Addictions, Passions, Or Idols?
Addictions. We all know someone who has them. That someone might even be us. What is the key to overcoming addictions? What is the key to breaking things that consume us? When we trust in God, there is nothing that we cannot overcome. There is no hardship that we cannot face. There is no sorrow that we cannot bear. There is no addiction that we cannot break. For His love is new every morning.
Scripture: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” – Lamentations 3:22
Observation/Application:
As I read this verse this morning I can’t help but think the word addiction really is a four-letter word, spelled “idol”. If we have something that consumes us so much that we cannot do without, if it is something that is keeping us from God’s best, if it is something other than God, then it is an idol. This verse caused me to reflect on the things that I really enjoy and can easily be consumed by. But as I thought about it more and more, I realized how true this was for me.
Music for example is one of my passions. And I am so blessed because the gift of music is no doubt a gift from God. The importance and value of music is highlighted all throughout God’s Word. There is even a whole book dedicated to music (Psalms). But there was a point in my life where I recognized that this gift was separating me from the love of God. Deep down I knew this beautiful gift, if not used in the right way, was like a raging river eating away at my foundation. And I knew that it was a matter of time before the whole house got carried away with the flood.
So I stopped playing and writing for a while, and turned to God’s Word. I decided that if I am going to be consumed with anything, it was going to be God’s Word. I decided that if I was going to be consumed by anything, it would be the one thing that never fails us.
And God didn’t fail me. He didn’t make me give up music. He just wanted to know that I would give it up if He asked me to. He just wanted to know that I would not put anything else above Him. Instead, God has created a new song in me, and is unleashing new songs through me. Instead, God is releasing music in my life again.
“My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered.” – (Psalm 71:23)
So that is my experience with this verse. I’m not saying that music or any of our passions are bad. I’m just saying that when they consume us to the point where they separate us from the love of our Father, that we need to do a check-up from the neck-up. Let us not be consumed by anything more than the love of God our Father, so that we can experience the fullness of the love of God our Father, and the amazing things that he has in store for each and every one of us.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word this morning. Let it refresh us, restore us, renew us, and bring forth in us a new song. Let your goodness and mercy find us. Keep us close to you all throughout the day. Let us feel your Presence Lord each moment. Guide our every step, our every word, our every thought. Let your Spirit move in us, and overflow so that mountains are washed away and addictions are swept away. Let our gifts be gifts unto you. If there is something that is separating us from your love, let those chains be broken today. For there is nothing that we want more than you Lord. And we choose You Lord today. We declare those chains of addiction broken today Lord. We seek you first, and know that you will remove any obstacle, any addition, that separates us from Your love. We give you all the honor and glory, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
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