thesoulpurposedotorg

I know many people who suffer from addictions and I offer these thoughts:
FIRST I do not think it is helpful to look at a compulsive behavior as sin. Although it certainly is on one level because it interrupts the flow of love from God to us, dealing with a compulsion simply as sin usually doesn’t erradicate the compulsion.
SECONDLY I have found Gerald May’s book Addiction and Grace very helpful to understand the neurological basis of a habit becoming a compulsion. In brief, there are neurological pathways in our brains that are laid down as if in concrete and they do not go away. Those pathways demand the compulsion.
THIRDLY The way of Grace is to layer a healing habit on top of it. For that I recommend the Jesus Prayer – practice this ancient prayer “Lord Jesus Christ Have Mercy on me a sinner” repeatedly. Do not just say it once but repeat it outloud and in your mind over and over again. I do this for a minimum of half an hour a day intentionally. Over time it becomes a prayer always on your mind.
FOURTHLY – a compulsion can be the doorway to grace on a level so profound it outdoes the compulsion. M. Scott Peck wrote about this in Further Along the Road Less Traveled. This book is a series of lectures and one of them is about the specific gift of being an alcoholic In his experience, those with addictions have an unusually deep desire for God.
FIFTHLY – You cannot fight a compulsion on your own. It isn’t a matter of the will alone. Do not let your shame keep you from getting the help you need. Personally, I would begin with a Christian doctor and then a 12 step group.
FINALLY – the Cross has covered this. Nothing you do can change the fact that God loves you just as you are, compulsions and all, whether you like it or not. This compulsion just may be a way God is bringing you to God’s heart in a far deeper way.