“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” – Titus 2:11-14
It’s true that unbridled desire that gives into temptation and engages in sin then more easily woos the unguarded, troubled and needy heart to be more and more willing to not only play around with and use a substance, activity, or state of mind to bring temporary relief to distress, but also enters into what amounts to voluntary bondage where that substance, activity, or state of mind rules the person, becoming a dependent crutch in their life. Welcome to the nature and reality of addiction. Some of you may have struggled in the past or are currently struggling under such bondage. Yet, there is real and lasting freedom in and through Christ and the Spirit’s work and application of grace in your life.
I’m writing this devotion series for any who may struggle, as well as those who don’t. Why write about this now? Addictions are not only prevalent in our society, but sadly also in Christ’s church. Some fly under the radar. Some are more out in the open. Either way, the tentacles and consequences of addiction affect and damage so many people in a variety of relationships. Though not exhaustive, I pray that these devotions will be a help in the path to healing, as tools of good encouragement for many to stay out of the pit, as well as good help to those who seek to help others in their recovery.
Make no mistake, addiction is an ongoing, and growing, feast in darkness that calls you to come to its table often. When you come, it takes you to dine in dark places- not only as a pit stop but convincing you to dwell there longer and longer. Whether fear brought you to the feast, or maybe pride, greed, depression, anxiety, insecurity, physical or emotional pain, etc. addictions are not only huge threats for Christians but are all too common ways that we fall into various pits, all of which involve idolatry. As our hearts are quick to craft idols, when addictions are exposed, one can see those that have been made, along with the reason(s) they’ve been made quite clearly. In addition, our fall into sin in an addiction easily leads to seared consciences, where the heart in bondage defends itself from the truth so that even bad consequences don’t bring us to sincere repentance, which leads to further estrangement from God.
An important question is- Should darkness be your playground, not to mention what amounts to your refuge and dwelling place, child of light? God through His Word says, No. Absolutely not! The refuge and dwelling place that we seek must be set right on Christ. You are called to walk in the light as He is in the light. Any and all banquets in the grave must be thoroughly dealt with in sons and daughters of God as they are an affront to Christ, demonstrating blindness and forgetfulness of His person, promises, and work, along with being rebellion against His commands.
Take Jesus’ words to heart in John 8:12 “…“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”” The Apostle John presses and important lesson to you in 1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Therefore, as walking in darkness should never be an option for you, how must you walk with and before God, fight against temptation, and overcome the sins of addiction? Take time to seriously meditate on the lesson that the Apostle Paul reveals to Titus and reveals to you about the instruction of the grace of God that brings salvation.
- What does God’s grace teach you? “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12) Divine grace is truly amazing, isn’t it? Know that the Greek word for “denying” lit. means “rejecting” and “disowning”. Don’t fall into deception thinking that ungodliness and lust can never rule you. God’s grace teaches you that such lusts can, but must never rule you! For you belong to and are under the sovereign rule of King Jesus. Completely pushing them away, getting them out of your heart and practice, with no further connection to or possession of them is in view. It’s also worth noting that the Greek word is in the middle voice, which means as you deny ungodliness and worldly lusts you take benefit in doing so. The Lord blesses you as you deny them. Some of those God given benefits include the contrasted path and life of obedience- living soberly or self-controlled, righteously, and godly today.
- Along with walking in this way, note that Paul also keeps your eyes looking forward in hope- “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” See the key and comfort for you here- Your diligence in exercising yourself towards godliness in the present is also fueled by your hope-filled gaze of the return of Christ, knowing what He accomplished for you in His sacrifice of Himself and work of redemption. Jesus has paid it all. He has paid for all of your lawless deeds, washing you clean as His people, making you zealous to obey Him. You have been freed to no longer feed the beast of ungodly lusts and rather have a strong desire for righteousness and godliness. Praise the Lord!
Considering all of this, Beloved, have a daily zeal to never play or dwell in the darkness. I know this is easier to say and hard to do, especially when you’re in the thick of it. Never forget that addiction always binds and burdens. Yet, if Christ has set you free, you’re free indeed. (John 8:36) Because this is gloriously true, prayerfully seek God’s grace to have a strong, daily resolve to not voluntarily enslave yourself in the dungeon that Christ has freed you from. Refuse to feed the beast. As hard as it is, let it starve and die. Rather, feed on the Word, filling your heart and mind with truth to more effectively deal with temptations. Don’t patch the pain but run to Jesus in your weakness for truly effective healing and eternal solace.