Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” - 1
Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)
It seems like in today’s modern evangelical message
something is missing. There is this desire to get people saved by telling them
about Jesus (in a superficial way) and then getting them to say a “sinner’s
prayer” and then declaring them saved. However, what really happens is these
people get this new present handed to them, like a Christmas present on
December 25th. They're excited about it. They embrace this new label as
Christian and they try to make a change or changes in their lives. However,
they don’t change some things of their life. They hold onto ideas that reject God will.
They will hear things like Jesus still hung out with tax
collectors and sinners therefore it must be OK to still go into bars and drink beer.
Or, God made the plants so why can’t we smoke pot. This is usually the case
because they really weren't taught any different or they just wanted the
benefits of Jesus without a relationship with Jesus. That’s most likely the
fault of the sharer of the message and partly the receiver of the message.
However, there are those that not only want what Jesus has
to offer but they want Jesus himself. They want to truly follow Jesus because
they love Him. They want to obey Jesus when he said, “If you love me you’ll
obey my commands.”
That’s why Paul’s advice to believers is so important. Even
though we have been free from the law and it judgments through Jesus Christ we
still must make the right choices in our daily lives as ambassadors of Christ.
“Everything
is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is
permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. - 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
“Everything
is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is
permissible”—but not everything is constructive. - 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV)
In the world of AA,
NA or whatever addiction anonymous groups that are out there, there is one
thing that is key to staying free from that thing that brings destruction into
their lives. Avoid people, places or material that temp them. These groups call these things triggers.
For those who are
followers of Jesus Christ our desire is to avoid sin and to live for Jesus. We
want to avoid the sin that Jesus went to the cross for on our behalf. As brand
new believers we have just escaped from the errors we live in.
The triggers for addicts are the same for new believers
wanting to leave sin behind.
A trigger is any form of stimuli that initiates the desire
to engage in addictive behavior. During the course of a recovery program,
triggers may prompt an individual to slip-up and use a substance or engage in a
behavior that they otherwise are trying to avoid.
Triggers are associated with a memory or situation that
relates in some way to prior substance abuse behaviors. As someone struggles
with addiction, the people they interact with, the places they spend their time
and in some situations their place of work can become strongly associated with
their addictive behavior. It could even be smell, a song or even a passing
thought. It could be an inner unpleasant feeling like stress, anger, loneliness,
anxiety, or any other negative emotion that may coarse through our bodies and
any given time.
During recovery, it helps to reduce exposure to these
triggers as much as possible. This may require changing relationships, moving
to a different side of town or making a career change. Triggers prompt
cravings, which are strong desires for a certain substance.
Learning how to identify triggers and developing strategies
to manage cravings are key aspects of most addiction recovery programs.
For a follower of Jesus Christ we need to be taught the same
kind of things. The bible calls these temptations.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of
life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and
to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and
holiness. - Ephesian 4:22-24
It is a learning process, however, we don’t have to rely on
our own strength. The bible tells us we have the supernatural helper of the
Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells us, “Which of you fathers, if your
son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for
an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” - Luke 11:11-13 (NIV)
Jesus says this in John. “And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept
him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives
with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans;” - John
14:16-18
Paul describes our dilemma this way, “ So I find
this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in doing the right thing; but I see another law at work in the
members of my body, waging war against
the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks
be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! - Romans 7:21-25
Jesus really is the answer. It’s not the institutionalized
religion we see today that is done with the label of Christian. It’s the
supernatural encounter that brings us into a personal relationship with someone
who cares even more than our family or friends.
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