The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree. Psalms 92:12
PART FOUR - THE LIFE
The epistle to Colossians summarizes the expectations of the Chrisitan - to live an overcoming, holy life and to share Jesus with the world. It teaches us the value of what Jesus did when he died for our sins and rescued us from the dominion of darkness. It teaches us who we are in Christ, an overcoming saint, and the expectation of what God expects from us. We are to live up to what God has made us to be through Jesus Christ and share the good news with those who we come in contact with. As you listen to this teaching, I trust you will begin to see things as God sees them and live accordingly in your walk with the Lord.
To live an overcoming life over addiction, or any struggle there are six requirements that must be in place. It makes no difference if it's an addiction to alcohol, drugs, sex, anger issues, jealousy or any kind of life-controlling sin. These six steps are absolutely necessary in order to have victory.
Colossians 2:6 NASB95
Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
1. You must be born again.
Jesus put it plainly to Nicodemus one night when the two were conversing: “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus then said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This confused Nicodemus so he asked, “How can these things be?” (John 3:9) Then Jesus pointed to the example of Moses and how he “lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
To be born again means that one has experienced a dramatic, life-changing event. Man is in rebellion against God because of his sin. The Bible says: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The legal penalty of sin is death. (See Romans 6:23). In order to have communion with God again, the penalty had to be paid. Jesus, who is God, Incarnate, came through the Virgin Mary and became a man. Due to the fact that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of natural man He was perfect in every way, sinless and was qualified to pay the penalty of our sin. He suffered a brutal crucifixion “To give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus could not die because he was perfect “…and in Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But Jesus said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again” (John 10:17). You might ask why God would do such a thing for me. Jesus puts it this way: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17). God’s purpose was not to condemn mankind to eternal damnation, but to give life that “…he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Eph 2:16).
So we see from the Bible that we have all sinned against God. Jesus paid the penalty for that sin by laying down His life for us on the Cross so we could be reconciled to God. He did this because He loves us so very much.
This explains the condition of man, but not how to be born again. To be born again or “saved” from sin, we must go again to the Bible. Romans 10:9-10 says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” To put it in simple terms, you must believe Jesus died on the Cross for your sins, and He will forgive your sins if you ask, and you must confess or commit to following Jesus the rest of your life. This is how you can be “saved” or born again.
One of the results of salvation is a new creation. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: [creation] old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God does not rehabilitate; He gets rid of the old and creates new.
When a man builds a house, he must begin with a solid foundation. If the foundation is faulty, the house that is built on it, no matter how beautiful and majestic, will not survive the onslaught of natural forces. So, it is with our contaminated flesh. Sinful man cannot stand up to the holiness of God. When we yield ourselves to God, He transforms us and creates a house built on a sure foundation, the perfection of His Son Jesus Christ. God can then dwell and therefore work in us “…to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom 8:29), i.e. one acceptable to God.
Multiple millions of people over the centuries have experienced this new birth. Drug addicts, prostitutes, murderers, homosexuals, gamblers, thieves, liars and selfish people, to name just a few, have experience the power of Jesus Christ forgiving their sins and giving them new, abundant life. Broken homes have been put back together. Where there was hopelessness and despair, there is now peace, love, and hope. This salvation or new birth is available to all, but each individual must receive this gift from God personally by faith.
You might ask why this is important for total deliverance from addiction. The answer is simple. First, addiction is a result of sin. You cannot fully overcome addiction in your own strength–no matter how hard you try–without the blood of Christ cleansing you of your sin. (This is why 12 step programs are unsuccessful). Secondly, you need the working of the Holy Spirit (God) working in you to overcome. God the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in you unless your sin is totally gone. This is done by faith in Jesus Christ.
2. You must believe God’s Word.
You are what you believe.
Abraham is considered the great patriarch of the Jewish race. He not only obeyed God and moved to the land of Canaan, but he did great things for God as a result of his obedience. He fathered a nation and taught them about the one true God. But what really made him great is that he believed God! The Bible says “He believed in the LORD; and he (God) counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3).
The Holy Bible is the very Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). There is no error when God speaks. God is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present. When He speaks, he does not and cannot lie. The Word of God is absolute truth.
Matthew 18:3-4 says, “Verily I say unto you, ‘Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The secret to believing the Word of God is to come as a little child. A one-year-old child does not doubt, but just believes. A child believes his father has his best interests in mind. A child totally trusts his father. Jesus wants us to have the mindset of a child and totally believe Him.
God has given to us His Word so we can have a tool to guide our faith in Him. The Bible is to be read, studied, memorized, and hidden in our hearts. But even more important is that we must believe the Bible. When we believe His written Word, it will give us life, hope, and peace.
You must believe the Word of God. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:11). The Word of God purifies, cleanses, renews the mind, transforms the soul and centers our attention on the cross. The Bible is the redemption story of man, and it reminds us of our fragilities and God’s great mercy and love. It gives us hope, peace, joy and comfort.
3. You must have what Jesus accomplished on the cross (His finished work) as the object of your faith.
It is easy for people to trust in other things rather than God. People trust in religion, organizations, government, family, and even themselves for a variety of reasons. These things have their place and benefits. However, when it comes to addictions, there is only one object of trust you must have and that is the finished work of Christ done on the cross. Paul the apostle placed this emphasis on the cross: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:17-18). Also, in chapter two of First Corinthians: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:2-5). Paul, one of the greatest missionaries of the early church, wanted to make it very clear that his message was singular in nature: Jesus and Him crucified or the message of the cross!
Paul believed in the finished work of Christ so strongly that he boldly acknowledged he was “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16). He understood it to be the power of God unto salvation to those who believe. The word salvation can also be translated “delivered.” The idea is that God delivered us from sin and the bondage of sin. So Paul is saying that what Jesus accomplished on the cross is where the power of God can be found for your deliverance from any addiction because addiction is a result of sin!
Now that we know the value of the finished work of Christ, let us look at how we can apply it to our lives. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5). It is obvious that this passage of Scripture can and does speak of Salvation. For when we believe in what Jesus did for us by dying for us we are saved.
However, in the context of the sixth chapter of Romans, it also speaks of sanctification, which deals with addiction. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). And “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). “Should not serve sin” and “sin shall not have dominion over you” speaks of the progressive work of God in the believer or sanctification. In other words, the everyday struggles we go through in living for God. So, we see in these verses the emphasis on what Jesus did on the cross and our belief in that finished work.
When a person is addicted to something, and it could be anything, it is a result of sin. The reason it is sin is because of trust in self or “I” can overcome this. The Bible says, “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Faith has to do with trust and dependency in God, therefore when we do not trust God we default to trusting in self and that is sin. It could be the sin of unbelief, the sin of rebellion, or the sin of pride. God expects us to walk by faith, and not by our own senses, earthly wisdom, or personal experience.
As a new creature in Christ, we must believe all that happened at Calvary. First Corinthians 1:30 tells us what happened at Calvary: “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Wisdom in this verse speaks of our understanding of God’s great gift. Righteousness speaks of God making us “not guilty”, justified by Christ’s blood to stand before Him, or as one person put it, “just-as-if-I-never-sinned.” Sanctification speaks of the continual process of becoming holy like Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And finally, redemption speaks of being delivered, ransom paid, from our slavery to sin. Of course, all of this is accomplished through what Jesus did on the cross being the object or focus of our belief.
4. You must deny your own ability to overcome the addiction.
There is a wonderful example of denial of self in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was about to be tortured, beaten, and crucified for the sins of mankind. He said, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). “Not my will, but thine, be done” speaks volumes of the attitude Christ had when going where He did not want to go. It is a willingness to do that which must be done at great personal sacrifice in order to achieve the purpose intended. The believer must realize that in order to overcome addiction, he must stop trying to do it himself.
Personally, it wasn’t until I realized I was in the way and had to stop trying myself to overcome that God was able to do His work. God will not share His glory with anyone!
Jesus put it this way: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23-24). In other words, if you want to follow Jesus and receive all of His benefits, you must deny your own ability to earn or deserve them and trust in the finished work of Christ every day before you can follow Him. If you try to gain or save your life (overcome your addictions on your own) you will fail, but if you give it all over to God and do it His way, you will gain life.
This was a very difficult lesson for me personally. We all learn to depend on self as we grow up. We get a job to save up for a car, move out on our own, go to college. We pursue careers we think we will like, spouse we think we could live with, and a life that meets our dreams. We are trained from childhood to do this, and this is not a bad thing. However, when it comes to addictions and overcoming sin, we must rely on a power greater than ourselves, Jesus Christ and He does not share His glory with anyone. “That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29) makes this point very clear. In other words, I had to stop trying to overcome and just believe that Jesus already overcame it on the cross for me and, therefore, trust Him for my deliverance.
So, what does it mean to deny our own abilities? Consider these questions: Who do you really trust: yourself or God? Who are you really depending upon: yourself or God? Who do you really believe: yourself or God?
5. You must not add anything to the finished work of Christ
Overcoming sin with God’s help will never work! Many people try to earn their deliverance or do things to overcome on their own. They even try to “help” God out by their effort or religious activities. This will always end in failure.
Early in my struggle, I tried to overcome my sin by avoiding certain places, holding myself accountable to another person, and removing all temptation from my presence. Among other things, I got more involved in church, read my Bible more, prayed more earnestly, and kept busy with other things. My determination and will to overcome was strong, yet these things only had a minimal effect and gave me only temporary relief. I still struggled and fell from grace.
Now there is nothing wrong with doing these things. Common sense would dictate that if you’re an alcoholic, you shouldn’t be visiting bars. But the issue is trust. Do you trust in these things? Are you trying to “earn” your deliverance by doing these things? This is the issue with many Christians. At best this can only lead to self-righteousness and hypocrisy. In other words, “Look what I have done to overcome,” and man gets the credit.
When a person becomes “born again” or “saved,” he comes to the conclusion that what Jesus did at the cross can save him from his sin. Only what Jesus did at the cross can deliver him from Hell, forgive him and give him eternal life. He places his faith exclusively in what Jesus did when he died for us. He acknowledges that Jesus died as a sacrifice for his sins and if he asks Him to take over Jesus will forgive him and give him a new life. He knows he cannot do anything to add to this, he must just trust in Jesus and believe His Word. It is not different when it comes to overcoming sin.
In Romans 7, Paul speaks of the purpose of the Law. It is to reveal to us how sinful we are. The Ten Commandments clearly show us our inability to live perfect before God. But as Christians we no longer live under the rules of the law. “We are not under the law but grace” (Romans 6:14). We live under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and thus are able to “…fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Therefore, we no longer live as unto the law of “thou shall not do that” and “thou shall do this,” but under grace.
By placing our trust in “things” to help God out, we are placing ourselves under law and adding to the finished work of Christ.
We cannot add anything to God’s deliverance process. God requires absolute surrender and trust in Him. What Jesus did at the cross is sufficient. We must believe that the finished work is sufficient. Our dependency must be placed only in His accomplished finished work. This is the singular thing we must do. Trust, believe, have faith in Christ’s finished work.
6. You must yield to the Holy Spirit in everything.
The Bible clearly teaches that we must “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). What does that mean?
First, let’s define what the “flesh” is. The flesh, or sinful nature, is that part of man that tends to want to do; is bent toward doing; evil. The Bible says the works of the flesh are “Adultery, fornication (harlotry and incest), uncleanness (impurity, sexual or moral), lasciviousness (looseness, promiscuous), Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred (hostility), variance (quarreling), emulations (jealousy and indignation), wrath, strife, seditions (divisive), heresies, envying, murders (can include murder of character), drunkenness, reveling (partying or riots), and such like” (Galatians 5:19-21).
When a person becomes a genuine Christian, God makes the sinful nature become dormant. Paul puts it this way: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin…For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:3-7, 14). The flesh is only resurrected by law. Again, Paul explains it: “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, [Law] wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Romans 7:8-11). We also know from Scripture that “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). There is a battle for the Christian between living in the Spirit and the Flesh. The trick is keeping the flesh dormant. That can only be done by walking in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit means to live like God does in thought and action. (However, it doesn’t mean you are a god!)
If you feel condemnation or guilt, it is a sign that you are not walking in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts, the devil condemns. The Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). Notice the phrase “in Christ Jesus” and the “Spirit of life”. The law of the Spirit of life is the only power greater than the law of sin and death. These are the two most powerful laws in the universe. The only way to permit the law of the Spirit of life to work in you is to be in Christ Jesus. The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit is to give life to the individual within the parameters of Christ’s work. Life has to do with victory; sin has to do with death. This is God’s prescribed order of victory.
To walk in the Spirit means to dwell with or be around, the Holy Spirit. It is the same concept as abiding in the vine which Jesus speaks of in John 15. We must dwell with the Spirit and be led or guided by Him. We must listen to Him, do what He says, and be totally obedient to Him. The Holy Spirit is a part of the Triune Godhead and equal with Jesus and the Father. They are in unison; One God in three persons. God does not do anything outside of the parameters of the finished work of Christ. He does not do anything contrary to the Word of God. We are to be in perfect union with Him.
When we do this, the flesh stays dormant, and we walk in continuous victory. Addictions no longer control us. The flesh is dead, and we are being “Conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).
To recap, the six requirements to overcoming any addiction or struggle are as follows:
- You must be born again.
- You must believe God’s Word.
- You must have what Jesus accomplished on the cross (His finished work) as the object of your faith.
- You must deny your own ability to overcome the addiction.
- You must not add anything to the finished work of Christ.
- You must yield to the Holy Spirit in everything.
Each requirement is necessary in order to overcome your addiction. You cannot pick and choose the requirements you want to do and ignore the rest. It is all or nothing, black or white, deliverance or bondage.
God desires that you be free from sin and the bondage of sin. If you follow all of these requirements you will live the victorious, overcoming life Jesus had promise when he said: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
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