I volunteered as a chaplain aide at the local county jail between 2017-2019.
Many of the prisoners were addicted to alcohol, methamphetamine and other illicit substances.
I spent a lot of time researching addictions and Christian approaches to this topic.
I would like to recommend a few resources in this regard for those who might be struggling with this issue, or have loved ones that are struggling with them.
A very good book on this topic is Heart of Addictions by Mark Shaw. You might consider purchasing this book and giving it to the addict in your life. See the related resources section below for a video lecture from Mark.
One of my friends that I met through the jail ministry told me it was the most helpful book that I gave him.
Jeff Durbin, pastor of Apologia Church in Phoenix, struggled with addiction prior to his encounter with Jesus Christ. See the related resources section for his testimony.
Addiction is a symptom of the fallen nature in mankind, resulting from man’s rejection of God in the Garden of Eden.
The fallen nature is common to all men in Adam, before being born again in Christ. You must be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3.
The believer is a new creation in Christ. He is new, although not yet perfect.
Alistair Begg outlines our history as good, bad, new and perfected. The believer is in the new state moving toward the perfected state.
After being born again, believers still struggle with indwelling sin. Success in overcoming is achieved through use of the means of grace like prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowship, and the ordinances of the Church. Neglect of the means of grace leads to constant defeat and yielding to the indwelling sin.
The reality is that the true believer is joined or united to Christ in a spiritual sense. However, we must focus upon our identity in Christ, and living it out in our life. Satan whispers his defeatist lies into our ears constantly and we must be vigilant in our exercise of the means of grace to overcome and to dispel these doubts.
Christ in us is the victorious conqueror of the ancient serpent.
Comments? Email me at [email protected] or leave a reply below. Respectful comments and questions without expletives will be posted and I will respond to them.
Robert Sparkman
This post is a more detailed version of a letter to the editor that I submitted to the local newspaper. The letter to the editor is referenced in the Related Content section.
Concerning the Related Content section, I encourage evaluating the content with discernment. Some sources of information may reflect a libertarian or non-Christian perspective and I would not agree with all of their values, but in general I think they offer some worthwhile comments and criticisms. I do not necessarily agree with every comment by every person, but in general, I find them to be valuable or I would not include them.
Unlike most mainstream media outlets, I am interested in truth rather than mere partisan propaganda. This blog post reflects my well-considered convictions on the related issues, and provides support for my assertions. I acknowledge the possibility that my understanding of events and information may need refinement and welcome legitimate criticism. Respectful comments and questions without expletives and personal attacks will be posted and I will respond to them.
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