything that has authority over us besides the Holy Spirit of God—in other words ADDICTIONS! Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. Although they think that this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires. “Bought at a price” refers to slaves purchased at an auction. Christ’s death freed us from sin, but also obligates us to His service. For anyone who has ever rented a home, you know that when you live in a building owned by someone else, you try not to violate the Landlord’s rules. We must not pollute God's temple with the addictive sins of the flesh. If the God of the Universe lives in your body right now, does He feel like He’s still in Heaven or does He feel like Oscar the Grouch living in a trash can? 22throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness—righteous, holy, and true (Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT).