Week 6: Addictions and self-control
Study in Proverbs: Addictions vs. Self-control
4.11.2010
INTRODUCTION
As we read through proverbs, addictions is a major issue. It is a very practical book and it deals even with today. What are some addictions we see in today’s society? What are some that we face in our own lives?
Wasting time, shopping, drug abuse, etc. food disorders, anorexia (Page 12)
Addiction is it a disease? Most secular social sciences, doctors, psychologists view addictions as a disease. What are the implications of doing this?
Look at disease: cancer, diabetes, leukemia
Compare to certain addictions: alcoholism, drug, gambling, sex addiction, etc.
When we look at addictions with the disease model, it takes the responsibility off the person, but when you look at addictions it is a lifestyle or way of life that someone chooses.
How does the bible see addictions? Biblically, addictions are seen as sins and ultimately a disorder of worship or idolatry.
6 Addictions found in Proverbs
Adulterous – addicted to sex, cheating on husband
Sluggard – addicted to comfort, someone who is lazy
Greedy, stingy – worship money, status, comfort,
Proud – worship themselves, proverbs teaches a lot about pride, what they want, feel
Drunkard – worships alcohol, it is a big issue… alcohol
Glutton – worships food, loves to eat, food becomes a god…
As you read through proverbs, you see addictions work out. Addictions is a sin, it is a worship issue. It is an idolatry issue. What I mean by this is when we look to things to comfort us, when we look to things to ease our pain, or entertain us, and we take it to an extreme… these things start controlling us, we begin worshiping such things.
IDOLS LIE (Promises lots, but never satisfies, leads to death)
Proverbs 5:3-5 – honey, taste good, lie this will be wonderful (Hook)… bitter as wormwood, path leads to death (reality). Promise: beautiful, seductive, alluring but in the end it leads to death.
Sex in itself is not bad, but God created it for the marriage relationship… when we crave it, this comes in the form of pornography, sexting, adultery, orgies, etc.
Proverbs 5
Comfort in itself is not bad, God calls us to rest 1 day of the week. But if we seek to rest all days or try our best to take the easy way out… we become what the bible calls sluggard.
A WORSHIP ISSUE, A HEART ISSUE
So it is a worship issue. A lot of times we’ll see an alcoholic quit drinking, but end up turning to food and gaining a lot of weight. Or if they overcome drinking, they become really proud. They end up giving up one idol for another. We offer up our lives, our family, our friends to these idols. They have taken us captive but we have also willingly given it up to them.
God made us to worship. He made our hearts in such a way that we are to worship something or Someone. But if we see addictions as an idolatry issue, we’ll see that our hearts clinging to something other than God. When we look at our own lives, or in the lives of others, we’ll see certain things that are addictive…
You don’t have to say them out loud, but think about what is making you worship them, what takes up all your time? What takes up all your money? What do your relationships look like when they come between you and this thing? (What stuff makes you angry, lie, cheat, steal?) What affects your physical health? Addictions will affect all areas of your life, because it becomes a god… it is idolatry.
Q. Proverbs talks about addiction to food, addiction to alcohol, addiction to sex, addiction to comfort, addiction to comfort… what are some modern things that we deal with?
Addictions: I can’t stop gambling, I can’t stop eating, I can’t stop drugs…
As I was going through this study, I saw in my own life stuff that are addictive, and stuff that I must repent of.
For example: eating, especially eating sweets. I don’t need it, it actually is making me fat, but for some reason, I like to eat it, it gives me a quick high then I crash. God calls me to be a …
Or it could be a website. I have to do work, but instead, I find myself online for most of the day… in the end I lose out on 5-6 hours of work because I couldn’t control myself in playing…
Is it a habit that we have? People say it is bad, but I’ve done it and it isn’t that bad… (I’m thinking of eating disorders, gambling, pornography, drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc.)
Addictions can be real subtle, it can definitely catch you off guard. It starts off pretty innocent, but in the end it enslaves you. Like all sins we try it a little bit and nothing really happens, so we start down a slippery slope.
SIN ENSLAVES US, WE ARE FOOLISH
When we talk about sin, you can see that it enslaves us. The bible clearly calls sins enslaving. Idols end up controlling us. Addictions, cravings only satisfy for a little bit and then we need more, we need a fix. Think again… what it your life is calling out to you? I want more of… I can’t wait to do this…
When we are addicted to something, we become fools… all we want is this thing, whether it be sex, alcohol, money, drugs, comfort, pride, etc.
Proverbs 9: 13 The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. 14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. 16 “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. 17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
Proverbs 23: 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
Addict to Alcohol – physically destroying themselves… it lies… it offers all these promises… it looks sweet, but it is destroying us physically, taking over our lives. People are beating us up, but because we are so wasted, we don’t feel anything.
Alongside wisdom, foolishness is calling out to us. Come eat this, come drink this. Most addicts when they recall the first time they tried something, it didn’t seem bad… they try it, nothing happens… and they think they’re in control, but in the end, the substance controls the addict. (page 72)
Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.
Proverbs 27: 22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him.
Proverbs 26: 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t change a fool. He’ll continue to do the stupid things he has always done.
WISDOM, PROVERBS – WISE MAN, SELF CONTROL
Where does wisdom come in?
That is why bible calls self-control a fruit of the spirit. And that is why Proverbs calls the person one who has self-control, a wise person.
Self control means living within boundaries (p. 209)
Proverbs 25: 28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
We resist boundaries, we consider boundaries to be violations of our personal freedoms, but scripture calls lack of personal boundaries actually enslave us.
In the biblical times, a city used they wall for protection. It kept out thieves and robbers, and neighboring country from attack. But we proverbs call the man who lacks self control as like a city whose walls are broken down.
What kinds of boundaries do we have in our lives?
How do we build a wall of protection so that addictions or sin in general? It means having wise alternatives to rebuild walls that protect us from our favorite idols with haste and diligence.
If we struggle with food, then have steps to eat in public; if we struggle with internet, it means having passwords; if we struggle with alcohol, find a different route so as not to pass bar; if we struggle with gambling, have someone
How do you respond to someone who is an addict?
p. 112 Don’t overreact to the addict’s irresponsibility or times of intoxication. The addict will use it to draw attention to you rather than the real problem. Overreactions such as extreme anger or extreme fear usually work against wisdom rather than with it. Remember that addiction is against God more than it is against you. This doesn’t mean that you should be passive, although there will be times when you won’t know what to do. In fact there will be times when you should be angry. Let love and wisdom be your guide. They lead neither to enabling nor condemnation. Instead they surprise with grace aim for the conscience and allow the user to feel the consequences of his actions.
Some of the things you have to deal with is lying, cheating, stealing, etc. when you deal with an addict. The addict no longer seeks to obey the law of God… instead he seeks to satisfy his own desire, his addiction… whatever he can do to get his next fix.
How do I get self control?
A wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11)
An essential feature of sin is that it loathes boundaries, preferring instead to follow its own desires. It is a heart issue. It affects the body, if affects the mind, but ultimately the source of the idolatry affects the heart.
LEARNING TO SAY NO
Titus 2:11-14 – We have to say no to ungodliness and seek God, treasure Jesus Christ.
Self-control is possible because of the grace given us in Jesus Christ. It is this ever present grace that teaches us to say “no”
Do you have wise people in your life? Do you spend time with wise people? Are you reading through proverbs? Do you hunger for God? Why do I let the idols become like God to me?
Saying “no” sets a boundary for us. Our heart is with Jesus, when we are able to say no to temptations… this is spiritual warfare. We are at war. Bible calls this progressive sanctification. Doing battle with internal temptations or taking our souls to task. In God’s sovereign plan, conversion does not bring about instant moral perfection, instead God’s plan is that we fight indwelling sin. God has declared war, there is something praiseworthy about the fight as we participate in it. The fight itself brings glory to God.
Sin is very self-centered. One of the techniques the book uses is one of spiritual warfare. Every time we think of ourselves, we should think of God ten times. Meaning, for each time I desire something for myself, spend a minute or two thinking of God. By setting our hearts and minds to God, we lose interest in those false gods, those idols.
Example:
THE CHURCH
Benefits of the Church:
Church changes our identity: Notice the difference between “I’m Jim. I’m an alcoholic” and “I’m Jim. I am part of the body of Christ, I am part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” We are now defined not by our addiction, but by Christ
The church teaches us to remember: addictions is ultimately a disorder of worship; we worship our desires over God. We desire things of earth more than the one who rules it. Worship is the true deepest need for addicts as it is for all people. It is during worship that we are most fully human. As we worship, the Spirit changes us. Sometimes this change is more ordinary and gradual. God transforms us.
The church has everything we need: in our battle with sin, we need a team of people. We need teachers to help us understand scripture, prophets to help us apply, interceders to pray for us, preachers to focus our eyes on Christ, encouragers to remind us of God’s grace when we feel like failures, wise men and women to discern when we are making foolish decisions, and people of faith to tell us that everything God has said is true in Christ.
Addiction is ultimately a worship issue. When something over takes us, enslaves us, Christ offers a way out.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:
4 questions:
What has been helpful and why?
Do you believe the underlying cause of addiction is idolatry?
How have idols lied to you in the past? (I have to have a boyfriend/girlfriend)
What idols need to be smashed right now?
Tags: addictions, Proverbs