Who in his right mind would volunteer to become a slave, chained to a life of bondage? Yet that’s just what Addiction is: self-imposed slavery, selling oneself into bondage to habit or a substance. While we typically think of addiction as a problem related to drugs or alcohol, there are other addictions that can also be destructive. We may become addicted to work, addicted to gambling, or addicted to pornography. We all have our addictions, whether they are “minor” bad habits or dangerous dependencies. One thing we are all dangerously addicted to is sin. When it comes to rejecting God’s way of living and doing what seems best to us—well, we are hooked.

So how do we break the chains of our sin addiction? Ironically, it is by submitting to the control of God and his Holy Spirit. We are still controlled, but his control is always for our benefit and health, not our destruction. God’s transforming power is the only thing that can ultimately heal us from all addictions.

Can addiction involve more than substance abuse?

2 Peter 2:19

[These false teachers] promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

The key to addiction is control. What controls you? Whenever we have a master, we are slaves. Addiction is relinquishing ourselves to the control of something or someone else.

Romans 3:23

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Colossians 1:22

You are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

1 Corinthians 6:11

But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God.

Sin is the most deeply ingrained addiction of every human being. You can’t go to a clinic to overcome sin once and for all. But you can go to a person—Jesus Christ, the Son of God—to help you resist the sin in your life and to completely forgive what’s left. When he forgives you, he looks at you as though you have never sinned, and when your life on earth is over, he will give you eternal life where you will be forever free from sin.

Romans 8:5, 7

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things. . . . For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

You can be addicted to your own Sinful Nature, which can dominate your thoughts and actions.

Matthew 19:21-22

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Possessions can be addictive.

Romans 1:26-27

That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other.

Sexual perversions can be addictive.

Proverbs 21:17

Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

Pleasure, a luxurious lifestyle, and wealth can be addictive.

Psalm 39:6

All our busy rushing ends in nothing.

Mark 6:31

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”

Work can be addictive. Make sure you find time to rest and refresh your body and spirit.

Does the Bible say anything about drugs?

1 Corinthians 6:12-13

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. . . . [Our bodies] were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

The Bible doesn’t specifically mention the kind of drug addiction common among many people today, but it does address putting things into your body that are harmful and that impair your ability to function. Taking drugs to get a high produces an artificial happiness or escape that is a cheap substitute for the true joy of being filled by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit controls your life, your joy is authentic and contagious.

Can I be devoted to God and other things too? Is that addiction?

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other.”

Devotion and addiction are different, but devotion can lead to addiction. You can be devoted to family and friends and to helping other people. You can be devoted to a worthy cause. This shows you care. But devotion becomes addiction when it so absorbs you that God is no longer your first priority and distracts you from spending time with him. You must evaluate who or what is most important to you. A clue to determining this is to see where you spend most of your time.

What is the best way to be free from my addictions and bad habits?

Romans 6:16

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Submission is a choice. We daily stand at the crossroads, choosing sinful ways or God’s way. Choose wisely.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

1 John 4:4

You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory . . . because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

1 John 5:4-5

Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Freedom from addiction comes as you change your focus and the way you think. You do this by trusting Christ to transform you and empower you to resist temptation. While it is healthy and important to seek the help of others, with God’s help, you have the ultimate power to overcome addiction. It’s hard to focus on Christ when your eyes are fixed on this world. It’s hard to focus on worldliness when your eyes are fixed on Christ.

If we shouldn’t let anything control us, why do we submit to the Holy Spirit’s control?

Galatians 5:22-23

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Romans 8:6

Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

God’s control is the only kind of control that produces completely positive results.

Promise From God

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

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