Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
NOTE TO THE READER
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 - WHY DO WE DO IT?

PARTYING PROBLEMS AWAY

STOPPING THE PAIN
UNDERSTANDING THE REAL PROBLEM
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 2 - THE PATH TO ADDICTION

TRACING THE STEPS TO DEFILEMENT

SPIRALING INTO ADDICTION
EXAMINING YOUR HABITS
ADMITTING THE PROBLEM
ELIMINATING CODEPENDENCY
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 3 - THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF ALL ADDICTIONS

BACKING UP TO THE BEGINNING

EXPOSING THE TRUTH
OVERCOMING A FALLEN WORLD
LOOKING FOR LASTING ANSWERS
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 4 - THE GOOD NEWS

CONSIDERING THE ENTIRE GOSPEL

DISCOVERING CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST
 IDENTIFYING OURSELVES AS CHILDREN OF GOD
WORKING THE 12-STEP PROGRAM
EMBRACING THE GOOD NEWS
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 5 - VICTORY OVER SIN

MAKING CHOICES
EMBRACING FREEDOM IN CHRIST
EXAMINING THE TRUTH
CHOOSING TO BELIEVE THE TRUTH
COUNTING OURSELVES DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE TO
GOD
FINDING VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 6 - THE WAR IN OUR MEMBERS

GLORIFYING GOD IN OUR BODY

BREAKING SEXUAL (AND OTHER TYPES OF)
BONDAGE
BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 7 - SEPARATING OURSELVES FROM SIN

GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 8 - HOW MENTAL STRONGHOLDS ARE FORMED

REPROGRAMMING OUR MINDS

UNDERSTANDING HOW STRONGHOLDS DEVELOP
STANDING AGAINST TEMPTATION
CORRELATING THE OUTER PERSON WITH THE
INNER PERSON
IDENTIFYING THE CAUSES OF SEVERAL
STRONGHOLDS
 GOING DEEPER

CHAPTER 9 - TEARING DOWN STRONGHOLDS

RECEIVING MIXED MESSAGES

RECOGNIZING THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE
RESISTING THE ENEMY
FINDING HOPE FOR OUR FREEDOM
GOING DEEPER

WHO I AM IN CHRIST
THE OVERCOMER’S COVENANT IN CHRIST
 PUBLISHED BY REGAL BOOKS FROM GOSPEL LIGHT VENTURA,
CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
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help you meet the needs of others. May God richly bless you.
For a free catalog of resources from Regal Books/Gospel Light, please call your Christian
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American
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Foundation. Used by permission.

Other versions used are NIV—Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International
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NKJT—Scripture taken from the New KingJames Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 2003 Neil T. Anderson and
Mike Quarles All rights reserved.

Cover and interior design by Robert Williams Edited by Steven Lawson and Stephanie
Parrish
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Anderson, Neil T., 1942-Overcoming addictive behavior / Neil T. Anderson and Mike Quarles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8307-3296-9

1. Compulsive behavior—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2.

Addicts—Religious life. I. Quarles, Mike. II. Title.
BV4598.7.A53 2003
248.8’629-dc22 2003015006

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NOTE TO THE READER
What Is an Addict?

According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition,

the verb “addict” means “to devote or surrender (onself) to something
habitually or obsessively.” An addict is the person who devotes or
surrenders himself or herself to that substance. For the sake of our
discussion, an addict also is someone who can’t seem to break free
from habitual sin. Addicts are in the cycle of sin-confess, sin-confess,
sin-confess and sin again. Such defeated Christians are stuck in
Romans chapter 7: They know what is right, and they want to do what
is right; but for some reason they can’t seem to do it. This book seeks
to explain how they can break out of that cycle and experience their
freedom in Christ.
What Is Freedom?

The apostle Paul wrote that “it was for freedom that Christ set us free”
(Gal. 5:1). The Christian’s state of being is to be alive and free in
Christ. God has set His children free, but many are not experiencing
that freedom.
The 10th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives
this definition for “freedom”:

the quality or state of being free: as a: the absence of

necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b:
liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of
another: independence.
This definition addresses two aspects of freedom. The first aspect is
freedom of choice. When we have the freedom to choose, it is easy
for us to go to an extreme: either license or legalism. If we tend
toward license, it is important to remember that choices have
consequences and that making the wrong choices can result in
bondage. Christians who lean toward legalism should remember that
they are free from the external constraints of the Law and from their
past, since they are new creations in Christ. “Now the Lord is the
Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor.
3:17). Being free in Christ avoids both license (see Gal. 5:13) and
legalism (see Gal. 5:1).
The second aspect of freedom is freedom from slavery. The not-yet
Christians may believe that freedom is the absence of any master;
but in actuality, they are not without a master, because they are bond
servants of sin. Liberated Christians are no longer slaves to sin. They
are bond servants of Christ, who set them free to be all that God
created them to be. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, which is a result
of being filled with the Holy Spirit. If we walk by the Spirit, we will not
carry out the desires of the flesh (see. Gal. 5:16,22-23)—now, that is
freedom!
INTRODUCTION

I was the lead systems engineer on an underwater fire control

system, which was a rocket-launched torpedo. Our first production
unit had just rolled off the assembly line, and I was laboring night and
day to get it operational. A production engineer had been assigned to
work with me during the night shift. The kindest way I can put it is that
he wasn’t much help to me. His wife would call in sick for him at least
once a week, so I could never count on him to be there. By the time
the night shift came around, I would already be fatigued from working
all day. As I labored into the evening, he would sit behind me eating
sunflower seeds. It was driving me nuts!
 One night out of frustration, I asked him if he ever went to church.
He said he wasn’t attending any church at the time, but he and his
wife had often talked about it. So I invited him to the church I
attended, and to my surprise he came. The next Sunday I met him,
his wife and their children and helped them find the right Sunday
School class.
The following Tuesday morning I got a call from my pastor. “I visited
the couple you brought to church last Sunday, and I led them to
Christ,” he said. I was elated. “Since he works with you,” he
continued, “I thought it would be helpful for you to know that he is an
alcoholic.” That revelation put everything else into perspective. That
was why he missed work periodically and why he munched on
sunflower seeds.
Working with people who struggle with addictive behaviors can be
frustrating. It is even more exasperating for those who have to live
with them. As difficult as it is for others, it is even more devastating for
those who can’t seem to overcome the particular behavior.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions?

Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over
wine, those who go to taste mixed wine (Prov. 23:29-30).
They are living a mental, emotional and physical nightmare. Some
keep their ordeal private and expend great effort to hide their
addiction. Others make life miserable for everyone and anyone
around them.
Why do people with an addictive behavior stay on a destructive
course? Why would some keep pouring alcohol into their body,
knowing that it is destroying everything that has meaning to them,
particularly their family, career and health? Why would others keep
sticking needles into their veins, knowing that it is a death warrant?
Why would people keep snorting drugs, knowing what it will
eventually do to their brain, much less the damage it does to their
nasal membranes? Why do so many go back again and again to
pornography on the Internet?
Do addicts enjoy being addicted? No, of course they don’t, no
matter how hard some may try to convince us otherwise. People with
an addictive behavior may enjoy the high for a short time, but the next
day is horrible. They do not make rational decisions, thus trying to
reason with them about a certain destructive behavior has very little
impact. People don’t make decisions with the intention of destroying
themselves—at least not initially.
I can’t imagine a teenager saying “When I grow up, I would like to
be an alcoholic,” “When I am older I want to be grossly overweight
due to excessive eating” or “I am going to become a chain smoker so
that I will have cancer someday!” Most people addicted to sex, drugs,
alcohol, tobacco or food thought at one time, That will never happen
to me. I can stop anytime I want.
Nobody is born with the mental aspect of addiction to alcohol or
drugs, although a newborn baby can have severe physical problems
due to his or her mother’s addiction to alcohol or drugs. People
become addicted by a series of choices that they make in the process
of growing older—although, I hesitate to call it “growing up,” because
addictions severely inhibit maturation. In the same way, nobody is
offered at birth a career in engineering, medicine, law or ministry.
People achieve those prominent positions by a series of choices and
hard work. If they are successful, it is because they assumed
responsibility for their own attitudes and actions.
We should, however, be careful about rushing to judgment. If we
had been subjected to the same harsh treatment that many of these
people had to endure, we would have been tempted to make the
same decisions they have made. If we had the same parents, family
and neighbors they had, it is very likely that we would be struggling
as they are.
Most addicts are products of their past and are very needy.
Children growing up in single-parent families are twice as likely as
their counterparts to develop serious psychiatric illnesses and
addictions later in life, according to a recent study that tracked about
1 million children for a decade—into their mid-20s. Females were
three times as likely to become drug addicts if they lived with only one
parent; males four times as likely.1 Given the decline of the nuclear
family and the high percentage of broken homes, we are facing a
huge problem.
Who are the alcoholics? It may surprise you. One of the biggest
myths about alcohol is that the primary abusers are so-called
rednecks, the uneducated and the blue-collar workers. Not true! I
have gathered the following figures from a variety of sources and
rounded off the numbers so that you can have a rough idea who the
substance abusers are:

According to Gender
75 percent are men
25 percent are women

According to Occupation
45 percent are professionals and/or management
25 percent are white collar
30 percent are blue collar

According to Education
50 percent attended or graduated from college
37 percent attended or graduated from high school
13 percent fell into other categories
It is easy to see the problem in our drug-infested inner city and
miss the plight of the suburbs. In the rash of school shootings, did
you notice that these disturbed children were Caucasian and came
from middle-to upper-middle-class homes? Our appearance-and
performance-oriented culture is inundated with diet and exercise
programs, yet the average American continues to grow fatter and get
sicker. HIV is one of the most incurable diseases plaguing the world,
and it is easily the most preventable. All we have to do is abstain from
sex and drugs. Why can’t we just say no? Even our government has
given up on its Just Say No campaign, which didn’t work.
I was reading a newspaper article about a woman who had been
commissioned by the state board of education to lecture students on
the subject of safe sex. The assumption was that if students only
knew the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, they would
behave properly. The lady assigned this awe-some responsibility
happened to have a weight problem. Consequently, she had
devoured books on nutrition, exercise and diet. She probably knew
enough to give lectures on those subjects as well, but knowing all that
information didn’t stop her from having a second piece of pie on the
day she was thinking about the formidable task ahead of her. How
insightful! She knew from her own experience that telling people what
they are doing is wrong does not give them the power to stop doing it.
If that approach didn’t work for her as an adult, how could she expect
it to work for children?
Obviously, laying down the law does not work—it never has and it
never will. That is the first reason why most diet and recovery
programs don’t work. Most are law based. The participants have to
stop doing something and start doing something else. Some
programs cut that formula in half and make abstinence the goal. Even
if the participants manage to stop their particular addictive behavior,
the result is dry drunks or addicts who may be more miserable than
before. The very thing they had been using to deal with their pain or
cope with the problems of life is taken away from them; but they are
still products of their past, with incredible needs and stunted growth.
They haven’t learned to cope with life and deal with their pain in
healthy ways.
Secular programs tend to focus on harmful behavior. The
participants in the programs assume an identity of failure and struggle
to change their behavior. People don’t just have sexual addictions,
take drugs or eat too much, however; rather, they have life problems.
Even some secular programs have recognized their deficiency and
attempt to incorporate the family into the recovery process, but that is
not enough. The addict and the family are still working the program,
and there is not a program in the world that can set them free. The
Bible teaches that performance-oriented living, or legalism, “kills, but
the Spirit gives life. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:6,17).
The good news is that people can be free from their past, become
new creations in Christ and have all their critical needs met in Jesus.
That is the message of the gospel, made possible by a forgiving and
loving God. When this is fully understood and appropriated, people
can walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desires of the flesh (see
Gal. 5:16). The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The
fruits of the flesh are hatred (mostly of self), depression, fear, anxiety,
impatience, unfaithfulness and loss of control.
 The purpose of this book is to show how being alive and free in
Christ is the answer for overcoming habitual sin and how the truth of
God’s Word will set us free. I will begin by discussing how addictive
behaviors are formed. A simple explanation of why we do what we
do, however, can be used as nothing more than an excuse for
continuing our self-destructive behaviors. Telling a person why he or
she drinks may only result in his or her saying, “You’re right—do you
want to drink with me?” I have no desire to help anyone just cope with
addiction. Freedom from the bondage of sin is the goal, and that will
require knowing the truth about our new identity and position in
Christ.
Transformation also requires the renewing of our mind. So we will
consider the ongoing battle for our mind and learn how we can tear
down mental strongholds that have been raised up against the
knowledge of God (see 2 Cor. 10:5).
I will address many kinds of addictions, but the theology to
overcome each is the same. The good news is we don’t have to live
in bondage to our sins of the past. None of us can fix our past, but by
the grace of God we can all be free of its shackles. Jesus didn’t come
to give us coping skills; He came to give us life and make us new
creations in Him. That is what enables us to live a righteous life, but
we can’t do it by keeping the law or by submitting to some program.
The liberated Christian lives by faith according to what God says is
true in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth and
that the truth will set you free to be all that God has called you to be.
Before we move on to chapter 1, let’s look at an encouraging
testimony someone, who shall remain anonymous, sent to my
ministry:

I was raised in what everyone would think was a perfect

home. My parents were Christians and pillars of the church.
When I reached puberty, like every other boy I was
interested in sex. My parents weren’t very good at sharing at
an intimate level, so most of what I learned about sex was
from my friends and a book my parents had in the house.
From the book, I learned how to masturbate and before long
I became a slave to it. I was in my own private world. On the
 outside I was this Christian kid, involved with the youth
group, a counselor at a Christian camp, and a member of
the “perfect family.” On the inside I was in complete bondage
to pornography and lustful thinking.
I went to a Christian college, where I continued to feed my
lustful habits. I knew the stores that sold pornography. I
married my beautiful Christian girlfriend, and we were the
“perfect couple.” But I still had this private world that my wife
didn’t even know about. My addiction continued to get worse
since I was on the road a lot with my job, and I got closer
and closer to the edge (adultery). I thought I could dabble
with pornography, but never commit the “big one.” Of course
it finally happened, and then it happened again and again. I
knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. I would have guilt and
remorse, but no true repentance.
Finally, events orchestrated by God led to my wife finding
out about my sexual addiction. I confessed to her and God
my life of bondage to pornography and sex. I fell to my
knees before God and repented of my sin, and for the first
time truly felt the love and grace of my heavenly Father.
With the help of your books, I was able to discover my
freedom in Christ. Never before have I felt such freedom! I
am truly alive in Christ. No more bondage! No more slavery
to sin!2
Notes

1 “Broken Homes Contribute to Substance Abuse,” Arizona Republic,

January 24, 2003, sec. A, p. 11.

2 Anonymous letter written to Neil Anderson at Freedom in Christ

Ministries.
CHAPTER 1

WHY DO WE DO IT?

Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but sin is

forbidden because it is hurtful.
ARTHUR H. ELFSTRAND

Some psychological and sociological conditioning occurs in every man’s life and
this affects the decisions he makes. But we must resist the modern concept that
all sin can be explained merely on the basis of conditioning.
FRANCIS A. SCHAEFFER

One of my seminary students walked into my office and slowly closed

the door. “I’m checking out of seminary,” he said. His eyes never left
the floor as he stood nervously in front of me, waiting for my
response. Not everybody makes it through seminary, so this was not
totally uncommon. He was a decent student, but he did have a
tendency to miss more classes than he should.
“Why are you leaving?” I asked.
The fidgeting became more noticeable before he finally responded,
“I guess I’m an alcoholic.”
“So why are you dropping out?” I asked. I think he was a little
surprised by my response. Most people struggling with addictive
behaviors in Christian circles fear the possibility of being found out,
and they expect the hammer to fall when they are. That student and I
had a long talk that afternoon, and we began to construct a plan for
his recovery. Fortunately, he had a good pastor who I knew would
work with us to help him break free from his addiction.
 One of the more meaningful graduations that I ever attended as a
seminary professor came two years later when he walked across that
platform and received his diploma—two years sober. I suppose it is a
little unusual for a seminary student to be hooked on alcohol, but it is
not unusual to find this and other problems in our churches or in
Christian ministries.
There are approximately 20 million alcoholics in the United States.
It is estimated that 25 percent of these alcoholics are teenagers. Of
those who claim to be social drinkers, 1 in 10 is an alcoholic. That
ratio is 1 in 3 for those social drinkers who attend a church. Christians
are more likely to be secretive about their drinking, which is
counterproductive to their Christian walk as well as their recovery in
Christ.
What is more common, however, is the problem of sexual
addiction. I surveyed the student body of a respected evangelical
seminary and found that 60 percent felt guilty because of their sex
lives.
With the proliferation of gaming casinos and state-run lotteries, it is
estimated that there are more people addicted to gambling than
alcohol. In many evangelical churches, it isn’t socially acceptable to
drink alcohol (at least hard alcohol) or gamble, so we have our own
ways of dealing with stress. We eat (too much) and call it fellowship.
Casting our anxieties upon the refrigerator will not be healthy in the
end (pardon the pun).
Why do people—including believers—choose such destructive
behaviors?
PARTYING PROBLEMS AWAY

When I was an engineering student, one night my wife and I had

dinner with an Air Force captain and his wife. The captain’s wife
complained that her cocktail was not strong enough. “It didn’t even
give me a buzz,” she complained. She needed a strong drink to free
herself from her inhibitions. She couldn’t have fun without dulling her
conscience and laying aside her problems and responsibilities. Many
people do not particularly care to get drunk, and some manage their
consumption very well by setting a limit beforehand. Others don’t
seem to know when to stop, or they intentionally look for a buzz.
The Peer-Pressure Predicament

Some chemical abusers start and continue their habits in response to

peer pressure. I once spoke at a Parents Without Partners meeting,
which was on a Friday evening. My message on parenting was
sandwiched between the happy hour and the dance. At the meeting,
my wife and I struck up a conversation with a single mother who had
a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other. As we talked, the
cigarette burned itself out and the ice cubes melted in her drink. This
woman told us that on any other occasion she neither smoked nor
drank. So why was she doing it here? Peer pressure! It was the social
thing to do. In some settings a person would really stand out if he or
she didn’t do what everybody else was doing.
While smoking no longer holds the same status in most social
circles, drinking certainly does. Why do people go to such events and
why do they do things they otherwise would not do? Probably
because we all have a need to be accepted and to have a sense of
belonging.
Many Christians in business find themselves in compromising
positions. They battle thoughts such as, I don’t really care to drink,
but to make a business deal I’d better go along with the luncheon
plans and cocktail party. If I don’t go along with what they are doing,
they may think I won’t play ball with them. This is not the time to
make some moral stand. They may take offense if I look down my
nose at their drinking habits. It could kill the deal.
A very successful corporate officer once told me that his unlimited
expense card could buy him any vice he wanted, including a
“massage.” Of course, his company made such vices available
discreetly, with no questions asked. Certainly this man and others like
him are tempted: Who would know? The company expects me to
take a few perks and write them off as business expenses. I work
hard and I deserve some fun. Everyone else does it, don’t they?

WE ARE MORE VULNERABLE

TO TEMPTATION WHEN OUR
 LEGITIMATE NEEDS ARE
NOT BEING MET.
How well we stand against peer pressure and resist the temptation
to throw off our inhibitions and party is dependent on how secure we
are and how well our basic needs are being met.
These are probably the primary reasons why young people drink,
take drugs or compromise sexually. No one wants to be the odd
person out. The nerd! The party pooper! Very few young people are
secure enough in their identities to be able to stand alone. People are
better able to stand against such peer pressure when they have
another group that will accept them and provide them with a sense of
belonging.
We are more vulnerable to temptation when our legitimate needs
are not being met. The question is, Are they going to be met in Christ,
who promised to meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory
(see Phil. 4:19)? Or are we going to succumb to temptation and turn
to the counterfeit attempts to fulfill our needs, as offered in
abundance by the world, the flesh and the devil? Paul admonished,
“Let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing
needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
The first puff on a cigarette, the first taste of beer or the first sip of
hard liquor is seldom, if ever, a good experience. So why do so many
people proceed with an act that their natural tastes and their own
body want to reject? Most are driven to fulfill an inner need for
acceptance. They want to belong. People tend to compromise their
own convictions, and children often ignore the warnings of their
parents in order to be accepted by a friend or a group. They do not
want to be lonely.
The Rebellion Game

Some people act out of rebellion to authority. They drink alone as a

way to prove they are not going to be pushed around or told what to
do. They deliberately choose an offensive group to join. These
youngsters usually come from dysfunctional homes or legalistic
religious settings. Rules without relationship lead to rebellion. Their
first taste of a vice is repugnant, too, but they keep rebelling, claiming
they don’t want love or acceptance from parents or some other
authority figure. So goes their thinking, but actually they need to be
loved and accepted. They are not going to accept rigid standards or
abide by a parent’s wishes if love and affirmation are absent.
Initial attempts to overcome a child’s rebellious attitude with
unconditional love and acceptance will often be rebuffed. He or she
may be testing the parent or authority figure to see if he or she is
really loved. The child wants to be certain that he or she is not being
directed to behave in a particular way just to promote or protect the
parent’s or authority figure’s reputation or ego. If your own motives
are pure, then you have to outlove the child, without compromising
what you believe.
The Great Escape

Work is unbearable. Nobody understands me! My boss is an

unreasonable jerk! I didn’t have one sale today, and my bills are piling
up! Maybe I could get my work done if they would only get off my
back! They just laid off another bunch! Am I next? I’ll stop off at the
club on my way home and have a drink with the boys. It will help me
get the pressures of work off my mind and allow me to relax! Just one
drink! Well, make it two! How about another for the road?
People drink or use drugs to escape these and other pressures of
life. That is what the happy hour is all about. The truth is we all have
a lot of pressures in life. However, running away from them or
abdicating responsibilities only makes problems worse. Paul wrote:

We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation

brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven
character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not
disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us
(Rom. 5:3-5).
Seeking temporary release from our responsibilities with sex,
alcohol, drugs and other addictions only increases the pressure. In
contrast, hope lies in proven character—not by numbing our feelings,
but by providing a lasting answer. Paul also wrote:

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content

in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along
with humble means, and I also know how to live in
prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the
secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having
abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through
Him who strengthens me (Phil. 4:11-13).

SEEKING TEMPORARY RELEASE

FROM OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
WITH SEX, ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND
 OTHER ADDICTIONS ONLY
INCREASES THE PRESSURE.
The Survivor Mode

We can learn to live by the grace of God in whatever circumstances

we find ourselves. Unfortunately, in order to survive, some people
choose to believe that their hope lies in trying to alter their
circumstances. As a result, they become possessive controllers, and
those around them become codependents. Even the slickest
manipulators cannot control all the circumstances of life, so they turn
to alcohol and other desensitizers to cover their anguish. These are
angry, bitter people.
Other people are overcome by their circumstances and feel
absolutely helpless. They drown their sorrows in booze, drugs or sex.
They have never learned how to cope with life’s pressures. Neither
the control freak nor the escapist has learned how to grow through
the trials and tribulations of life. This is one of the greatest tragedies
of addiction: Growth in character and emotional development are
arrested.
The New Testament instructs us to cast all of our anxieties onto
Christ because He cares for us and He has our best interests at heart
(see 1 Pet. 5:7). The drug dealer and the bartender could care less
about their clients. To them, the addictions they dole out are just
business—the more a patron uses or drinks, the better.
What makes matters worse is that the cure that chemicals and
alcohol pretend to offer is only temporary. When the effects wear off,
the addict has to go back to the same world with the same
responsibilities, but the circumstances only get worse with each
successive trip to the dealer or bar.

The Bar
The Saloon is called a bar.
It is more than that by far!
It’s a bar to heaven, a door to hell, Whoever named it,
named it well.
A bar to manliness and wealth; A door to want and broken
health.
A bar to honor, pride and fame; A door to grief, and sin and
shame.
A bar to hope, a bar to prayer; A door to darkness and
despair.
A bar to an honored, useful life; A door to brawling,
senseless strife.
A bar to all that’s true and brave; A door to every drunkard’s
grave.
A bar to joys that home imparts; A door to tears and aching
hearts.
A bar to heaven, a door to hell; Whoever named it, named it
well.1
STOPPING THE PAIN

When you have a throbbing toothache, the only thing on your mind is
to stop the pain. You do not care about politics, family or world
evangelization. You only desire one thing: stopping the pain. This is
another reason people turn to chemicals and alcohol.
Many good people have become addicted to prescription
medications because the pain they felt was unbearable. Responsible
doctors will not prescribe a dosage that would cause a patient to
become chemically addicted, yet some patients find other sources.
They may have three or more medical professionals call in separate
prescriptions, each to a different pharmacy to avoid detection. Some
people mix alcohol with their prescriptions. There are many ways to
beat the safeguards that society has set in place, including ordering
drugs via the Internet.

WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE

WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
PAIN. IT IS A CRITICAL PART
OF GROWING UP.
My heart goes out to anyone who is in great pain because of an
injury or illness, but pain is not the enemy. Dr. Paul Brand and Philip
Yancey wrote the insightful book Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants. They
correctly point out that physical pain is a gift from God. If we could not
feel pain, we would be shrouded in a hopeless mask of scars. That
does not mean we should throw out all painkillers—sometimes they
are necessary. The problem arises because we have become a pill-
happy society. Even the slightest pain is unacceptable and must be
eliminated immediately—at any cost. This kind of thinking could
potentially destroy us, as individuals and as a society. We have to
learn to live with a certain amount of pain. It is a critical part of
growing up.
The physical pains we feel in the body are not always the worst
that we will have to endure in life. The emotional pains of failure,
rejection and loss of a loved one can be just as devastating. Years
ago I counseled a couple whose story illustrates how deep such hurts
can cut. The husband was an exasperating man. His job was not
working out; neither was his marriage. I have never seen a man so
flat on his back, who nonetheless kept spitting at everybody. By his
account, his boss, his wife and even his pastor were all messed up,
but he was not! Although we seemed to have made a connection, he
even stopped calling me.
Several months after the last time I saw him, I received a telephone
call late at night. To my surprise, he had just gotten out of jail. I did
not even know that he had been arrested. His wife had left him and
his family wanted nothing to do with him, so I was the first person he
called. He said, “This is the first time that I have been off drugs in 10
years.” I was surprised; I did not even know that he was a user. He
had been selling enough drugs at work to pay for his hidden habit. He
had called me, and I sensed that he was more open than he had ever
been before, so I asked, “Knowing that you were losing your wife,
your job and your church, why did you continue to use?” He said,
“When I was high was the only time that I ever felt good about
myself.”
UNDERSTANDING THE REAL PROBLEM

Regardless of why people choose to drink or take drugs, they all hold
at least two of the following three things in common: (1) their basic
needs are not being met in a legitimate way; (2) they have not
learned how to cope with the problems of life; and (3) they cannot
seem to resolve their personal or spiritual conflicts in a responsible
way.
Becoming addicted to chemicals will not meet anyone’s needs; nor
will it enable anyone to cope or resolve conflicts. It will only make
matters worse. Nobody plans to become an addict, nor does anybody
like it when he or she is addicted. Everybody is sure it will never
happen to him or her.
GOING DEEPER

1. With what destructive behaviors have you struggled?

2. Have you ever tried to change your behavior to conform
to the expectations of certain groups? What has been the
result of that choice?
3. What person, group or activity best gives you a sense of
belonging? How is this helpful or harmful when facing peer
pressure?
4. What temporary remedies do you use to quell the pains
you face in life?
Note

1 Author unknown.
CHAPTER 2

THE PATH TO ADDICTION

Some of the most dreadful mischiefs that afflict mankind

proceed from wine; it is the cause of disease, quarrels, sedition, idleness,
aversion to labor, and every species of domestic disorder.
FRANCOIS FENELON

Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day,

and at last we cannot break it.

HORACE MANN

The affair between King David of Israel and Bathsheba, wife of Uriah
the Hittite, is a sad illustration of the steps to defilement.
David was called a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22), but
he had one dark blot on his life. First Kings 15:5 summarizes his life:
David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had
not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all
the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
 TRACING THE STEPS TO DEFILEMENT
Consider David’s steps to moral defilement (see 2 Sam. 11) and
those of his son Amnon (see 2 Sam. 13).
Innocent Infatuation

As David and Amnon illustrate, the first step usually begins with
natural desires. There is nothing wrong with being attracted to a
member of the opposite sex. God made us that way. Such natural
drives are intended for our pleasure, and such will be the case as
long we do not cross any moral barriers. David saw that Bathsheba
“was very beautiful in appearance” (2 Sam. 11:2). Had he left it at
that, everything would have been fine. “But each one is tempted
when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it
brings forth death” (Jas. 1:14-15).
Mental Obsession

We cross the line to step two when innocent infatuation turns to

mental obsession. Amnon developed an obsessive love (actually lust)
for his sister Tamar (see 2 Sam. 13:1). “Amnon was so frustrated
because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a
virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her” (v. 2).
When we are tempted, God provides a way of escape. For this to
work, we have to win the battle for our mind the moment we
recognize the temptation, or we will become mentally obsessed and
lust will be conceived.
Expressed Lust

Once lust is conceived, it demands expression—thus the third step

becomes unavoidable. When someone reaches this step, he or she
has already created a scheme to satisfy his or her lusts. Any believer
struggling with addictive behavior will lie and cover up his or her
actions, and all rationality will disappear. David slept with Bathsheba,
and she became pregnant. To cover up his sin, David called for her
husband, Uriah, to come home. David hoped that the couple would
sleep together and Uriah would think the baby was his. But Uriah
refused to take special privileges while his men were in battle. When
David’s first plan failed, he arranged for Uriah to be put in harm’s way,
where he was killed. Amnon likewise arranged for his sister to be
brought to him under false circumstances, and he raped her. She
tried to reason with him, but he would not listen.

SEXUALLY ADDICTED PEOPLE CRAVE

ANOTHER LOOK, BUT WHEN THEY
HAVE HAD THEIR FILL, THEY TEAR UP
THE PICTURES AND VOW TO NEVER
LOOK AGAIN—UNTIL TOMORROW.
Hated Control

The steps to defilement are complete when people who have erred
eventually hate that which now controls them. “Then Amnon hated
her [Tamar] with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he
hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her” (2
Sam. 13:15).
The lust for whiskey is gone when the bottle is empty and the
alcoholic throws it against the wall in disgust. Sexually addicted
people crave another look, but when they have had their fill, they tear
up the pictures and vow to never look again—until tomorrow. The
devil changes his role from tempter to accuser. He whispers, “You
sick person, when are you ever going to get over this? How can you
call yourself a Christian?” The person is on the downward spiral of
sin-confess, sin-confess and sin some more.
 SPIRALING INTO ADDICTION
Each person has his or her unique path to addiction, but the cycle
that spirals downward is remarkably universal. Please refer to figure
1, which outlines the common addiction cycle for alcoholics.
The Baseline

When people first drink, gamble, use drugs or become involved in a

wrongful sexual relationship, they have a mental, emotional and
relational baseline. When partying, they are simply looking for a good
time and want to join in the celebration. The first drink, puff, snort or
sexual titillation brings an immediate chemical reaction. They feel a
rush. Alcohol and drugs do not step on the accelerator; rather, they
release the brake. When the chemicals take effect, a girl’s touch or
the payoff from a slot machine causes a euphoric rush. Getting high
can be fun for the moment.

Figure 1
 The baseline experience is different for people who are looking for
a temporary reprieve from the pressures of life. Such people can be a
bundle of nerves or depressed about their circumstances. They might
look for a high to lift their spirits or search for something to calm their
nerves. Melancholy people just want to drown their sorrows. Alcohol
or drugs will help them mellow out. The quick fix works! Within a
matter of minutes they feel better. The same is true for people who
want to stop the pain. They cannot wait for that rush to take effect.
When it does, they feel better.
Unfortunately, the effect wears off. The morning after is a different
story. Addicts wake up feeling just a little bit lower than they did at the
baseline experience. Reality sets in, and the head aches. They hardly
recognize themselves in the mirror. At work or school, all of the
pressures and responsibilities of life come rushing back. There could
be twinges of guilt, shame or fear, depending upon the person’s
conscience. For some people, what they have done is a complete
violation of everything they have ever been taught and believed. They
now see their euphoric experience as bad and promise that they will
never again put themselves in a compromising position.
On the other hand, even on the morning after, party animals will
see their euphoric experience as great. They are eager to do it again.
It was a lot of fun, something to live for from weekend to weekend,
from party to party. The euphoria becomes the center of life. Just
thinking about the next experience brings on a rush.
The Cost of the Habit

You feel pain, so you reach for the pills. You feel down, so you do
something that will pick you up. You feel stressed out, so you do
something that will calm your nerves. It worked before, so it will work
again. You have trained yourself to depend on something to pick you
up, to stop the pain, to soothe your nerves, to make you feel good.
You don’t believe that you can have a good time or feel good without
it.
The first step toward addiction is habituation. Occasional drinking,
gambling, sexual titillation or drug use becomes a habit, a means of
emotional support, a crutch to lean on. This pattern of behavior
becomes the means to having a good time or coping with life. It is a
flesh pattern, a defense mechanism.
When the effects wear off, the guilt, fear and shame become more
and more pronounced. With each successive use, addicts get further
and further away from their original baseline experience. When
euphoric, they shout, “I am king of the world!” They are filled with
grandiose ideas and often become aggressive. On the down side,
most alcoholics and addicts experience memory blackouts, and
efforts to regain control of their lives fail repeatedly. How did I get
home last night? What happened? I’d better get a grip on myself—I’m
starting to lose control! Alcoholics feel guilty about their behavior, so
they begin to drink surreptitiously, and they leave familiar
surroundings to go where people don’t know them. They can’t live
with the shame.

ALCOHOLICS AND ADDICTS WILL

NEVER EXPERIENCE THE KIND OF
EUPHORIA THEY ONCE DID, NO
MATTER HOW MUCH THEY DRINK
OR TAKE OR EXPERIENCE.
All they want initially is to reach that elusive high they once felt and
experience the euphoria once more. The problem is it takes more and
more alcohol and a greater fix to reach that original high. Users
develop their own tolerance levels for their drug of choice (the same
happens with people addicted to sex). At first, two beers might have
brought on a rush; now it takes a case. Then beer is too slow; a
chaser is needed to speed up the process. Marijuana was fine at first;
now it takes cocaine. Aspirin used to stop the headache; now it barely
has an impact. A kiss was exciting, but that led to petting, and now
that isn’t enough. Alcoholics and addicts will never experience the
kind of euphoria they once did, no matter how much they drink or
take or experience. As the lows get lower, so do the potential highs.
Before long, all they hope for is to get back to their baseline
experience, but even that begins to elude them.
A loss of willpower robs addicts of their ability to live responsible
lives at home and eventually at work. The cost to support their habit
causes severe financial problems. Many white-collar workers may be
able to support their habit for years and carry on their masquerade in
public, but their families will suffer tremendous hardship. The poor will
steal and become pushers to support their addiction. The morality of
both will deteriorate.
Addicts have no sense of worth and no self-respect. They perceive
themselves as disgusting. They don’t eat well and they don’t take
care of themselves. Consequently, their physical health becomes a
factor.
Withdrawal from social contact is a given for those who are
suffering from a chemical addiction. They don’t want their
weaknesses to be seen or known, and they fear being publicly
humiliated or exposed. They become paranoid about people looking
at them or talking about them. They have no mental peace.
Condemning voices haunt them day and night. You’re disgusting.
Why don’t you just check out—you’re not good for anything. Your
family would be better off without you. The only way to silence those
voices is to keep drinking.
EXAMINING YOUR HABITS

Solomon’s description of the one who lingers too long over wine
ends: “They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I
did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink” (Prov.
23:35). To wake up in the morning and desire a drink is a sure sign of
alcoholism for some. Others can party on weekends and drink
socially for years without that happening. But when the body begins
to experience tremors and the only way to stop them is to have a
drink, then we know we need help.
How can we know when we are addicted to alcohol? Johns
Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, uses the
following test questions to help their patients decide:
 According to Johns Hopkins University Hospital, if you have
answered yes to any one of the questions, this is a definite warning
that you may be an alcoholic. If you have answered yes to any two,
the chances are that you are an alcoholic. If you have answered yes
to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.
ADMITTING THE PROBLEM

My first experience with an alcohol recovery program was eye

opening. I was sitting with a group of people who were identifying
themselves as being a coaddict or co-alcoholic, and codependent.
They were in the program to help their friend or another member of
their family. Each person had to write out his or her own life story and
share it with the group. One couple was there to help their daughter,
who was the classic party animal. She could out-drink anybody, which
had become a point of pride for her, but now she couldn’t stop. It was
a painful experience for the mother to share her own personal story,
but she got through it. She was more than willing to do whatever it
took to help her daughter.
The father had a terrible time sharing his life story. It was short and
very superficial. You could tell that he had never been able to share
his inner self. The others weren’t going to let him get away with it.
They began to question him without mercy. I was a little upset. I sat
there thinking, Come on! Give the guy a break. He’s here for his
daughter. Back off a little! After tearing down his story, they pursued
his present life. “Do you ever drink?” they asked.
“A little I suppose, a beer now and then,” he answered.
“How many beers?” they prodded.
“I suppose I occasionally have a few at home,” he responded
“How many are a few, and how many nights a week do you have a
few?” they relentlessly questioned.
As he struggled to answer, his wife suddenly began to cry. Out
came years of frustration and embarrassment, the untold other side
of the story that she had only partly shared earlier.

SPEAKING THE TRUTH AND

HOLDING YOUR GROUND IN
TOUGH LOVE ARE ESSENTIAL
FOR GETTING ADDICTS TO SEEK
THE HELP THEY NEED.
I’m glad I kept my mouth shut during their inquisition, because he
probably would have conned me, but he couldn’t fool them. Within 30
minutes they exposed a drinking habit that had existed for years. The
first step in recovery is to admit you have a problem and start
speaking the truth. As long as people think they can hide their
addiction or believe they can live with it, they will probably try to do
just that. It used to be a widely held belief that people couldn’t be
helped until they reached the bottom. Addicts had to wait until they
lost their job, health and marriage. Then they would finally admit to
the problem and seek the help they so desperately needed, or they
would head for skid row and death.
Professional groups now are practicing something called an
intervention. This requires some experienced help, because family
members have often been too judgmental and condemning or too
busy covering up and pretending that all is well. The professional
group gathers together all the principal people (including the boss at
work) in the alcoholic’s or addict’s life for a well-orchestrated
confrontation. They often rehearse the intervention several times
without the alcoholic’s knowledge. It has to take place at a time when
he or she is sober. Each person in the group then relates what the
alcoholic’s addiction is doing to him or her personally and to the
alcoholic. The alcoholic or addict is then given an opportunity to seek
treatment. Speaking the truth and holding your ground in tough love
are essential for getting addicts to seek the help they need, since
they are on a downward spiral that will eventually destroy them and
all that has meaning in life.
Sex addiction is a little different. Sex addicts can hide their
addiction for years. You can be the president of the United States and
be sexually addicted, but you can’t be chemically addicted and
maintain that level of responsibility. Drug addicts and alcoholics need
chemicals to support their habit, but sex addicts can carry on an affair
in their mind. Sexual images and experiences can feed a habit for
years. The problem is they can’t seem to clean up their mind. Three
viewings of pornography can have the same lasting impression on
the mind as the actual sexual experience.
ELIMINATING CODEPENDENCY

The downward spiral that all addicts find themselves in is like a

tornado that gathers up victims in its path and hurls them out of the
way. The primary victims are the other family members.
The spouse is the first affected. When I was pastoring a church, a
faithful attendee and worker in the congregation made an
appointment to see me. I hardly knew her husband since he seldom
went with her to church. I assumed he just wasn’t interested in
spiritual things. His wife had often requested prayer for his salvation,
but she had never shared the family secret. Twenty years of silence
were broken that afternoon. She couldn’t live that way any longer. His
alcoholism had destroyed their family and their marriage. I felt sick
that she had waited so long to share her problem.
For 20 years she had been the classic enabler. If he couldn’t make
it to work because of his drinking, she covered for him. If he passed
out drunk on the front lawn, she would somehow get him in the
house, clean him up and put him to bed. The children were told to do
the same. They had to protect the family name and make sure the
chief breadwinner didn’t lose his job. Lying and covering up became
the means of survival. Family members were threatened if they didn’t
play along; and even if they did play the game, they still suffered
mentally, emotionally and physically. The shame they bore kept them
locked in silence.
Enablers have learned to cope and survive by lying and covering
up. The fear of retaliation keeps their mouths shut. Their identities
and sense of worth are shattered by what is happening at home.
They aren’t going to lose their last shred of dignity by blowing the
whistle. Some people would blame them for breaking up the family,
which actually happens in some abuse cases. The biblical mandates
to speak the truth in love (see Eph. 4:15) and to walk in the light (see
1 John 1:7) are abandoned for self-preservation. But just the opposite
occurs: self-destruction. Enablers are in bondage to their own lies
and bitterness.
I asked the lady in my church why she had continued to lie and
cover up for her husband. She said, “I was too embarrassed to tell
anyone, and I was afraid that he would leave me if I didn’t do what I
was told.”
I said, “As long as you continue to lie and cover up for him, you are
enabling him to remain a drunk.”
If someone is traveling down a road to destruction, do we want to
enable the process? We would not be helping them; we would only
be hurting them and hurting ourselves by violating the Word of God.
We will never help the addict and the abuser by enabling them to
continue in their irresponsible behavior. It will only get worse both for
the enabler and for the addict.

ADDICTS ARE LIKE MISBEHAVING

LITTLE CHILDREN WHO ARE SCREAMING
FOR ATTENTION: DOESN’T ANYBODY
CARE ENOUGH ABOUT ME TO STOP ME
FROM DESTROYING MYSELF?
Furthermore, enabling undermines the most important relationship we
have, which is our relationship with God. All who are involved—the
enabler and the addict—are victimized by the father of lies, the prince
of darkness.
What should we do when we discover that people we love have an
addictive behavior and will not deal with it? Turn them in to their boss,
their church and even the police, if a law has been broken. I’m not
advocating this because I don’t care for addicts, but because I do
care for them. They are like misbehaving little children who are
screaming for attention: Doesn’t anybody care enough about me to
stop me from destroying myself?
Discipline is a proof of our love, not a violation of it. The fear of
being exposed is worse than the actual consequences of being
exposed. The consequences of not doing anything about an addiction
are worse than the consequences of taking a stand for everybody’s
sake.
Talk to your addicted loved ones first. Tell them you love them,
which is why you aren’t going to tolerate their substance abuse any
longer. Let them know that you will do whatever it takes for them to
be free of their addiction. Most will probably deny that they have a
problem. If this happens, let them know that you will no longer lie or
cover up for them and that you are going to seek help for yourself.
Then, with their knowledge, make an appointment with your pastor.
You need moral support and spiritual advice. Find a Christian-based
ministry that supports spouses and children of alcoholics. Seek
professional help to set up an intervention. You must do something
constructive for yourself.
On the other hand, every loving Christian is codependent in a good
sense. We are commanded to love one another. That means we are
subject to one another’s needs. That is not wrong—that is Christlike.
However, to be like Christ, that love must be tough when the situation
calls for it. It becomes wrong when other people dictate how and
when we are to love them. They are controlling us with their sickness.
We are not subject to one another’s wants or addictions. The moment
we are, their bondage becomes our bondage. The Spirit of God
enables us to have self-control. That same Holy Spirit will lead us into
all truth—the truth that will set us free. Nobody on planet Earth can
keep us from being the people that God wants us to be. Both the
addict and the coaddict need to find their freedom in Christ, and that
is what the rest of this book is all about.
GOING DEEPER

1. Is there any area in your life in which you have crossed

the line, going from innocent infatuation to mental
obsession?
2. Have you ever lied and schemed to cover up any
behavior that you didn’t want others to know about? Explain
what happened.
3. Review the 20 questions listed in this chapter. Do you
know anyone who would fail the test?
4. How do addictive behaviors (yours or someone else’s)
affect members of your family?
CHAPTER 3

THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF ALL ADDICTIONS

Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree,

whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe, with loss
of Eden, till one greater Man restore us, and regain the
blissful seat, sing, Heavenly Muse.
JOHN MILTON

Sin has always been an ugly word, but it has been made so in a
new sense over the last half-century. It has been made not only ugly
but passé. People are no longer sinful, they are only immature or
underprivileged or frightened, or particularly, sick.
PHYLLIS MCGINLEY
Jonathan Melvoin was a backup keyboard player for the rock group
Smashing Pumpkins. On the night of July 11, 1996, he died of a drug
overdose. The drug that killed him is a genus of heroin, which is
known on the streets as red rum—that is “murder” spelled backward.
When the news of Melvoin’s death hit the media, it caused a
shocking reaction among other drug users on Manhattan’s Lower
East Side. The demand for red rum skyrocketed! “When people die
from something, or nearly die,” explained one police official, “all of a
sudden, there’s a rush to get it because it must be more powerful and
deliver a better high.”1
That is insanity. Such irrationality, however, is not that uncommon
for people who live in bondage to sin. How did we ever get this way?
BACKING UP TO THE BEGINNING

To understand the condition and mind-set of our current culture, we

need to look at the bigger picture. Let’s start with a look at the original
creation of Earth and humankind:

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our

likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the
earth” (Gen. 1:26).

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being (Gen. 2:7).

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone;
I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18).
The man and his wife were both naked and were not
ashamed (Gen. 2:25).
God created humankind in His own image. He breathed life into a
hunk of clay, and instantly Adam was spiritually and physically alive.
But something was missing. It was not good for Adam to be alone,
and no animal form of life could fulfill this particular need. So God
created a helpmate that was suitable for Adam. They were naked and
unashamed. No part of their body was considered dirty—they could
even have an intimate sexual relationship with each other in the
presence of God. There was no sin, nothing to hide and no reason to
cover up.
Adam and Eve were supposed to rule over the rest of God’s
creation. God placed them in the “Garden of Eden to work it and take
care of it” (Gen. 2:15, NIV). By being fruitful and multiplying they
could fill the earth. They were afforded a tremendous amount of
freedom as long as they remained in a dependent relationship with
God. They had a perfect life and could have lived forever in His
presence. They had a divine purpose for being alive. They had no
need to search for significance or strive for acceptance. They were
accepted, significant and secure in the presence of God. They also
had a sense of belonging to God and to each other. God had
provided for all of their needs.
The Fall of Adam and Eve

The ability to think and make choices was inherent in creation,

because Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. However,
there was an evil presence in the universe. The Lord wanted to
change that. Therefore, He commanded Adam and Eve not to eat
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Gen. 2:17). They
would die if they did. Yet Satan was not going to sit by silently and
watch God’s plan to rid the universe of evil go uncontested. So he
questioned and twisted God’s words, thus tempting Eve (see Gen.
3:1-6). He employed the same three channels of temptation that exist
today: “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful
pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Deceived by the craftiness of Satan, Adam
and Eve made a choice and thus declared their own independence.
They died!

THE EFFECTS OF ADAM AND EVE’S

SIN WERE IMMEDIATE. ALL THE
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES THAT HAD
BEEN INHERENT IN CREATION—
SPIRITUAL LIFE, IDENTITY,
ACCEPTANCE, SECURITY AND
SIGNIFICANCE-WERE GONE.
On the day of their first sin, Adam and Eve did not die physically,
they died spiritually—although physical death would eventually come,
also as a consequence of sin (see Rom. 5:12). The effects of their sin
were immediate. All the personal attributes that had been inherent in
creation—spiritual life, identity, acceptance, security and significance
—were gone, and each became a glaring need. Adam’s self-
perception became one of shame and guilt. He covered his
nakedness and hid from God. But the Lord immediately took the
initiative by confronting Adam, wanting to know where he was.

He [Adam] answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was

afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who
told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree
 that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The
woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from
the tree, and I ate it” (Gen. 3:10-12, NIV).
The Lord knew the answers to the questions, so why did He ask?
He was seeking accountability. He wanted Adam to own up to what
he had done. Adam responded by blaming Eve and suggesting that
maybe God had something to do with his downfall: “After all, God,
You created this woman and gave her to me.” Blaming others for our
own mistakes has been a consistent pattern of fallen human nature
ever since. If we are going to recover in Christ, we must break
through our own denial and defenses.
The Hope of the Gospel

The fall of Adam and Eve is the only plausible explanation for the
degradation of humanity, for which the gospel offers the only hope.
When Adam and Eve lost their relationship with God, they were
immediately overcome with guilt and shame. The same thing
happens to any Christian who struggles with addictive behaviors.
Notice the first emotion expressed by Adam after he sinned: “I was
afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” The fear of being exposed has
driven many of us from the light that reveals our sin. Without God’s
unconditional love and acceptance, we will run from the light or try to
discredit the source of the light, as the Pharisees did with Jesus.
Satan raises up thoughts against the knowledge of God (see 2 Cor.
10:5), and a deceived humanity mocks His very existence. Unable to
live up to God’s eternal standards of morality, the fallen must deal
with their fear, guilt and shame; and they do it by hiding from God or
by attacking Him.
Every descendant of Adam and Eve is born into this world
physically alive but spiritually dead (see Eph. 2:1). We are helpless to
do anything about it and hopeless without God. No person living
independently of God can live a holy life; in fact, most fear their
inadequacies will be exposed.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come
into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may
be seen plainly that what he has done has been done
through God (John 3:20-21, NIV).
EXPOSING THE TRUTH

Many addicts have told me that they want to be free of whatever

bondage besets them. Simply put, they are tired of living a lie. They
see that having feelings of guilt and shame on the inside while giving
the appearance of having it all together on the outside is no way to
live. What they need to understand is that such shame-based living is
the consequence of failing to embrace the hope of the gospel and
rejecting the grace of God.
The Value of Intervention

In order for addicts to take the first step toward recovery, they must
face the truth. Sometimes they will do this on their own. More often
they need help, which can come through some type of intervention.
The more evident their addictive behavior is to others, the more likely
they are to acknowledge their sin. As long as they think they can hide
their actions, they probably will try to do so—even when they know
that hiding hurts them. Adam hid, but God did not let him get away
with it. That was the world’s first intervention.
Exposing hypocrisy in the presence of the very people the addict is
trying to deceive is tough to do, but it is very effective. When done
right, the result is the elimination of the disconnect between inner
conviction and outward behavior—which is a constant struggle for the
Christian who has addictive behaviors. Once exposed, the game is
over—which often brings relief to the sinner. The guilt and pain of
living a lie can be more devastating than the shame of being
exposed.
Of course, intervention followed by confession is just the initial
step. The game was over in a hurry for Adam and Eve, but they still
had problems.
I used to require my seminary students to attend an Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) meeting and give a report to our class. They were
disappointed with the smoking and the foul language at the meetings,
but almost every student said in effect, “I wish I could get the people
in my church to be as honest as those people were!” Most people
attending AA meetings have already been exposed. They no longer
have anything to hide. They have found a place that accepts them for
who they are, warts and all.
The Importance of Honesty

Some people attend AA meetings that are closed to visitors, and they
put on a façade when outside the group. They are still trying to
protect their reputations, so they remain anonymous, or at least they
try to. Such public denial was tragically played out on the national
stage when during his term in office, President Bill Clinton refused to
admit to his sexual addiction. Everybody knew what his problem was
and still he chose to lie. He could have said, “My fellow Americans, I
have had a sexual addiction for many years. It has caused my family
and me much pain. I am going to seek some help for my problem,
and I would appreciate your prayers. I believe I can continue to be the
president you elected and hoped for, and now maybe even a better
one.” If he had said this publicly, his ratings would have gone even
higher, and he would have done a huge service to those who struggle
with the same addiction.
Many Christians fear being exposed. They are not necessarily
struggling with drugs or alcohol, but many have a lot of problems that
they do not want others, especially people at church, to know about.
Their marriage could be in trouble or their children could be rebelling,
but they will not seek help as long as they think others are not aware
of their predicament. However, they will seek assistance when their
spouse walks out or when their child is expelled from school, jailed or
runs away. Congregations stop bearing fruit when the members
refuse to walk in the light and speak the truth in love. Such people rob
themselves and their families of the help they need. Too often the cry
for relief only comes after exposure, when the damage has already
been done.
There still can be help and hope after a point of crisis, and we must
never forget that. The church is supposed to be a redeeming
community, in which every member is on one rung of the recovery
ladder, reaching down to the person on the rung below and helping
them rise above their circumstances and addictions. This cannot
happen unless there is honesty—about ourselves and with each
other.
SECRET SIN ON EARTH IS OPEN
SCANDAL IN HEAVEN.
The Patience of God

The Lord won’t let us live in hypocrisy for too long. “For nothing is
hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that
it should come to light” (Mark 4:22). Secret sin on Earth is open
scandal in heaven. The Bible reads, “If we walk in the light as He
Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Walking in the light is not moral perfection. The next verse
underscores the point: “If we say that we have no sin, we are
deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Walking in the light is a continuous form of confession. It is living in
conscious moral agreement with God and in honest relationships with
others. Paul admonishes us to lay “aside falsehood, speak truth, each
one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another”
(Eph. 4:25).
The Lord loves us too much to allow us to walk in darkness and live
a lie. He knows it will eventually destroy us. He will give us a lot of
slack to come to this conclusion ourselves, but eventually He will
expose us for our own good and for the good of others who are being
negatively affected by our secret sin. Protecting our pride destroys
our walk with God, because “God is opposed to the proud, but gives
grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).
Someone once asked me, “How are Christians supposed to act?”
Christianity is not an act; it is a real thing. We cannot be right with
God and not be real. If necessary, God will arrange the events of our
lives so that we will have to be real in order to be right with Him. To
live a lie is to play right into the hands of the devil, who is the father of
lies and the prince of darkness. Truth is not the enemy; it is always a
liberating friend. No matter how painful it is initially to face the truth,
the consequences will always be better than the consequences of
living a lie. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Pet. 5:6).
The Hypocrisy Game

We can play the hypocrisy game for a season, but eventually it will
take its toll on us personally. The effects of drugs will show within a
couple of years. Alcohol can be covered up for a longer period of
time. Sexual addictions can remain a private nightmare much longer.
Some years ago I was surprised to discover how many chemically
addicted people are also involved in some form of sexual bondage.
The percentage is very high. These people will seek treatment for
their chemical addiction but probably will not seek counseling for their
struggle with lust, pornography or homosexuality. Like any other
addiction, they need help long before they are caught. Many
chemically dependent people achieve a degree of sobriety in a
recovery program, but still they remain in sexual bondage.
OVERCOMING A FALLEN WORLD

After Adam and Eve’s initial sin, their understanding was darkened
because they were separated from the life of God (see Eph. 4:18).
Trying to hide from God revealed that Adam had lost a true
understanding of who God is. What exactly Adam was thinking, I am
not sure. How can anyone hide from an omnipresent God? The Lord
did not create humankind to live independently of Him, and it is most
evident in the inability of a person who does not follow God to
understand His ways.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
discerned (1 Cor. 2:14, NIV).
What a dilemma! Satan had usurped the role of God’s people and
thus became the rebel holder of earthly authority. Satan even
tempted Jesus by showing and offering Him the kingdoms of the
world if He would bow down and worship him. “I will give you all their
authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to” (Luke 4:6, NIV). Jesus never corrected Satan’s
claim over the kingdoms of this world, and He even referred to Satan
as the “ruler” (prince) of the world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Paul
called him “the prince of the power of the air, ... the spirit that is now
working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). As a result of his
rule, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John
5:19, NIV).
God’s Strategy to Rescue Humankind

God’s plan of redemption was under way immediately. The Lord

cursed the snake and foretold the downfall of Satan:
Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild
animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all
the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will
crush your head, and you will strike his heel (Gen. 3:14-15,
NIV).
At the Cross, “he” (an individual from the woman’s seed, namely
Christ) will deal a deathblow to Satan’s head, while “you” (Satan) will
strike Christ’s heel. The Latin rendering of the Hebrew root word for
strike (shuph) suggests that it carries the idea of lying in wait,
suggesting a prolonged conflict with the element of expectancy. This
cosmic battle is the backdrop for the drama that unfolds in Scripture
and continues into our present day. There will be enmity between the
spiritual descendants of Satan and those who are in the family of
God. We are either children of God (see John 1:12) or sons of
disobedience in whom the evil one is now working (see Eph. 2:2). We
are either in the domain of darkness or the kingdom of His beloved
Son (see Col. 1:13).
The Old Testament ends on a sour note. The Lord’s Chosen
People are in political bondage to Rome and in spiritual bondage to
an apostate Sanhedrin. The glory has departed from the nation of
Israel, but the seed of Abraham is about to make His entrance.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14,
NIV).
The blessing of Abraham was about to be extended to all the nations
of the world.
An Understanding of Human Nature

Throughout the Old Testament nothing happened that changed the

basic nature of fallen humanity. “The intent of man’s heart is evil from
his youth” (Gen. 8:21). Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above
all things and beyond cure” (Jer. 17:9, NIV). The Law had done
nothing to change this.

For if a law had been given that could impart life, then
righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the
Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin
(Gal. 3:21-22, NIV).
Telling people that what they are doing is wrong does not give them
the power to stop doing it. The Law is powerless to give life.
Even more discouraging is the statement by Paul that “the sinful
passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies” (Rom. 7:5,
NIV). The Law actually has the capacity to stimulate the desire to do
what it is trying to prohibit. If anyone does not think that is true, they
should try telling their children that they can go a certain place but
cannot go to another place. The moment a parent says that, where
do the children want to go? They want to go to the forbidden place.
They probably did not even want to go there until the parent said they
could not. The forbidden fruit always appears to be more desirable.

THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT ALWAYS

APPEARS TO BE MORE DESIRABLE.
Laying down the law will not resolve the sinful passions. The core
problem is the basic nature of humankind, not individual acts or
behavior patterns.
The Condition of the Heart

The Pharisees were the moral perfectionists (legalists) of the day.

Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly
not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20, NIV). His Sermon on
the Mount confronted the issue of genuine righteousness, which is
determined by the condition of the heart. Here is one excerpt from
that famous teaching: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not
commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt.
5:27-28, NIV). The person in this illustration did not physically commit
adultery; the looking, however, gave evidence that adultery had
already been committed in his heart.
Jesus continued His teaching: “If your right eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out.... And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and
throw it away” (w. 29-30, NIV). Does your eye or hand cause you to
sin? I do not think so. If we kept cutting off body parts to keep from
sinning, we would end up being nothing more than bloodied torsos
rolling down the aisles of our churches. Some see this passage as an
admonition to take whatever drastic means it takes to stop sinning,
thus emphasizing the hideousness of sin: It would be better to be
dismembered than to spend eternity apart from Christ. But I do not
think that is the point Jesus is trying to make. Physical acts such as
taking cold showers to put out the fires of passion or walking
blindfolded on a sunbathers’ beach may bring temporary relief, but
they do not deal with the condition of the heart. Such behavior might
be necessary if the only option we had was to live under the Law.
Trying to live a righteous life externally when we are not righteous
internally will only result in being “whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones
and everything unclean” (Matt. 23:27, NIV). It is not what goes into a
man that defiles him; it is what comes out.

For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts,

sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice,
deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All
these evils come from inside and make a man “unclean”
(Mark 7:21-23, NIV).

Paul wrote:

For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a

curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not
abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform
them.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is
evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” However,
the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices
them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—in order that in
Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith (Gal. 3:10-14).
LOOKING FOR LASTING ANSWERS

Not understanding the passage in Galatians or the full impact of the

gospel, we fall back under the Law. We operate according to certain
regulations or principles that call for us to respond in obedience. The
catch phrases are “Just say no” and “Work the program—the program
works.” We commit ourselves to a program or institution and try to
follow the advice of those in charge. We voluntarily agree to be
accountable to a sponsor or counselor who is committed to helping
us. With the help of these external constraints and the support of
others, some people manage to attain a degree of sobriety by sheer
willpower. Remove those external
TRYING TO LIVE UNDER
THE LAW OR TO LIVE UP TO
THE EXPECTATIONS OF OTHERS
WILL FAIL IN THE END.

constraints and the help of others, and most people would fall back to
their old habits. Why? They return to their habit because there was no
true change in their basic nature. Trying to live under the Law or to
live up to the expectations of others will fail in the end. The Law is a
taskmaster, a tutor that was intended by God to lead us to Christ (see
Gal. 3:24), which is where we turn next.
GOING DEEPER

1. Why did Adam and Eve die spiritually? What does this
mean for us today?
2. Why is it important to be honest with yourself about your
life?
3. How does hypocrisy affect your ability to overcome
addictions?
4. According to Mark 4:22, what does God do with things
that are hidden?
5. What is God’s plan of redemption?
Note

1 Craig Larson, Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustrations

(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), p. 72.
CHAPTER 4

THE GOOD NEWS

The measure of God’s anger against sin is the

measure of the love that is
prepared to forgive the sinner and to love him in spite of his sin.
DAVID MARTYN LLOYD-JONES

That God is more near, more real and mighty, more full of love, and more
ready to help every one of us than any one of us realizes, is the underlying
message
of the Gospels.
DAVID S. CAIRNS

I was invited to speak at a rescue mission. The audience was a group

of men who were fresh off the streets. Each one had made a
commitment to Christ and was now being discipled. As I walked into
the meeting room, all of the men stood up and applauded. I looked
around to see if Billy Graham had followed me in. Why were they
clapping? I was relieved to learn that they were not cheering for me;
rather, they were lauding my message. Although I did not know it at
the time, they had been watching a video series I had recorded some
years earlier.
The message on the videocassettes was “You are not a derelict,
you are not a bum, you are not a drunkard, you are not a pervert, you
are not an alcoholic, you are not a drug addict, and you are not a
pimp. You are a child of God.” The message got through to these
men. Knowing that wonderful truth and all that it implies provided the
only real answer and lasting hope they needed to overcome the
bondage in which they had lived.
 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the
devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
because God’s seed remains in him (1 John 3:8-9, NIV).
These two verses express what must happen in order for us to live
righteous lives in Christ: First, our basic nature has to change.
Second, we need to have a means by which we can overcome the
evil one, the ruler of this world. We were by nature “children of wrath”
(Eph. 2:3). We were formerly shrouded in darkness, but in Christ we
are able to walk as “children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Only God can
change who we are, but it is our responsibility to believe the truth that
will set us free and assume our responsibility to live in a righteous
manner.
Paul taught that we were born dead in our trespasses and sins
(see Eph. 2:1). That does not mean that we were stillborn. As I have
already pointed out, it means that we were born physically alive but
spiritually dead, separated from God. The life that Jesus came to give
each of us was the same life that Adam and Eve lost when they
sinned.
Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it
abundantly” (John 10:10). There was a time when I thought that this
verse meant that Jesus came to improve the quality of our physical
lives on Earth. How wrong I was. Jesus was talking about spiritual life
and eternal life, both of which can only be found in Him. Spiritual life
happens when our soul is in union with God. We are alive in Christ.
Jesus did not end His point in John 10:10. He also said, “I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live [spiritually]
even if he dies [physically]” (John 11:25). In other words, born-again
believers are alive in Christ, and our spirit will live on, even after our
body dies.
CONSIDERING THE ENTIRE GOSPEL

Many Christians have only a partial understanding of what the gospel

declares. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah who came to die for
their sins, and they realize that if they believe in Him, they will go to
heaven when they die.
What’s wrong with that?
First, this partial picture could convey the impression that eternal
life is something we get when we die, which is not true.

ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT SOMETHING

WE GET WHEN WE DIE.
EVERY CHILD OF GOD IS ALIVE
IN CHRIST RIGHT NOW.
Read 1 John 5:12 (NIV): “He who has the Son has life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have life.” Every child of God is
alive in Christ right now.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and

brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom
we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14,
NIV).
Second, the common understanding of the gospel includes Christ
being crucified for our sins, but it often downplays or overlooks His
resurrection—yet that is what resulted in new life for believers. If we
wanted to save a dead person, what would we do? Give him life? If
that was the only thing we did, the person would die again. To save
the dead person, we would have to do more. For starters, we would
have to cure the disease that caused him to die. This is what Paul
alluded to when he wrote, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Yes, Jesus went to the Cross and died for our sins. Is that the
whole gospel? Absolutely not! He was resurrected so that we may
have new life in Him. Now let’s finish Romans 6:23: “But the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The fact that we are
alive “in Christ” is the necessary truth that we all need to appropriate
—it is our only hope. This truth is summarized in one verse: “Christ in
you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Our new lives and position in
Christ are what guarantee victory over sin (we will look at that in the
next two chapters).
Third, the fact that Jesus came to undo the works of Satan is what
makes the gospel complete. When I travel in the Third World, people
become very interested when they hear this part of the gospel. So
many of them have been trying to appease various deities or fend off
evil spirits by sacrificing anything from vegetables to human beings.
They consult their shamans and witch doctors, who try to manipulate
the spiritual world. When I tell people in these countries that Christ
disarmed the gods they have been serving, they celebrate. In Christ,
they have authority over all other deities. That truth is just as much a
part of the gospel as the fact that our sins have been forgiven. It is
also something we need to know if we are going to win the battle for
our mind (a subject on which I will elaborate later in this book).
DISCOVERING CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

Because we are alive in Christ, we have the Spirit of God within us.
We have to learn how to live our lives in total dependence upon God.
Before we came to Christ, we depended upon parents, the
government, doctors and counselors. We turned to chemicals and we
relied upon ourselves. After salvation, we can still choose to depend
upon these things, but we need to realize that every temptation is an
attempt by Satan to get us to live our lives independently of God.
The deceiver is so subtle. He tempts us to put our confidence in
programs, strategies and other people. He even convinces us that we
can handle life on our own. However, his true aim is to divert our
confidence away from God. Paul wrote:

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything

as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant,
not of the letter [of the Law], but of the Spirit; for the letter
kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:5-6).
Paul had been self-confident under the Law, but Christ intervened.
Only after being struck down on the Damascus road was the apostle
able to say, “We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of
God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh”
(Phil. 3:3). Apart from Christ we can do nothing to change the basic
nature of who we are, neither can we bear fruit that will last for
eternity (see John 15:5).
Because we are alive in Christ, we have the assurance that He will
meet all of our needs (see Phil. 4:19). In the long run, any attempt to
get out of bondage—to alcohol, drugs, gambling or sex—without the
essential needs of our lives being met will prove counterproductive. In
my book Who I Am in Christ, I try to show how Christ meets the most
critical needs in our lives, which are what I call the “being” needs: life,
identity, acceptance, security and significance. Here are the major
points and the corresponding Scriptures. Please read the points out
loud.
IN CHRIST
 Some people might be tempted to think, If I believed all of this
about myself, I would be prideful. Not true! To the contrary, if we do
not believe every word, we are defeated. These clear statements
from Scripture are not true because of what we have done. They are
true because of what Christ has done for us, and the only way we can
appropriate that truth is by faith. We all share in His rich inheritance
and have the power to live victoriously in Christ. Our problem is that
we just do not fully grasp this reality. That is why Paul wrote:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in

order that you may know the hope to which he has called
you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and
his incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:18-
19, NIV).
IDENTIFYING OURSELVES AS CHILDREN OF
GOD

The lay leader of a recovery ministry in a church where I once spoke

told me, “I came to this conference with a gun in my mouth. If I hadn’t
found my freedom in Christ, I would have pulled the trigger.” This
dear man had been sober for several years, but he was not
experiencing his freedom. Being in a leadership position made it even
more difficult for him to admit that he still had problems. He told me, “I
had no idea who I was as a child of God!”
Likewise, most people who struggle to get out of bondage to
addiction have no understanding or assurance of who they are in
Christ and what it means to be a child of God. This is a common
denominator with every person I have ever had the privilege of
helping, particularly those who were in bondage to sex, alcohol or
drugs. Before they seek help, their self-perception is extremely
negative. The accuser of the brethren is having a field day. Those
who are in treatment identify themselves as alcoholics, addicts or
coaddicts. Thus they succumb to conventional wisdom, which
teaches that they cannot be helped nor will anyone be able to help
them, unless they admit that they have a problem. Of course, addicts
must acknowledge that they have a problem, but Christians with such
a problem should not be identified as alcoholics or addicts, nor should
they constantly repeat self-deflating statements about who they are.
These people are children of God who are struggling to overcome
their bondage. They are not sinners in the hands of an angry God;
they are saints who have sinned, and they rest in the hands of a
loving God.

ALCOHOLICS AND ADDICTS ARE

NOT SINNERS IN THE, HANDS OF AN
ANGRY GOD; THEY ARE SAINTS
WHO HAVE SINNED, AND THEY REST
IN THE HANDS OF A LOVING, GOD.
 This is not just a play on words or a minor theological point. And I
am not dodging the sin issue. I fully believe that verbalizing a failure
identity is counterproductive to what the Holy Spirit wants to affirm.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children
of God” (Rom. 8:16).
Dear Christian reader, who are you according to the following
passages?

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to

become children of God, even to those who believe in His
name (John 1:12, emphasis added).

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have

been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with
all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, their Lord and ours (1 Cor. 1:2, emphasis added).

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Gal. 3:26;
4:6; emphasis added).

You are a chosen race, a royal priestbood, a holy nation, a

people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the
excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy (1 Pet. 2:9-10, emphasis
added).

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that
we should be called children of God; and such we are. For
this reason the world does not know us, because it did not
know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has
not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when
 He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him
just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him
purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:1-3, emphasis
added).
First John 3:1-3 reveals a critical reason why knowing our true
identity in Christ is so important. People cannot consistently behave
in a way that is inconsistent with what they believe about themselves.
When people consider themselves losers or alcoholics, their belief
can eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It is not what we do that determines who we are; it is who we are
and what we believe about ourselves that determine what we do. In
our culture we have a tendency to get our individual identities from
the things we do. This is particularly true of men, but it applies to
women as well. We are carpenters, truck drivers, teachers, lawyers
and engineers. But what happens if we lose our jobs? Do we lose our
identities? We tend to apply the same logic to sin. If we sin, we must
be sinners. If we burp, are we burpers? If we sneeze, are we
sneezers? According to the Bible, we are saints who burp, sneeze
and choose to sin. If we are sinners, how would we ever hope to do
anything other than commit acts of sin?
We don’t call someone Cancer because they have cancer or
Chicken Pox when they have chicken pox. Sick people do not stand
up in a cancer ward and say, “Hi, I’m Fred, and I am cancerous.” A
cancer patient could appropriately say, “Hi, I’m Fred, and I have
cancer.” Fred has a problem, but he is not the problem.
Christians have problems, but we are not the problem. If we were,
there would be no way to resolve it. We would have to get rid of the
Christian in order to get rid of the problem.
Christians can create problems for themselves by living in denial or
by not assuming proper responsibility for living a righteous life. A
Christian struggling with alcoholism should say, “Hi, I’m Fred, a child
of God. Right now I am struggling with sin, and I know that I can
resolve this issue and live freely in Christ, because I am ‘Dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus’ [Rom. 6:11].”
Why do Christians identify Christians who are struggling with an
addiction by the addiction? Have we simply borrowed this practice
from the secular world? Unbelievers cannot say they are children of
God, because they are not. But I don’t think they should identify
themselves by their addiction either. They would be better off if they
would say something like “Hi, I’m Fred, and I have a major problem
with alcohol.”
WORKING THE 12-STEP PROGRAM

The 12-step program in which people all over the world put their
hopes was originally a Christian program that clearly identified the
higher power as the God of the Bible. Participants found their
freedom in Christ through genuine repentance and faith in God.
Because the program was so effective, other religious groups and
those who did not put their faith in God wanted to use it. They thought
it was the program itself that set people free. It wasn’t. It was God,
not some unknown higher power. The non-Christian world adopted
the program and secularized it. As a result, many people have been
helped to live more responsible lives, and some have been able to
achieve sobriety by sheer willpower and with the help of a supportive
group. But they haven’t become alive and free in Christ.
Many recovery ministers have tried to reclaim the 12 steps as the
primary means for recovery. They have identified the higher power as
Christ and added Scriptures to each step, but in many cases they are
still working the program. I appreciate their efforts, and I don’t want to
be critical of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but I have some major
concerns with their approach.
An Incomplete Message

One of my major concerns is the incomplete message of the

program. I don’t believe the 12 steps are wrong if each step is
understood from a Christian perspective, but as I have already noted,
I don’t agree with the public pronouncement of a failure identity.
Knowing our identity and position in Christ is critical for overcoming
addictive behaviors, and that is glaringly missing in the program. The
program has a step to ask for forgiveness, which is important, but it
does not have a step to forgive others, which is critical if we want to
find our freedom in Christ. Most responsible Christians can easily
correct this area of concern.
However, there is another serious oversight that, because of the
absence of people’s biblical understanding, is not as easy to correct :
the spiritual battle that they’re in.
A Need for Biblical Understanding

Another concern is the program orientation itself. Christian counseling

or recovery in Christ is not a technique that we learn or a program
that we follow. Christian counseling is an encounter with God. He is
the wonderful counselor, and the only One who can set the captive
free and bind up the brokenhearted (see Isa. 9:6; 61:1). He alone
grants repentance that leads to the knowledge of the truth, which sets
people free (see 2 Tim. 2:24-26).

TRUTH AS REPRESENTED IN
THE PERSON OF CHRIST—NOT
PROGRAMS, STRATEGIES OR HUMAN
EFFORT—SETS PEOPLE FREE.
Truth as represented in the person of Christ—not programs,
strategies or human effort—sets people free. Jesus is the only way,
the only truth and the only means by which we can have spiritual life
and be set free from the bondage of sin (see John 14:6). Along the
same line of reasoning, discipleship is not just following a curriculum
or program. Discipleship is the process of building the life of Christ
into one another based on the Word of God, which is enabled by His
presence. Accepting these distinctions leads to a different orientation
in the Christian care of those who are suffering and living in
bondage.1
To illustrate this point, consider John 15:8: “By this is My Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
Without knowing the context, we could easily conclude that we have
to bear fruit. Actually we don’t; we have to abide in Christ. If we abide
in Christ, we will bear fruit. Bearing fruit is the evidence that we are
abiding in Christ. Too often we attempt to bear fruit without abiding in
Christ. This happens when we work the program. A program does not
bear fruit. It cannot set captives free or bind up the brokenhearted.
I am not suggesting that we eliminate all Christian programs and
strategies; rather, I am pointing out that even with the best of
intentions, programs that don’t accommodate the presence of Christ
will not be fruitful. When Christ is present, almost any program or
strategy will work. But a well-thought-out program or strategy in which
Christ is present will bear more fruit than a poorly thought out one.
EMBRACING THE GOOD NEWS

The truth is, Christ is in us, and the realization of this truth is
liberating. To his delight, the famous missionary Hudson Taylor
discovered this and wrote about it.

I felt the ingratitude, the danger, the sin of not living nearer
to God. I prayed, agonized, fasted, strove, made resolutions,
read the Word more diligently, sought more time for
meditation—but without avail. Every day, almost every hour,
the consciousness of sin oppressed me.
I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well,
but I could not.... Each day brought its register of sin and
failure, of lack of power. To will was indeed present within
me, but how to perform I found not.... Then came the
question, is there no rescue? ... I hated myself, my sin, yet
gained no strength against it....
All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I
needed, but the practical question was—how to get it out.... I
strove for faith, but it would not come.... I prayed for faith,
but it came not. What was I to do?
When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a
letter ... was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and
the Spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness
with Jesus as I had never known it before. “But how to get
faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting
on the faithful One.”
As I read, I saw it all! “If we believe not, He abideth
faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw ... that He had said, “I will
never leave thee.” I thought, “I have striven in vain to rest in
Him. I’ll strive no more.”
I am no better than before. In a sense I do not wish to be.
But I am dead, buried with Christ—aye, and risen too! And
now Christ lives in me.... Do not let us consider Him as far
off, when God has made us one with Him, members of His
body. Nor should we look upon this experience, these truths,
as for a few. They are the birthright of every child of God ...
the only power for deliverance from sin or for true service.2
GOING DEEPER

1. Have you committed your life to Christ? If not, what keeps

you from making a full commitment to Him?
2. What does Christ’s resurrection mean to you as a
believer?
3. How will knowing your identity and position in Christ
enable you to get out of bondage to sin?
4. What is the difference between a recovery program and
an encounter with Christ?
Notes

1 For a more complete discussion of our identity in Christ, read Neil

Anderson and Dave Park, Overcoming Negative Self-Image (Ventura,
CA: Regal Books, 2003). To understand how to include Christ in the
counseling process, read Neil Anderson, Discipleship Counseling
(Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2003).

2 Hudson Taylor, quoted in Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson

Taylor’s Spiritual Secret (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1990), pp. 158-
164.
CHAPTER 5

VICTORY OVER SIN

It is the magician’s bargain: give up our souls, get power in return.

But once our souls, that is, our selves, have been given up, the power thus
conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and
puppets of that to which we have given our souls.
C. S. LEWIS

The same power that brought Christ back from the dead is operative within
those who are Christ’s. The resurrection is an ongoing thing.
LEON MORRIS

Several years ago a professor at a secular university invited me to

speak on the subject of Christian morality in the context of marriage
and family. The class I addressed was predominantly made up of
young women. There, however, was one male student who purposely
pulled his chair into a corner to protest my presence. He sat and read
a newspaper; occasionally he interrupted my speech with a vulgar
noise.
A young woman in the class asked me what Christians thought
about masturbation. Before I could answer, the young man in the
corner piped up: “Well, I masturbate every day!”
“Congratulations,” I said. “Can you stop?”
I didn’t hear from him again until the end of the class, after
everybody else had left. As he walked by me on his way to the door,
he said, “Why would I want to stop?”
“That’s not what I asked you,” I said. “I asked if you could stop.
What you think is freedom, really isn’t freedom at all—it’s just sexual
bondage.”
MAKING CHOICES

Some people define freedom as the right to do their own thing, to

exercise their choices, to be free moral agents. No rules! No
regulations! No restrictions! “I can do whatever I want to do,” say the
libertarians, defending the right to make their own choices. “If I want
to have a drink, I’m going to have a drink.” They don’t seem to have a
clue as to how deep their bondage is to sin. Freedom does not lie
only in the exercise of choice; it is also always related to the
consequences of that choice.
I suppose I am “free” to tell a lie, but wouldn’t I be in bondage to
that choice? I would have to remember to whom I told the lie and
what I told them. I suppose I am “free” to rob a bank, but wouldn’t I be
in bondage to that act the rest of my life? I would always be looking
over my shoulder, wondering if I would be caught. We can choose to
drink shots all night, sleep with a prostitute or inject heroin into our
body, but we would have to live with the consequences of each
choice. The free sex promoted in the ‘60s led to rampant sexual
bondage in the decades that have followed. That is not freedom; that
is license—which only leads to bondage. Whether or not we have the
right to drink, take drugs or fornicate is not the ultimate issue. The
real issue is whether we can stop the behavior.
Anybody who acts as his or her own god is in bondage to the flesh.
As a result of the Fall, we were sold into the slave market of sin.
Jesus purchased us from the kingdom of darkness and saved us from
ourselves.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy

Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you
are not your own? For you have been bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
We are no longer slaves to sin. We are bond servants of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Only when we realize this truth and embrace it are we
able to make the kinds of choices that allow us to live in the freedom
that Christ purchased for us at the cross.
WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES TO
SIN. WE ARE BOND SERVANTS OF
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
 EMBRACING FREEDOM IN CHRIST
Freedom is the most practical benefit of being a child of God. Being a
servant of sin is bondage. Being a bond servant of Christ means
being free in three ways.
Free from the Law

First, we are free from the Law. Galatians 5:1 reads, “It was for
freedom that Christ set us free; therefore ... do not be subject again to
a yoke of slavery.” Legalists who are driven by the law will feel cursed
and condemned all their lives, but those who live by the Spirit have
life and liberty: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
Free from the Past

Second, we are free from our past. Writing to the Galatians, Paul put
it best:

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you
are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son,
God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not
know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not
gods (4:6-8, NIV).
As children of God, we are no longer products of what we did
yesterday, 10 years ago or at any time in the past; we are primarily
products of the work of Christ on the cross. We have a new heritage
in our Lord. We are no longer slaves to sin; we are free. Here is an
analogy that illustrates my point:

Slavery in the United States was abolished by the 13th

amendment on December 18, 1865. How many slaves were
there on December 19? In reality, none, but many still lived
like slaves. Many did because they never learned the truth,
and others knew and even believed that they were free but
chose to live as they had been taught.
Several plantation owners were devastated by this
proclamation of emancipation. “We’re ruined! Slavery has
been abolished. We’ve lost the battle to keep our slaves.”
But their chief spokesman slyly responded, “Not necessarily;
as long as these people think they’re still slaves, the
proclamation of emancipation will have no practical effect.
We don’t have a legal right over them anymore, but many of
them don’t know it. Keep your slaves from learning the truth,
and your control over them will not even be challenged.”
“But what if the news spreads?”
“Don’t panic. We have another barrel in our gun. We may
not be able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can
still keep them from understanding it. They don’t call me the
father of lies for nothing. We still have the potential to
deceive the whole world. Just tell them that they
misunderstood the 13th amendment. Tell them that they are
going to be free, not that they are free already. The truth
they heard is just positional truth, not actual truth. Someday
they may receive the benefits, but not now.”
“But they’ll expect me to say that. They won’t believe me.”
“Then pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced
that they’re still slaves and let them do the talking for you.
Remember, most of these free people were born as slaves
and have lived like slaves. All we have to do is to deceive
them so that they still think like slaves. As long as they
continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince
them that they must still be slaves. They will maintain their
slave identity because of the things they do. The moment
they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just
whisper in their ear, ‘How can you even think you are no
longer a slave when you are still doing things that slaves
do?’ After all, we have the capacity to accuse the brethren
day and night.”
Years later, many had still not heard the wonderful news
that they had been freed, so naturally they continued to live
the way they had always lived. Some had heard the good
news, but they evaluated it by what they were presently
doing and feeling. They reasoned, I’m still living in bondage,
doing the same things I have always done. My experience
tells me that I must not be free.1’m feeling the same way I
was before the proclamation, so it must not be true. After all,
your feelings always tell the truth. So they continued to live
according to how they felt, not wanting to be hypocrites!
One former slave heard the good news and received it
with great joy. He checked out the validity of the
proclamation and found out that the highest of all authorities
had originated the decree. Not only that, but it personally
cost the authority a tremendous price, which He willingly
paid, so that he could be free. His life was transformed. He
correctly reasoned that it would be hypocritical to believe his
feelings and not believe the truth. Determined to live by what
he knew to be true, his experiences began to change rather
dramatically. He realized that his old master had no authority
over him and did not need to be obeyed. He gladly served
the One who set him free.1
Free from Sin

Third, we are “freed from sin” (Rom. 6:7).

One of my students once inquired, “Are you telling me that I don’t
have to sin?”
“Where did you get the idea that you have to sin?” I asked.
In his Gospel, John wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so
that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who
speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One” (1 John 2:1, NIV). Obviously, maturity factors into our ability to
stand against sin, but what an incredible sense of defeat we would
have if we believed that we had to sin, while at the same time God
commands us to be holy (see 1 Pet. 1:15-16).
Those who are living in bondage are caught in a web of faulty
thinking: God, You made me this way and now You condemn me for
it! The Christian life is impossible! When those people fail, they
proclaim, “I’m only human!”
People who struggle with chemical and sexual addictions lead this
parade of despair. They entertain thoughts such as, I’m different from
others. Christianity works for others but it doesn’t work for me. Maybe
I’m not a Christian. God doesn’t love me. How could He? I’m such a
failure. I’m just a miserable sinner with no hope of ever breaking the
chains of alcoholism. What a pack of lies! People who think like this
are still living like slaves because they are still thinking like slaves.
EXAMINING THE TRUTH

To live free in Christ, we must know the Christian emancipation

proclamation found in Romans 6:1-11. Before we look at this
liberating text, which explains our position in Christ, let me clarify
some simple principles of biblical interpretation. When we come to a
commandment in the Bible, the only proper response is to obey it. If
Scripture is trying to declare something that is true, our only proper
response is to believe it. If we read a promise in the Word of God, we
should claim it. It is a simple concept, but it is critical to understand if
we are going to move deeper into Romans 6:1-11. Our tendency is to
read this passage and ask, How do I do that? Paul’s explanation of
our relationship to sin is not something we do; it is something we
believe-and believing this truth will set us free.
The Greek language used in the original New Testament texts is
very precise when it comes to verbs. We can know when a verb is
past, present or future tense, and whether a verb is describing
continuous action or a point in time. However, we don’t need to know
Greek to appreciate what the Word of God declares, because English
translations closely match the meaning in Greek. But I’m going to try
to make the truth of this text even clearer. As we examine the truth in
Romans 6:1-11, I encourage you to pray: Ask the Holy Spirit, who is
the Spirit of truth, to protect your mind and enable you to understand
the full meaning of this passage.
Dead to Sin

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that

grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can
we live in it any longer? (Rom. 6:1-2, NIV).
You may be tempted to ask, How do I do that? How do I die to sin?
We can’t, because we have already died to sin. The verb is past
tense. We cannot do what has already been done for us by Christ.
But I don’t feel dead to sin, and frankly I am still sinning. Remember,
it is not what we do that determines who we are. Just set your
feelings aside for a few verses. It’s what we believe that’s going to set
us free, not what we feel. God’s Word is true whether we choose to
believe it or not. Believing the Word of God doesn’t make it true. His
Word is true; therefore, we believe it.

IT’S WHAT WE BELIEVE THAT’S

GOING TO SET US FREE,
NOT WHAT WE FEEL.
A pastor shared with me that for 22 years in his Christian
experience he had struggled with sin. “It’s been one trial after
another, and I think I’ve finally found the answer,” he said. “I was
reading Colossians 3:3 [NIV], ‘For you died, and your life is now
hidden with Christ in God.’ That’s the key isn’t it?”
I assured him that I thought it was the key. Then he asked how he
could, according to Colossians 3:3, die and have his life hidden in
Christ. I was surprised by his question. For 22 years this dear man
had been desperately trying to become somebody he already is.
Many Christians, especially those mired in bondage, have lived the
same way.
Identified with Christ

Paul’s argument in Romans 6:1-11 is twofold. First, if we identify with

the death and burial of Christ, we also identify with His resurrection
and ascension. We will live in defeat if we believe only half of the
gospel message. Not only are we free from bondage, but we are also
seated with Christ in the heavenlies (see Eph. 2:6). From this position
we have the authority and power to live the Christian life. Jesus didn’t
simply come to Earth to die for our sins; He came to give us life—
therefore, every child of God is spiritually alive in Christ. Paul clearly
identified every believer with Christ:
United with Christ

The second part of Paul’s argument is that death no longer has any
power over us; therefore, neither does sin. We will see how and why
that is true when we get to those verses. Returning to his first
argument, let’s continue in Romans 6:

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into

Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (v. 3, NIV).
Are you still wondering, How do I do that? The answer is the same:
We can’t, because we already have been baptized into Christ Jesus.2
It is futile to seek something that the Bible affirms we already have.
“For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13,
NIV). The phrase “we were” is past tense. It has already happened
for the believer.
Let’s continue with verses 4 and 5 (NIV):

In order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead

through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If
we have been united with him like this in his death, we will
certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
Have we been united with Him? Absolutely! Those who study the
original language say the syntax and verb form create a first-class
conditional clause. This means that this passage can literally be read:
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death
and we have, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
We celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter, not just His death on
Good Friday. We receive the resurrected life of Christ within us the
moment we are born again. Notice how Paul developed the whole
gospel:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we

were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8, NIV).
This is great! God loves us. But is that all there is to the gospel?
No! Read on:
 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much
more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (5:9,
NIV, emphasis added).
This is terrific! We are not going to hell. But is that the entire truth of
the gospel? No! Read on:

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to

him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (5:10,
NIV, emphasis added).
This is incredible! We have been saved by His life, and eternal life
is not merely something we get when we die—we are alive in Christ
right now. But is that the complete gospel message? No! Read on:

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
reconciliation (5:11, NIV, emphasis added).
This reconciliation assures us that our soul is in union with God,
and that is what it means to be spiritually alive. Paul told us there is
even more:

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through

the one, much more those who receive the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ (5:17).
CHOOSING TO BELIEVE THE TRUTH

Now return to Romans 6:6 (NIV): “For we know that our old self was
crucified with him.” Are you still asking yourself, How do I do that?
This is not something we can do. This is something we can only know
and believe. This is a question of knowledge, not experience. The
text does not declare: “For we must do.” It is clear: “For we know.”
Many people try desperately to put the old self (old man) to death, yet
they fail. Why? Because the old self is already dead! We cannot do
for ourselves what God has already done for us.
So many people who fail in their Christian experience begin to
reason, What experience must I have in order for this to be true? With
this thinking, we will never see victory! The only experience that had
to happen in order for this verse to be true occurred nearly 2,000
years ago on the Cross, and the only way we can enter into that
experience today is by faith. We can’t save ourselves, and we can’t
use human effort to overcome the penalty of death and the power of
sin. Only God can do that for us—and He did.

WE CAN’T SAVE OURSELVES, AND

WE CAN’T USE HUMAN EFFORT TO
OVERCOME THE PENALTY OF DEATH
AND THE POWER OF SIN. ONLY GOD
CAN DO THAT FOR US—AND HE DID.
Some people have asserted that this teaching is just positional
truth, implying that there is little or no present-day benefit for being
alive in Christ. What a tragic conclusion that is. In our industrialized,
how-to Western world we often try to do for ourselves what only
Christ can do and which He has already done for us. That will never
work. No matter how we feel or how seriously we are failing in our
Christian experience, we must choose to believe the truth and then
walk accordingly by faith. When we do, the truth of this passage
becomes evident in our experience. Trying to make it true by our
experience will only lead to defeat. We are saved and sanctified by
faith, not by works.
 I don’t do the things I do with the hope that God may someday
accept me. I’m accepted in the beloved; that is why I do the things
that I do. I don’t labor in the vineyard with the hope that God may
someday love me; God loves me and, therefore, I labor in the
vineyard. Remember, it is not what we do that determines who we
are; it is who we are and what we believe that determine what we do.
Beloved, you are a child of God (see 1 John 3:2).
Let’s look again at Romans 6:6 (NIV):

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that
the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves to sin.
The latter part of this verse refers to our physical body, which I
discuss in the following chapter. But there is something else that is
important here: We are saved and sanctified by faith. To believe
otherwise is foolish and a deceptive trick of the devil, according to
Paul:

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ... Did you
receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what
you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the
Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human
effort? (Gal. 3:1-3, NIV).
Christians living in bondage to sin are believing the Galatian heresy.
Paul continued in Romans 6:7 (NIV): “Anyone who has died has
been freed from sin.” Have you died with Christ? Then you are freed
from sin. You are probably thinking, I don’t feel free from sin. If we
only believe what we feel, we will never live victorious lives.
Most of us wake up some mornings and feel alive to sin and dead
to Christ. But that’s just the way we feel. If we believed what we felt
and lived that way the rest of the day, what kind of a day would we
have? It would be a bad day! I have learned to get up in the morning
and say, “Thank You, Lord, for another day. I deserved eternal
damnation, but You gave me eternal life. I now ask You to fill me with
Your Holy Spirit, and I choose to walk by faith today regardless of
how I feel. I realize that I will face many temptations, but I choose to
take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and to think
upon that which is true and right.”
 More than once, the Lord replied to me, “Be it done to you
according to how you believe.”
Having the right faith foundation is vital. The alternative can be
fatal. There is no greater sin than the sin of unbelief. “Everything that
does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23, NIV). If we choose to
believe a lie, we will live a lie; but if we choose to believe the truth, we
will live fruitful lives by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
COUNTING OURSELVES DEAD TO SIN AND
ALIVE TO GOD

Paul continued in Romans 6:8-9 (NIV):

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live

with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the
dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery
over him.
Does death have mastery over you? Absolutely not!

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death,

is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of
death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
(1 Cor. 15:54-57, NIV).
Paul argued that if death has no mastery over us, then neither does
sin. “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he
lives, he lives to God” (Rom. 6:10, NIV). This was accomplished
when “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV,
emphasis added). When Jesus went to the cross, all the sins of the
world were on Him. When the spikes were nailed into His hands and
feet, He carried the weight of all of our sins. But when He was
resurrected, there was not a single sin on Him. As He sits at the right
hand of the Father, there are not any sins on Him. He has triumphed
over sin and death. He died to sin once for all. Many accept the truth
that Christ died for the sins we have already committed, but what if
we sin again in the future? At the moment Christ died for all of our
sins, how many of our sins were at that moment future sins? They all
were.
Knowing that our past, present and future sins have already been
forgiven, or atoned for, is not a license to sin; rather, it is a gracious
means not to sin.
 KNOWING THAT OUR PAST, PRESENT
AND FUTURE SINS HAVE ALREADY
BEEN FORGIVEN, OR ATONED FOR, IS
NOT A LICENSE TO SIN; RATHE, IT
IS A GRACIOUS MEANS NOT TO SIN.
How should we respond to this truth? Paul continued in Romans
6:11 (NIV):

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to

God in Christ Jesus (emphasis added).
We do not make ourselves dead to sin by considering ourselves so.
We consider ourselves dead to sin because God says it is already
true. I remember ministering to a number of people who were
struggling with this passage. The New King James Version reads,
“Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin.” I told the people who
were struggling that if they thought it was the reckoning that made
them dead to sin, they would reckon themselves into a wreck. We
can’t make ourselves dead to sin; only God can do that and He has.
Paul was saying that we have to keep on choosing to believe by faith
what God says is true, even though all our feelings may be indicating
the opposite. The verb “count,” or “reckon,” is present tense. In other
words, we must continuously believe the truth, which is parallel to the
idea of abiding in Christ (see John 15:1-8), which is basically the
same as walking by the Spirit (see Gal. 5:16). When we walk by the
Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
Death is the ending of a relationship, not of existence itself.
Throughout the Bible, the word “life” means “to be in union with,” and
the word “death” means “separation from.” As we have already noted,
when Adam sinned, he died spiritually. He didn’t pass out of
existence. In fact, he remained physically alive for more than 900
years. His soul, however, was separated from God. When we are
born again, we become spiritually alive. Our soul is in union with God.
We are alive in Christ. The phrase “in Christ,” or “in Him,” is one of
the most frequently used prepositional phrases in the New
Testament.
FINDING VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION

When we die to sin, does sin itself pass out of existence? No! Has the
power of sin died? No! It is still strong and still appealing. However,
when sin makes its appeal, we have the power to say no to it
because our relationship with sin ended when the Lord “rescued us
from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the
Son he loves” (Col. 1:13, NIV). In Romans 8:1-2 (NIV), Paul
explained how this is possible:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are

in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Is the law of sin and death still operative? Yes, because it is a law.
We cannot do away with a law, but we can overcome an existing law
with a law greater than it, namely, the law of the Spirit of life. For
instance, can we as mere mortals fly by our own power? No, because
the law of gravity will keep us bound to Earth. But we can fly if we
unite ourselves with a power greater than gravity. As long as we
remain in the airplane and operate according to that power, we can
fly. On the other hand, if we step out of that airplane, we will quickly
find that the law of gravity is still in effect. Down we go!
The law of sin and death is still alive, still operative, still powerful
and still making its appeal. But we don’t have to submit to it. As long
as we walk (live) by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the
flesh (see Gal. 5:16). We must “be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power” (Eph. 6:10, NIV). The moment we stop being
dependent on the Lord and choose to walk by the flesh, we will crash
and burn. The moment we think we can stand on our own, we are
setting ourselves up for a fall. “Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18, NIV).
The devil attempts to get us to live our lives independently of God.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you
don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is
common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
 tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are
tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can
stand up under it (1 Cor. 10:12-13, NIV).
Should we succumb to the devil’s temptation or be deceived by
him? Should we believe his lies? No! Instead, we should repent for
our ways, renounce the lies and return to our loving Father who has
forgiven us of our sins and who will cleanse us.
If you are mired in addiction to alcohol, sex or drugs, you are
probably thinking, This all sounds good and I want to believe it, but I
am still struggling. You’re probably thinking this because of the other
truths that need to be understood: The pleasures of sin “wage war in
your members” (Jas. 4:1), and there is a battle going on for your
mind. How to understand and win those battles is the subject of the
subsequent chapters.
Watchman Nee came to realize the truth presented by Paul in
Romans 6:1-11, and it literally set him free. I close this chapter with
his testimony:

For years after my conversion, I had been taught to

reckon.... The more I reckoned that I was dead to sin, the
more alive I clearly was. I simply could not believe myself
dead, and I could not produce the death. Whenever I sought
help from others, I was told to read Romans 6:1-11, and the
more I read Romans 6:1-11, and tried to reckon, the further
away death was: I could not get at it.
I fully appreciated the teaching that I must reckon, but I
could not make out why nothing resulted from it. I have to
confess that for months I was troubled. I said to the Lord, “If
this is not clear, if I cannot be brought to see this which is so
fundamental, I will cease to do anything.
I will not preach anymore; I will not go out to serve Thee any
more; I want first of all to get thoroughly clear here.” For
months I was seeking, and at times I fasted, but nothing
came through.
I remember one morning ... I said, “Lord, open my eyes!”
And then in a flash I saw it. I saw my oneness with Christ. I
saw that I was in Him, and that when He died, I died. I saw
that the question of my death was a matter of the past and
not of the future, and that I was just as truly dead as He was
because I was in Him when He died. The whole thing had
dawned upon me. I was carried away with such joy at this
great discovery that I jumped from my chair and cried,
“Praise the Lord, I am dead!” I ran downstairs and met one
of the brothers helping in the kitchen and laid hold of him.
“Brother,” I said, “do you know that I have died?” I must
admit he looked puzzled. “What do you mean?” he said, so I
went on: “Do you not know that Christ has died? Do you not
know that I died with Him? Do you not know that my death is
no less truly a fact than His?”3
GOING DEEPER

1. How does the natural person define freedom? How does

that differ from the freedom we can enjoy in Christ?
2. Identify some of the faulty thinking of people who live in
bondage. Why is their reasoning flawed? What would be the
proper thinking in light of what Christ has done for us?
3. What is eternal life? When do you receive it (as a
Christian)?
4. What is death? Why is it important to understand this as a
believer?
Notes

1 This illustration was adapted from Jamie Lash’s article “Enslaved to

My Self-Image,” which was originally published by Victory Seminar
Ministries, Dallas, Texas. Used by permission.

2 The ordinance of water baptism is typically understood to be the

symbolic representation of what has already been accomplished by
Christ. Saint Augustine called it a visible form of an invisible grace. It
is a public identification with the death, burial and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Those who practice infant baptism, however,
understand the ordinance to be symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s coming
upon Christ. They would, then, sprinkle water on the head as
opposed to immersing the body. Both look to Scripture for the basis of
their practice, and both see it as an identification with Christ. The
passage we are examining, however, deals with our spiritual baptism
into Christ, of which the external ordinance practiced by your church
and mine is a symbol.

3 Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale

House Publishers, 1977), pp. 64-65.
CHAPTER 6

THE WAR IN OUR MEMBERS

The strength for our conquering and victory is drawn continually from Christ.
The Bible does not teach that sin is completely eradicated from the Christian in
this life, but it does teach that sin shall no longer reign over you. The strength
and
power of sin have been broken. The Christian now has the resources available
to
live above and beyond this world. It is like the little girl who said that when the
devil came knocking with a temptation, she just sent Jesus to the door.
BILLY GRAHAM

There once was a mule that was walking in the wrong direction. As
he strolled along, he had more and more problems. He was a
stubborn mule; so despite the difficulty, he wouldn’t admit he was
headed in the wrong direction—instead he walked faster. He also
wasn’t taking the time to eat a balanced meal of oats and hay. To
make matters worse, the mule started drinking contaminated water
that temporarily solved one problem—his thirst. Then he started
running with some bad mules that introduced him to some other kinds
of contaminated water. Finally, the stubborn mule fell over in utter
defeat and exhaustion.
It wasn’t long before some well-meaning mules came along. One of
the helpful mules concluded that contaminated water had contributed
to the stubborn mule’s downfall, so he cut off the supply. But the
stubborn mule still lay there. Another well-meaning mule correctly
perceived that the sick mule had been going in the wrong direction,
so he grabbed that old mule by the tail and turned him around; but
the stubborn mule still lay there. Another in the well-meaning group
was concerned about the stubborn mule’s reputation and
appearance, so he hosed off the defeated mule and cleaned him up
on the outside. But the stubborn mule still lay there. All those well-
intentioned efforts were commendable, but that old mule was still the
same stubborn mule he had always been. He needed a new life that
would transform him and give him the power to get up and walk in the
right direction.
GLORIFYING GOD IN OUR BODY

If we are ever to tap into the treasure trove of God’s plan for our lives,
we must understand some basic principles. God created us to glorify
Him in our body (see 1 Cor. 6:20). The glory of God is a manifestation
of His presence. Essentially, Christians are called to manifest the
presence of God in this world. Jesus said, “By this is My Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples”
(John 15:8). The only way that we can do this is by abiding in Christ.
We cannot do for ourselves what Christ has already done for us, but
we can choose to repent of our old self-centered ways, choose the
right way and start living by faith according to what God says is true.
We can do all of this if we are enabled by the life of Christ within us.
In the last chapter we looked at what God has done for us and how
we must accept that as truth and live accordingly by faith. In this
chapter, let’s focus on what our responsibility is. Before we do, let me
clarify that what follows in this chapter will not be effective in your life
if you do not first believe what Paul taught in Romans 6:1-11. Truth
sets us free, and believing the truth is what determines responsible
behavior.
Now let’s continue with Romans 6:12 (NIV): “Therefore do not let
sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” It is
our responsibility not to allow sin to reign in our mortal body. I have
never believed, nor taught, that we can excuse ourselves with a devil-
made-me-do-it attitude. Nor can we say anybody else made us do it.
We are responsible for our own attitudes and actions. What do we
have to do or not do to ensure that sin does not reign in our mortal
body? Paul answered in verse 13 (NIV):

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of

wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those
who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts
of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
There is only one negative action that we must avoid, but two
positive actions that we must take. Let’s first consider the instruction
about the negative action. We are not to use our body in any way that
would serve sin. If we do, we will allow sin to reign (rule) in our
physical body. James wrote, “What is the source of quarrels and
conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war
in your members [physical body]?” (Jas. 4:1).
Our Selves and Our Bodies

On the positive side, we are told to consciously offer (“present,” NIV)

ourselves to God, because we belong to Him. We are also to offer, or
present, our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness. Paul
separated our selves from our bodies. Why?
Our selves are who we essentially are, that part of us that will be
present with the Lord when we are separated from our body. In our
culture we have a tendency to derive our identity from the things we
do, and we identify one another by our physical bodies. That would
be necessary if we were only natural people. As children of God,
however, we have a whole new identity: “Therefore from now on we
recognize no man according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16). Paul
acknowledged that we long “to be clothed with our dwelling from
heaven” (2 Cor. 5:2), but as long as we are still in this earthly tent
(meaning our physical body), we groan because we do not want to be
unclothed. I don’t know about your tent, but my tent pegs are coming
up, the seams are getting frayed, and the zipper doesn’t work very
well anymore. The carcass of this old mule isn’t in as good of a shape
as it was in the days of my youth! My hope, however, isn’t in the
eternal preservation of my outer man. My hope is in the facts that I’m
being renewed in the inner man day by day, even though the “outer
man is decaying” (2 Cor. 4:16), and that someday I will receive a
resurrected body.

WHEN WE DIE PHYSICALLY,

EARTH SUITS. WE WILL BE
ABSENT FROM OUR BODIES AND
PRESENT WITH THE LORD.
When we die physically, we will jettison our old Earth suits. We will
be absent from our bodies and present with the Lord (see 2 Cor. 5:8).
As long as we serve the Lord on planet Earth, however, we need our
physical body. Paul wrote, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is
raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is
sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is
raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:42-44, NIV). Our inner man will live
forever with our heavenly Father, but our body will return to dust,
because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor.
15:50).
All that is mortal is also corruptible. Our physical body is not by
nature evil, but it is amoral, or neutral. So what are we to do about the
neutral disposition of our body? We are told to present it as an
instrument of righteousness. “Present” means “to put at the disposal
of.” An instrument can be anything that the Lord has entrusted to us.
The Lord commands us to be good stewards of our body and to use it
only as an instrument of righteousness.
Members of Christ Himself

Let’s apply this line of thinking and what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
6:13-20 (NIV) to the problem of sexual bondage:

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord for the body. By His power God raised the Lord
from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know
that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then
take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?
Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a
prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will
become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord
is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All
other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who
sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body.
This passage teaches that we have more than a spiritual union with
God. Our body is a member of Christ Himself. Romans 8:11 (NIV)
declares,

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in
you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Our body is a temple (dwelling place) of God because His Spirit
dwells in us. To use our body for sexual immorality is to defile the
temple of God.
It is hard for us to fully appreciate the moral outrage of uniting a
member of Christ with a prostitute. It would be like Antiochus
Epiphanes slaughtering a pig on the altar after declaring Mosaic
ceremonies illegal and then erecting a statue of Zeus in the holy
place of the Temple. Can you imagine how God’s people must have
felt when that happened in the second century before Christ? Many
were martyred as they attempted to stop Antiochus from defiling the
Temple. As Christians, we should be offended when people suggest
that Jesus was sexually intimate with Mary Magdalene. We should
also be offended when people suggest that Jesus masturbated or
was a drunkard.
Jesus was fully God and also fully man. In His humanity, Jesus
took on the sexual identity of a man and was tempted in all ways we
are tempted—but He never sinned. He never allowed Himself even to
entertain thoughts contrary to the will of God. Therefore, sin never
had any roots in His soul. His earthly body was not meant for sexual
immorality and neither is ours. If our eyes were fully open to the
reality of the spiritual world and if we knew what the consequences
would be when we sinned against our own bodies, we would flee
from all sexual immorality.
There is no way that we can commit a sexual sin and not use our
body, including our brain, as an instrument of unrighteousness. When
we commit a sexual sin, we allow sin to reign in our mortal body!
When this happens, are we still united with the Lord? Yes. We are still
joined with Him because He will never leave us nor forsake us. We
would not lose our salvation, but the sinful act would certainly have
an effect on the degree of freedom that we experience.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn

your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through
love serve one another (Gal. 5:13).
What happens when a child of God, who is united with the Lord
and one in spirit with Him, unites with a prostitute? They become one
flesh. Somehow they bond together.
Have you ever heard of a nice Christian girl who has gotten
sexually involved with an immoral man and continued in an unhealthy
relationship for years? Even her friends try to tell her “He’s no good
for you.” Mom and Dad abhor the idea that he could be a future son-
in-law. But the girl won’t listen to anyone, so everyone prays that she
will someday come to her senses. Even though he treats her badly,
she won’t leave him. Why not? Because they have bonded. They
have become one flesh. Even if she were to leave him, she would not
be free of him.
BREAKING SEXUAL (AND OTHER TYPES OF)
BONDAGE

At Freedom in Christ Ministries, we have learned over the years that

such a strong bond must be broken through complete repentance. In
our discipleship counseling, we encourage the counselees to ask the
Lord to reveal to their mind every sexual way their body has been
used as an instrument of unrighteousness.
When hurting Christians first share their stories, it is common for
them to only reveal one or two sexual experiences; but when they
sincerely pray in this way, out come all of the other sexual
experiences that they had not intended to share. We don’t encourage
this confession because we want to hear about all their sexual
escapades—frankly, we don’t want to hear any of them. Rather, we
listen for their sakes, because we really want them to experience their
freedom in Christ.
As the Lord brings every sexual sin to their mind, we encourage
them to renounce those uses of their body with (the person’s name)
and ask the Lord to break the bond. Then we have them submit their
body to God and reserve the sexual use of their body for their spouse
only.
In Romans 12:1, Paul urged us to present our body as a living
sacrifice “by the mercies of God.” Repentance means that we are
turning away from something that is wrong and turning to something
that is right. It is not enough for us to acknowledge a lie; we must also
choose to believe, accept and follow the truth. To renounce
something as wrong is only the first half of repentance. To make it
complete, we have to announce what is right. Paul instructed us not
to use our body as an instrument of unrighteousness, but he didn’t
end there. We must also commit our selves and our bodies to God as
instruments of righteousness.
After years of helping people find their freedom in Christ, we have
observed several patterns in people who have been in sexual
bondage. To begin with, promiscuity before marriage seems to lead to
a lack of sexual fulfillment after marriage. If the sexual experiences
prior to marriage were consensual, the bondage only increased as
the people attempted to satisfy their lusts. If the sexual experiences
weren’t consensual (by that I mean one person went along with it but
didn’t really want to, or it was rape or incest), women tend to shut
down sexually. No matter what the cause prior to marriage, once a
couple marries, the wife doesn’t seem to enjoy sex and the husband
don’t seem to be satisfied with it. I have counseled many wives who
can’t stand to be touched. They lack the freedom to enter into a
loving and mutual expression of love and trust. Some are repulsed by
the idea until they break the bondage that comes from having had
sex outside of the will of God. They break the bondage by renouncing
the previous sexual use of their body, committing themselves and
their body to God as a living sacrifice and reserving the sexual use of
their body for their spouse only. If they have forgiven from their heart,
repentance is complete, and they are free to relate to God and others
in a responsible way.

PROMISCUITY BEFORE MARRIAGE

SEEMS TO LEAD TO A LACK
OF SEXUAL FULFILLMENT
AFTER MARRIAGE.
In the cases of rape and incest, others have forcibly caused them
to use their body as an instrument of unrighteousness. Tragically,
they have become one flesh. I want to scream “Not fair” when sick
people defile temples against the will of people who are trying to use
their body to glorify God. It’s not fair. It’s sick, but we live in a sick
world. It is no different from Antiochus’s defiling the Temple against
the will of those who died trying to save it. The good news is that we
can be free from such violations. We can renounce those uses of our
body, submit to God and resist the devil (see Jas. 4:7). Then we can,
and must, forgive those who have abused us, if we want to
experience freedom from our past.
Sexual bondage, alcoholism and drug addiction are often
intertwined. Rare is the liquor store that doesn’t sell pornography. The
deep need for acceptance drives many to the counterfeit world of
illicit sex, drugs and alcoholism. Alcohol and drugs dull the
conscience and impair judgment, which leads to many regrettable
sexual escapades. Substance abuse is also a violation of God’s
temple. Paul’s admonition was “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is
dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). Drunkenness
does more than damage the body; it leads to other forms of
immorality. “Dissipation” (asotia) means “debauchery” or “extreme
indulgence in sensuality.”1 It is the wild living of the prodigal son (see
Luke 15:13). It is the extravagant squandering of money and the
intemperate feeding of physical appetites.
BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Paul’s alternative to getting drunk was not abstinence. It is not

enough to stop drinking contaminated water. We have to be filled with
the Spirit, who will lead us into all truth and will enable us to walk in
the right direction. The most inadequate secular treatments for
alcohol and drug abuse are those that proudly advertise “No
counseling.” Such behavioral modification programs will hospitalize
addicts for a short period of time and supply them with another drug
that causes them to vomit whenever they drink alcohol. Incredible!
Nothing is solved. The dissipated mule is still dissipated and still
facing the wrong direction. The administrators at these centers will
say, “At least the mule isn’t drinking any more contaminated water.”
Whoopee!
Let me try to put all of this in context by looking at the bigger
picture. In the Old Testament, the sin offering was a blood offering.
The blood was drained from the carcass, and the carcass was taken
out of the compound and disposed of. Only the blood was sacrificed
for the sin offering.
Who is our sin offering? It is the Lord Jesus Christ, of course.
“Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). After
He shed His blood for us on the cross, His body was taken down and
buried. But it didn’t stay buried for long, praise the Lord.
Under the Old Testament sacrificial system, a burnt offering was
also required. In Hebrew, “burnt” literally means “that which ascends.”
The burnt offering, unlike the sin offering, was totally consumed on
the altar—blood, carcass, everything.
Who is the burnt offering today? We are! Paul wrote, “Therefore, I
urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of
worship” (Rom. 12:1, NIV). It’s great that our sins are forgiven—Christ
did that for us. But if we want to live victoriously in Christ, then we
must present to God our selves and our bodies as instruments of
righteousness. To live a liberated life in Christ, we have to be filled
with the Holy Spirit.
 Under the leadership of Hezekiah, a tremendous revival broke out
in the Old Testament (see 2 Chron. 29). First, he cleaned out the
Temple and prepared it for worship. What a beautiful picture of
repentance! In the New Testament, we are the temple of God. Next,
Hezekiah consecrated the priests. Every believer is a priest under the
New Covenant. Therefore, consecrating the priests is consistent with
Paul’s instruction to “present yourselves to God” (Rom. 6:13). Third,
Hezekiah ordered the blood offering. Nothing noticeable happened
externally, but everyone’s sins were forgiven. Finally, “Hezekiah gave
the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering
began, singing to the LORD began also” (2 Chron. 29:27, NIV).
Under the leadership of King David, 4,000 musicians had been
dedicated for offering music in the Tabernacle day and night (see 1
Chron. 16:39-42). Then, under Hezekiah, the music began again.

AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD
HAVE MANY JOYOUS SONGS IN
OUR HEARTS; THE MELODIES OF
THE LORD SHOULD CONSTANTLY
FILL OUR TEMPLES!
Let’s read Ephesians 5:18 (NIV) again: “Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” In other
words, don’t defile the temple of God with wine. That would be
debauchery. Instead, we are to let the Spirit of God rule in our hearts
and to let the music begin:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual

songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything (Eph.
5:19-20).
Many people sing when they are drunk but not to the glory of God.
Some have songs that sound more like funeral dirges.
What’s worse is that some Christians don’t seem to have any songs
in their hearts. I can’t imagine this. As Christians, we should have
many joyous songs in our hearts; the melodies of the Lord should
constantly fill our temples!
GOING DEEPER

1. How can we prevent sin from reigning in our mortal

bodies? What is the difference between an act of sin and sin
that reigns in our lives?
2. How do we use our bodies as tools for unrighteousness?
3. What is holy sex? How does the unrighteous use of our
bodies affect holy sex for men and women? How does the
unrighteous use of our bodies affect marriage?
4. What was Paul’s alternative to getting drunk? Why is this
an important concept in overcoming an addiction?
Note

1 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., s.v. “dissipation”

and “debauchery.”
CHAPTER 7

SEPARATING OURSELVES FROM SIN

We prayed a lot .... I’m a free man now.... Every once in a while I meet a
youngster who knows I used to be a drug addict, as he is now. He asks what he
can do to kick the habit. I tell him what I’ve learned: “Give God’s temple, your
body, back to Him. The alternative is death.”
JOHNNY CASH

What would it be like if we used our body as an instrument of

unrighteousness and allowed sin to reign in our mortal body? Paul
painted a clear picture in Romans 7:15-25. Let’s be a fly on the wall
as a pastor dialogues through this passage with someone who is
caught in the sin-confess, sin-confess, sin-confess cycle of chemical
and sexual addiction.

Randy: I can’t keep living like this. I get so discouraged. I go

out and get drunk, and wake up with a throbbing headache. I
promise myself I will never do it again. Sometimes I am able
to do well for a week or even a couple of weeks, but then I
fall again. I feel like such a failure. I have tried to hide it from
my wife, but I can’t even do that anymore. I have confessed
it to the Lord a thousand times, but nothing seems to help.
He has to be absolutely disgusted with me. There is one
more thing that I just have to share with someone, and I
can’t share it with my wife. I can’t even face God with it. I
know you are going to think I’m a real scumbag.
Pastor: Randy, I don’t care what you share with me. It isn’t
going to make any difference how I see you. I know you are
a child of God, and I love you like a brother.
Randy: It’s pornography! I got hooked on it a long time ago. I
can’t even look at a woman without thinking of sex. The
temptation is overwhelming, and I can’t seem to have any
victory, no matter what I do. I don’t want to live like this! It’s
ruining my marriage.
Pastor: Randy, let’s look at a passage of Scripture that
seems to describe what you are experiencing. Romans 7:15
reads: “For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I
am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the
very thing I hate.” Would you say that pretty well describes
your life?
Randy: Exactly! I really do desire to do what God says is
right, and I hate being in bondage to alcohol and lust. I don’t
know which one is worse. I get drunk and wake up in some
woman’s bedroom. Or I sneak down at night and click on the
Internet. It is like I step through a door and I can’t turn
around until I’m drunk or I’ve masturbated—or worse. I don’t
want to cheat on my wife. I know it’s wrong, and I feel
disgusted with myself afterward.
Pastor: It sounds like you would identify with verse 16 as
well: “But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree
with the Law, confessing that it is good.” Randy, how many
people are mentioned in this verse?
Randy: There is only one person, and it is clearly “I.”
Pastor: It is very defeating when we know what we want to
do, but for some reason we can’t do it. How have you tried
to resolve this in your own mind?

SOMETIMES I WONDER IF I’ M
EVEN A CHRISTIAN.
CHRISTIANITY SEEMS TO WORK
FOR OTHERS BUT NOT FOR ME.

Randy: Sometimes I wonder if I’m even a Christian.

Christianity seems to work for others but not for me. I
sometimes question if the Christian life is even possible or if
God is really here.
Pastor: You aren’t alone, Randy. Many Christians believe
that they are different from others, and most think they are
the only ones who struggle with these issues. If you were
the only player in this battle, it would stand to reason that
you would question your salvation or the existence of God.
Let’s take a look at verse 17: “So now, no longer am I the
one doing it, but sin which indwells me.” Now how many
players are there?
Randy: Apparently two, but I don’t understand.
Pastor: Let’s read verse 18 and see if we can make some
sense out of it: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me,
that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the
doing of the good is not.”
Randy: I am familiar with that verse, because it describes
me. I am no good for myself, and I’m no good for my wife.
We would all be better off if I were dead.
Pastor: That’s not true, because that is not what the verse
says. In fact, it says the opposite. Something is dwelling in
you, but it is not you. If I had a wood splinter in my finger, it
would be “nothing good” dwelling in me. But the “nothing
good” isn’t me; it’s the splinter. It is important to note that this
“nothing good” is not even my flesh, but it is dwelling in my
flesh.1 If we see only ourselves in this struggle, it would be
hopeless to live righteously. Paul was going to great lengths
to tell us that there is a second party involved in our
struggle, whose nature is evil and different from ours.
You see, Randy, when you and I were born, we lived
under the penalty of sin, as every natural person does. We
know that Satan and his emissaries are always working to
keep us under that penalty. When God saved us, Satan lost
that battle, but he didn’t curl up his tail or pull in his fangs.
His strategy now is to deceive us so that we continue to live
under the power of sin. In 1 John 2:12-14, John identified
little children of the faith as those who have been forgiven of
their sins. In other words, they have overcome the penalty of
sin. He identifies young men of the faith as those who have
overcome the evil one. In other words, they have overcome
the power of sin.
The passage we are looking at in Romans also says that
this evil is going to work through the flesh, which remained
with us after our salvation. It is our responsibility to crucify
the flesh, and it is also our responsibility to resist the devil.
Let’s continue in the passage to see if we can learn more
about how the battle is being waged: “For the good that I
wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not
wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no
longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find
then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who
wishes to do good” (vv. 19-21).
Randy: Sure, it is clearly evil and sin. But isn’t it just my own
sin? When I sin, I feel guilty.
Pastor: There is no question that you and I sin, but we are
not sin as such. Evil is present in us, but we are not evil per
se. This does not excuse us from sinning, because Paul
wrote earlier, in Romans 6:12, that it is our responsibility not
to let sin reign in our mortal body. The apostle John wrote in
1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We must admit that we
have sinned, but having sin and being sin are two totally
different issues. When you come under conviction about
your bondage to sin, what do you do?
Randy: I confess it to God.
Pastor: “Confession” literally means “to agree with God.” It is
the same thing as walking in the light or living in moral
agreement with God about our present condition. We must
do this if we are going to live in harmony with our heavenly
Father, but it doesn’t go far enough. Confession is the first
step to repentance. The man that Paul was writing about
agrees with God, acknowledging that what he is doing is
wrong, but it doesn’t resolve his problem. You have
confessed your sin to God, but you are not experiencing
victory over sin. That has to be very frustrating for you. The
battle for your mind must be incredible. You probably
entertain a lot of condemning thoughts as well as struggle
with lustful thoughts. Have you ever felt so defeated that you
just want to strike out at someone or at yourself?

THAT IS PROBABLY WHY I GET DRUNK—

TO DROWN OUT THOSE CONDEMNING,
 ACCUSING AND SOMETIMES
BLASPHEMOUS THOUGHTS. I NEVER
SEEM TO HAVE ANY MENTAL REST.
Randy: Almost every day! The battle for my mind is
overwhelming. That is probably why I get drunk—to drown
out those condemning, accusing and sometimes
blasphemous thoughts. I never seem to have any mental
rest.
Pastor: Do you ever entertain thoughts that are in line with
who you really are as a child of God?
Randy: Sure, I know what is right and wrong. That is what
makes it so hard. I know that what I am doing is wrong, and I
hate it. I get this incredible desire for booze and sex. Then
when I get my fill of them, I can’t stand them. I hate them
because of their hold on me. Then the next day I love them
again. Or I should say, I lust after them again.
Pastor: Verse 22 explains why: “For I joyfully concur with the
law of God in the inner man.” When we act out of character
with who we really are in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately
brings conviction, because of our union with God. Out of
frustration and a sense of failure, we think or say things such
as “I’m not going back to church anymore”; “Christianity
doesn’t work”; “It was God who made me this way”; “Now all
I do is feel condemned”; “God promised to provide a way of
escape. Well, where is it? I haven’t found it!” At the same
time, our true nature in the inner man begins to express
itself: “I know what I’m doing is wrong, and I know the Bible
says God loves me, but I am so frustrated by my continuing
failure.”
Randy: I always thought this passage was talking about a
non-Christian.
Pastor: I know some good people who take that position, but
that doesn’t make sense to me. Does a natural man joyfully
concur with the law of God in the inner man? Does an
unbeliever agree with the law of God and confess that it is
good? I don’t think so! In fact, the non-Christian speaks out
rather strongly against it. Some even hate Christians for
upholding a moral standard. If you look carefully at this
passage, you will notice that every disposition of his heart is
directed toward God, and that cannot be said of a natural
man. Mentally he knows what is right, the willingness is
present, and he certainly feels like doing the right thing; but
for some reason he can’t. Now look at verse 23, which
describes the nature of this battle with sin: “But I see a
different law in the members of my body, waging war against
the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin which is in my members.” According to this passage,
Randy, where is the battle being fought?
Randy: The battle appears to be in the mind.
Pastor: That is precisely where the battle is being fought. If
Satan can get you to think you are the only one in the battle,
you will get down on yourself or on God when you sin, which
is counterproductive to resolving the problem. Let me put it
this way: Suppose there is a closed door, which you are told
not to open. There is a talking dog on the other side of the
door, and the dog keeps saying, “Come on—let me in. You
know you want to. Everyone is doing it. You will get away
with it. Who would know?” You would probably open the
door, even though you were told not to open it. Let’s say the
dog comes through the door and wraps his teeth around
your leg. Would you beat on yourself or would you beat on
the dog?
Randy: I would beat on the dog.
Pastor: Of course you would, and so would I. Before you
open the door, the devil plays the role of tempter. When you
open the door, he changes his strategy to accuser. Your
mind is pounded with accusations: You opened the door!
You opened the door! So you cry out, “God forgive me. I
opened the door.” Guess what God does. He forgives you.
Actually, you are already forgiven, but you confessed your
sin, and that is good. But the dog is still there! You have
submitted to God, but you haven’t resisted the devil.
It is amazing what people will do to overcome their
addictive behavior using their own strength and resources.
Some try physical exercise; others take cold showers. The
brave ones seek external accountability, while some isolate
themselves like monks. Others take the path of self-
destruction. I have seen young ladies purge themselves or
take laxatives in order to defecate, for the same reason that
others cut themselves. They are trying to purge themselves
of evil. They sense that there is evil present in them, but the
evil is not anything physical. Therefore, defecating, purging
or cutting will not resolve it. Paul wrote, “These are matters
which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-
made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of
the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence”
(Col. 2:23). Many people get tired of beating on themselves,
so they walk away from God under a cloud of defeat and
condemnation. Paul expressed this feeling in verse 24 of
Romans 7: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free
from the body of this death?” He’s not saying, “Wicked man
that I am”; he’s saying, “Miserable man that I am.” All of his
attempts to do the right thing meet with moral failure. There
is nobody more miserable than someone who knows what is
right and wants to do what is right but can’t.
Randy: That’s me. Miserable! And I don’t see any way out of
it. Death seems like the only option. Other times I just want
to cut off my head to get rid of those voices.
Pastor: I have good news for you, Randy: There is victory.
Jesus will set us free. Look at verse 25: “Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I
myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the
other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Let’s go back to the dog
illustration. Why wasn’t it enough just to cry out to God?
Randy: Well, like you said, the dog was still there. I guess I
would have to chase the dog away.
Pastor: You would also have to close the door. You would
have to cut off your sources of supply. If you have drug
dealers who know your phone number, you need to change
your phone number. If you have stashed a bottle at home for
emergencies, you have to get rid of it. If you have a girlfriend
on the side, you have to call her right now and tell her it is
over.
Randy: I can’t do that. I owe her something—at least an
explanation. I will talk to her personally.
Pastor: You don’t owe her anything. If you owe anybody, you
owe your wife and children. As your pastor and friend, I am
asking you to pick up that phone right now in my presence
and tell her that it’s over and that you never want to see her
again. Then ask her forgiveness for involving her in adultery.
If you don’t, you will probably fall again.
Randy: I have told her several times that it’s over, and I’ve
confessed my sin so many times without any lasting change
in my behavior.
Pastor: As you have already found out, that isn’t enough.
First, I want you to know that you are already forgiven.
Christ died once for all your sins. He is not going to do it
again. You were right in confessing your sins to God,
because you do need to own up to the fact that you opened
the door when you knew that it was wrong. Second, to make
sure that every door is closed, you need to ask the Lord to
reveal to your mind every unrighteous use of your body. That
includes abusing your body with chemicals. As the Lord
brings them to your mind, renounce every sexual use of your
body that is immoral as well as every unrighteous use of
your body that resulted in highs or drunkenness. Your body
belongs to God, and it is not to be used in an unrighteous
way. Then present your body to God as a living sacrifice,
and reserve the sexual use of your body for your spouse
only. Finally, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Randy: I think I’m beginning to understand, but call to mind
every unrighteous sexual use of my body? Listing them
would take a long time! It might take a couple of hours, but I
guess it would be a lot easier than living in bondage for the
rest of my life. Would I have to renounce every time I got
drunk? I’ve been condemning myself for my inability to live
the Christian life, and I’ve been questioning my salvation. I
see that Paul was frustrated about his failure, but he didn’t
 get down on himself. He accepted his responsibility. More
important, he expressed confidence by turning to God,
because the Lord Jesus Christ would enable him to live
above sin.
Pastor: You’re on the right track. When you honestly ask the
Lord to reveal every unrighteous use of your body, trust Him
to bring to your mind what you need to renounce. He may or
may not want you to recall every time you were drunk. He is
the One who grants repentance. Condemning yourself won’t
help, because according to Romans 8:1 there is no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We don’t
want to assist the devil in his role as the accuser. Most
people who are in bondage question their salvation. I have
counseled hundreds who have shared with me their doubts
about God and themselves. Ironically, the fact that they are
sick about their sin and want to get out of it is one of the
biggest assurances of their salvation. Randy, you have been
trying to overcome sin in your own strength. You weren’t
created with that ability. God never instructed us to take on
the devil. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Purity in God’s children
is not the outcome of obedience to His Law, but the result of
the supernatural work of His grace. ‘I will cleanse you’; ‘I will
give you a new heart’; ‘I will put my Spirit within you and
cause you to walk in My statutes’; ‘I will do it all.’”2
Let me add just one note to this conversation. No one particular sin
is isolated from the rest of reality. To experience your freedom in
Christ and God’s grace to overcome your sin, there are probably
other issues that need to be resolved. With your permission, I would
like to take you through the Steps to Freedom in Christ (see the
epilogue) to resolve all your personal and spiritual conflicts. Then
your repentance will be complete and the power of God will flow
through you. You also need to understand the battle that is going on
for your mind, and that is what I will deal with in the next chapter.
GOING DEEPER

1. In what ways do you identify with Randy?

2. What parts of the pastor’s advice can you apply to your
life?
3. Have you ever wondered if you are a Christian? Why?
How does the pastor’s response to Randy on this matter
speak to you?
4. Have you confessed your sins many times but have seen
very few results or changes? How does the pastor’s
response to Randy apply to you?
Notes

1 The New International Version of the Bible translates sarx (flesh) as

the sinful, or old, nature. In all translations, the “nothing good” is not
the flesh or the sinful nature; rather, the “nothing good” is operating in
the sinful nature.

2 Oswald Chambers, God’s Workmanship (Fort Washington, PA:

Christian Literature Crusade, 1960), p. 75.
CHAPTER 8

HOW MENTAL STRONGHOLDS ARE FORMED

If we let ourselves believe that man began with divine grace, that he
forfeited this by sin, and that he can be redeemed only by divine grace
through the crucified Christ, then we shall find a peace of mind never
granted to philosophers. He who cannot believe is cursed, for he reveals
by his belief that God has not chosen to give him grace.
BLAISE PASCAL

Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to
hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way must be disputed. The night is given us
to
take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the
strength which has been given to us, to go forth to work with it till the evening.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
If you are currently struggling with habitual sins, how do you respond
to the following biblical truths:
• The old self (man) is dead, and the new self (man) is alive.
• We’ve been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness
and into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
• We are no longer “in Adam”; we are presently “in Christ.”
• We are no longer children of wrath; rather, we are now
children of God.
• We are alive to Christ and dead to sin.
• We are no longer bond servants of sin; rather, we are bond
servants of Christ.
As Christians, we all want to believe what the Bible clearly teaches,
but many find themselves wondering, If that is true, then how come I
don’t feel very different from how I felt before I received Christ? or,
Why am I still struggling with the same issues I struggled with before I
became a Christian?
REPROGRAMMING OUR MINDS

Let me explain why believers continue to struggle with many of the

same cravings, thoughts and feelings that they struggled with before
they believed. I have already written about the bigger picture, but let’s
do a quick review. Because of the Fall, we were all born physically
alive but spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins (see Eph. 2:1).
We had neither the presence of God in our lives nor the knowledge of
His ways. Therefore, during our early formative years, we learned
how to live our lives independently of God. We had no choice. Then
one day we heard the gospel and decided to invite Jesus into our
lives. We were born again. We became new creations in Christ, but
everything that had previously been programmed into our memory
banks was still there. Nobody pushed the delete button! That is why
Paul wrote,

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but

be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good,
pleasing and perfect will (Rom. 12:2, NIV).
When we have been truly born again, we are both physically and
spiritually alive. A greater transformation took place when we were
born again spiritually than will take place when we die physically.
When we die physically, we will be absent from our body and present
with the Lord. Until then, we have to do something with our physical
body, which is what the last two chapters have been about. Recall
that Paul urged us to present our body to God as a living sacrifice
and not to use our body as an instrument of unrighteousness. That
truth is summarized in Romans 12:1. The next verse declares that we
must reprogram our mind, because it was previously programmed to
live independently of God. These are the two most critical issues that
confront us as believers: doing something about the neutral
disposition of our physical body and reprogramming our mind to the
truth of God’s Word.
When I was in the United States Navy, it was customary to refer to
the captain of our ship as the old man. The first captain I had was a
lousy old man. He belittled his officers and drank excessively with the
senior enlisted men. If I was going to survive on board that ship, I had
to learn how to cope and how to defend myself under his authority.
One day he got transferred to another post. He was gone forever, and
I no longer had any relationship with him. I was no longer under his
authority. We got a new old man, and he was a good one. But how do
you think I continued to live on board that ship? I lived the way I had
been trained under the former old man. Slowly I began to realize that
my old means of coping were no longer necessary. I had to learn a
new way to live under the authority of my new captain.
This analogy applies to our spiritual lives. We are no longer under
the authority of the god of this world, because our relationship with
him has been severed. We are children of the true God. Our greatest
priority is to get to know this new captain of our soul. That’s why Paul
wrote, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8, NIV).
UNDERSTANDING HOW STRONGHOLDS
DEVELOP

Like computers, our brain has recorded every experience we have

ever had. These impressions have an impact on our physical body. I
have seen adults recoil in physical pain as they reconnect with
childhood memories of abuse. This happens because strongholds
against the knowledge of God were raised up in their mind. These
strongholds have affected our temperament. It will take time to renew
our mind and to replace the lies we have believed with the truth of
God’s Word. The fact that we have all the resources that we need to
do this is the good news (gospel). The Lord has sent the Holy Spirit,
who is the Spirit of truth (see John 14:16-17), to guide us into all truth
(see John 16:13). Because we are one with God, “We have the mind
of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). We have superior weapons to win the battle
for our mind, according to Paul, who in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)
wrote,

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the

world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons
of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ.
Paul was not referring to defensive armor; he was referring to
battering-ram weaponry that tears down strongholds that have been
raised up against the knowledge of God.
How are these strongholds erected in our mind? There is general
agreement among developmental theorists that our attitudes are
primarily assimilated from the environment in which we are raised.
The primary programming of our mind took place in early childhood in
two ways. First, it took place through prevailing experiences such as
the families in which we were raised, the churches which we did or
didn’t attend, the neighborhoods in which we grew up, the
communities to which we belonged, the friends that we had or didn’t
have and other similar influences upon our lives. Each aspect had an
effect upon the development of our mind and contributed to our
worldview.
In addition to prevailing experiences, another major contributor to
our development of mental strongholds was traumatic experiences.
For instance, we may have been raped as a child, our mom and dad
could have divorced, or somebody close to us could have died.
These experiences were not assimilated into our mind over time;
rather, they were burned into our mind due to their intensity. All of
these experiences were filed away in our memory, and we have no
delete button in our organic computer.
However, the environment was not the only factor in our
development. Two children can be raised in the same home, have the
same parents, eat the same food, have similar friends and go to the
same church, yet they respond differently and, as a result, see the
world differently. Another significant factor is God: He has known us
from the foundation of the world (see Eph. 2:10) and created us
uniquely in our mother’s womb. Jacob and Esau came from the same
womb, but they were very different people.
As we struggle to reprogram our mind, we are also confronted daily
with a world system that is not godly. Remember, Paul warned us,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:2,
NIV, emphasis added). We can continue, even as Christians, to allow
the world in which we live to affect our mind. That is why Paul
warned, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the
basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8, NIV).
STANDING AGAINST TEMPTATION

Since we live in this world, we are going to continuously face the

reality of temptation. It’s not a sin to be tempted. If that were the case,
then the worst sinner who ever lived would be Jesus, because He
“has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin”
(Heb. 4:15, NIV). Satan knows exactly which buttons to push in each
of us. He knows our weaknesses and our family histories. Things that
tempt one of us may not tempt another. For instance, when was the
last time you were tempted to turn a rock into bread? That temptation
was unique to Christ.

IT’S NOT A SIN TO BE TEMPTED.

IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THEN
THE WORST SINNER WHO EVER
LIVED WOULD BE JESUS.
It was an attempt by Satan to get Jesus to use His divine attributes
independently of the Father to save Himself. He faced the temptation
by quoting a passage from the book of Deuteronomy: “It is written:
‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4, NIV). Every temptation is an
attempt by Satan to get us to live our lives independently of God, to
walk according to the flesh rather than according to the Spirit (see
Gal. 5:16-23).
We cannot, nor should we try to, fully isolate ourselves from this
world, so we must learn how to stand against temptation. Temptation
begins with a seed thought in our mind. Alcohol is socially
acceptable, sex is used to sell everything from beer to cars, and
gambling is sanctioned by the state. As a result, we are going to be
constantly bombarded. However, those who struggle with sexual sins
don’t need temptations from the external world to spark another
episode of sin—there is so much junk programmed into their memory
bank that they could fantasize for years without ever leaving their
homes. That is why sexual strongholds are so difficult. Once they are
formulated in the mind, the mental impressions are readily available
for recall.
 If we are going to take the way of escape that God has provided for
us, we must take the original thought captive to the obedience of
Christ. If we allow tempting thoughts to ruminate in our mind, we will
eventually take a path that leads to destruction. For instance,
suppose a man is struggling with addictions to alcohol and
pornography. One night his wife asks him to go to the store for some
milk. As he gets into his car, for a brief moment he wrestles in his
mind as to which store he should go to. He decides upon a local deli
that also sells liquor and pornography. He didn’t have to go to that
store. He could have gotten milk at a grocery store where the
atmosphere is more wholesome.
The moment he steers his car toward the deli, the battle for his
mind has been lost. Before he reaches the store, rationalizing
thoughts cross his mind: If you don’t want me to buy any booze, Lord,
have my pastor be at the store buying milk. If you don’t want me to
look at any pornography, Lord, let my mother call me on my cell
phone before I get to the store. Since no pastor or anyone else he
knows is present, he buys the booze. Since his cell phone does not
ring, he takes a peek at just a couple of the dirty magazines.
The undisciplined mind can momentarily rationalize, but the relief
doesn’t last. Before the man in this illustration has even left the store,
guilt and shame overwhelm him. The tempter has now become the
accuser: You sick person, when are you going to get over this? How
can you call yourself a Christian? On his drive home he cries out,
“Lord, forgive me. I will never do it again.” Until tomorrow!
This man needed to make the choice to take the way of escape
before he got into his car. Rare is the person who can turn the car
around once the plan has been set in motion. Why is that?
CORRELATING THE OUTER PERSON WITH THE
INNER PERSON

To answer that question, please refer to figure 2. Scripture teaches

that we have an outer person and an inner person (see 2 Cor. 4:16).
The outer person is our physical body, which relates to the world. Our
brain is a part of the outer person. Our mind is a part of the inner
person. There is a fundamental difference between our brain and our
mind. Our brain is organic! When we physically die, it will return to
dust. We will be absent from the body, but we will not be mindless.
It only makes sense that God created the outer person to correlate
with the inner person. The correlation between the mind and the brain
is obvious. The brain functions much like a digital computer. Every
neuron operates like a little switch that turns on and off. Each has
many inputs (dendrites) and only one output that channels the
neurotransmitters to other dendrites. Billions of these brain cells
make up the computer hardware. The mind, on the other hand, has a
role similar to the software of a computer. The brain cannot function
any other way than how it has been programmed. The brain receives
external data, and the mind interprets it.

People in the Western world have a tendency to assume that

mental problems are primarily caused by faulty hardware. There is no
question that organic brain syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease or some
lesser organic problem such as a chemical imbalance can impede
our ability to function. The best program won’t work if the computer is
turned off or in disrepair. However, I think that the primary problem is
not the hardware; it’s the software. We can do little to fix the
hardware, but we can change the software. Now that we are alive in
Christ, we have the mind of Christ at the core of our being.
The Peripheral Nervous System and Our Will

The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system,
which branches off into the peripheral nervous system. The
peripheral nervous system has two channels: somatic and autonomic.
The somatic nervous system regulates our muscular and skeletal
movements—such as speech and gestures—over which we have
volitional control. The somatic nervous system correlates with the will.
Our autonomic nervous system regulates our glands. We have no
volitional control over our glands. We don’t say to our heart, “Beat,
beat, beat”; or to our adrenal glands, “Adren, adren, adren”; or to our
thyroid, “Thy, thy, thy.” They function automatically.
Sex glands are part of the autonomic nervous system. For
instance, a woman has no volitional control over her menstrual cycle.
A man can wake up in the middle of the night with an erection, and it
may have nothing to do with lust. It is just part of a rhythmic cycle that
all men go through about every 90 minutes. That is the way God
created us.
If we have no control over our sex glands, then how can God
expect us to have any sexual self-control? The good news is, we
don’t need to have any volitional control of our sex glands in order to
have self-control. We need to take control of what we think. Our sex
glands are not the cause of sexual immorality. They will naturally
function in their God-given way. However, if we load the brain up with
pornography, our autonomic nervous system will simply respond. We
may not have any control over what comes out, but we do have
control over what we put in. Just like a computer: garbage in, garbage
out!
We can choose which movies we see and which magazines we
read, but we can’t totally isolate ourselves from the filth in this world.
Christians may have to work in an atmosphere saturated with pinups
and other sexually explicit material. Businessmen who are on the
wagon still need to attend luncheon appointments where alcohol is
served. What we see in the world comes through the gateway of our
eyes. We could stop the flow by closing our eyes, but even then our
imaginations could run wild. If we look at some object of temptation,
the signal will be recorded in our brains. At that moment, we have a
choice. If we choose to let our mind dwell on it, there will be an
immediate physiological response, because the peripheral nervous
system is fed by the central nervous system.
Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to remember some
things yet so easy to recall others? When I was a seminary student, I
would spend half the night studying Greek and then pray that the
“register” didn’t clear before I took the exam. It was a struggle to
remember. Pornography was different. If I saw one image, it seemed
to stay in my mind for years. Why is that? Part of the answer is
physical. When we are sexually stimulated, a signal is sent to our
glands, which secrete hormones into the bloodstream. The more
emotionally excited we are, the greater the release of hormones.
They pass through the brain and lock in whatever visual or audio
stimulus is present at the time of the emotional excitement. It causes
us to involuntarily remember traumatic events as well as emotionally
positive ones. Pleasant memories enhance learning and stay with us
longer. I wish I could have gotten more emotionally excited about
Greek!
People can become emotionally excited and sexually stimulated by
just entertaining thoughts of sexual activity. That is why people will
have an emotional rush before there is even any physical contact.
The man going to the store where pornography is sold will be
sexually stimulated long before he sees the magazines. The thinking
has caused the rush. It started with his thoughts, which triggered his
nervous system, which responded by secreting hormones into the
bloodstream.
Alcoholics have the same problem. They can have an adrenaline
rush before they take their first drink. They will start licking their lips
when they see a bottle of booze or an advertisement on television.
That is why the government has limited hard-liquor and tobacco
advertising on television. If addicts let their minds go down that path,
they will have all kinds of physiological and emotional responses
within minutes or seconds. Just thinking about it can cause their
mouth to water and palms to sweat.
The Autonomic Nervous System and Our Emotions

Our autonomic nervous system obviously correlates to the emotional

part of our inner being. Just as we can’t control our glands, we can’t
directly control our emotions. If you think you can, give it a try! Try
liking someone right now that you previously couldn’t stand. We can’t
order our emotions that way. However, we must acknowledge our
emotions, because we can’t be right with God and not be real. We do
have control over what we think, and that is the basis for self-control:
“Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but
in your thinking be adults” (1 Cor. 14:20, NIV).

DROP THE FOLLOWING LINE FROM

YOUR VOCABULARY, WHETHER IT
IS IN REFERENCE TO YOURSELF OR
OTHERS: “YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
THAT WAY.” IT’s A SUBTLE FORM
OF REJECTION, AND NO ADDICT
NEEDS ANY MORE OF THAT.
The concept of “adults only” is a travesty. It implies that there is one
standard of morality for adults and another for children. Pornography
is wrong at any age. If it is wrong for a child to drink alcohol, why is it
right for adults? At what age does it become right? Adults should
have a greater degree of self-control, but how do they develop self-
control? How many adults have mastery over sin without Christ?
Mature adults should know enough to stay away from pornography
and not allow their mind to be programmed with filth. The law requires
television programmers to announce, “The content of the following
movie is suitable for mature audiences only. Viewer discretion is
advised.” Pornography isn’t suitable for anyone, and mature people
should be the first to know that. Once images are put in the mind,
they are going to stay there.
Since we have no control over how we feel, I encourage you to
drop the following line from your vocabulary, whether it is in reference
to yourself or others: “You shouldn’t feel that way.” It’s a subtle form of
rejection, and no addict needs any more of that. What can we do
about how we feel? Nothing! The real issue is what we believe about
God, ourselves and the environment around us. Perhaps people who
feel a particular way have not fully understood the whole situation,
maybe they have wrongly judged someone or maybe they just need
to trust God.
Our feelings are primarily a product of our thought lives. The
tendency is to believe that something or somebody has made us feel
a certain way, but that really isn’t true. All external data is processed
by our mind, which we have control over. It would logically follow that
our feelings can be distorted by what we choose to believe. If what
we choose to believe does not reflect truth, then what we feel will not
reflect reality.
Suppose your company is downsizing and you have seen some of
your colleagues let go. On Monday morning you find a note on your
desk from your boss requesting that you see him on Friday at 10:00
A.M. Can you imagine all the emotions you will go through that week?
At first you may be angry, because you believe you are going to be
laid off. If you don’t know for sure what your boss is going to say or
do, you may feel anxious. By the middle of the week, you may be
convinced in your own mind that you are getting the axe on Friday.
Since you don’t have any options for other work, you are depressed.
Friday morning arrives and you are a basket case emotionally. As you
walk, all depressed and anxious, into your boss’s office, he says,
“Congratulations! I have just promoted you to vice president.” With
that, you faint on the spot. All the emotions you felt that week did not
conform to reality, because what you were thinking wasn’t based on
truth.
IDENTIFYING THE CAUSES OF SEVERAL
STRONGHOLDS

We all face temptations on a daily basis. The devil wants us to live

according to the flesh and therefore independently of God. Suppose
we consciously make a choice to give in to the temptation. If we
continue to act upon that choice, we will establish a habit in about six
weeks. If the habit persists, a stronghold will be developed in our
mind.
A stronghold is a habitual pattern of thought, or memory traces,
burned into our mind over time or by the intensity of traumatic
experiences. It is like driving a truck through a pasture over and over
again. Before long, deep ruts are made in the moist soil, and the truck
will naturally stay in those ruts. In fact, any effort made to steer out of
those ruts will be met with resistance. Author and speaker Ed Silvoso
defines a stronghold as “a mind-set impregnated with hopelessness
that causes us to accept as unchangeable, situations that we know
are contrary to the will of God.”1 Mental strongholds are similar to
what some call flesh patterns and what psychologists call defense
mechanisms. There are an infinite number of potential combinations
that can make up strongholds.
Most Christians struggle with feelings of inferiority. Inferiority
complexes are not formed overnight; rather, they happen to people
who were raised in a performance-based system—which is the case
for almost everybody. No matter how hard we try, we will never be
able to live up to someone else’s expectations. We strive for that
elusive acceptance that never comes because we never measure up.
Being raised according to this world’s system, we inevitably struggle
with some sense of inferiority, because there will always be
somebody who is stronger, smarter or prettier.

INFERIORITY COMPLEXES ARE NOT

FORMED OVERNIGHT;
RATHER, THEY HAPPEN TO
PEOPLE WHO WERE RAISED IN A
 PERFORMANCE-BASED SYSTEM—
WHICH IS THE CASE FOR
ALMOST EVERYBODY.
People who have been raised in alcoholic homes will have mental
strongholds. Let’s use three boys as an example. For this illustration
let’s say they were raised by a father who after years of drinking
became addicted. The older boy believed that he was strong enough
to stand up to Dad. There was no way he was going to take anything
from this drunk. The second boy didn’t believe he could stand up to
Dad, so he would accommodate him. The youngest boy was
terrorized. When their father would come home, the boy headed for
the closet or hid under the bed. Twenty years later, the father is gone.
These three boys are now adults. When they are confronted with a
hostile situation, how do they respond? The older one will fight, the
middle one will accommodate, and the younger one will run and hide.
Homosexuality is another stronghold, probably one of the most
resistant to conventional treatment. Those who are caught in the web
of this stronghold weren’t born that way. They may have been
genetically predisposed with certain strengths and weaknesses, but
that predisposition did not make them homosexual. Homosexuality is
a lie, another false identity with which we label ourselves or others.
There is no such thing as a homosexual. God created us male and
female. There are homosexual thoughts, feelings and behaviors—
and the latter is what the Lord condemns. Heaping condemnation
upon those who struggle with homosexuality will prove
counterproductive. They don’t need any more condemnation. They
suffer from an incredible identity crisis already. Overbearing
authoritarianism is what drove many of them to that lifestyle in the
first place.
Most people who struggle with homosexual tendencies or
behaviors have had poor developmental upbringing. Sexual abuse,
dysfunctional families in which the parental roles are reversed,
exposure to homosexual literature before having the opportunity to
fully develop their own sexual identity, play-ground teasing and poor
relationships with members of the opposite sex—these all contribute
to the mental and emotional development of those who struggle with
homosexuality. The events that precipitated these mental and
emotional difficulties have to be resolved, and the mind has to be
reprogrammed with the truth of God’s Word.
Sometimes it is difficult to find a precipitating event. How then do
we explain how this stronghold developed? Suppose a young man
looks at another naked man in a locker room at school and has a
tempting thought. That is all it is, just a tempting thought, and he may
dismiss it the first time. Then it happens again and again, so he
begins to think, Why am I thinking these thoughts? If I am thinking
these thoughts, then maybe I am one of them. The sexual stronghold
becomes entrenched the moment he believes that lie. Instead of
taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, he lets his
mind dwell on sexual thoughts and that affects his feelings. Then he
physically involves himself with another man, and sin begins to reign
in his mortal body because he has used his body as an instrument of
unrighteousness.
To overcome the sin that wages war in our members, we have to
renounce the unrighteous use of our body, submit it to God as a living
sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of our mind. However,
we still do not have the complete answer. The enemies of our
sanctification are the world, the flesh and the devil. In the next
chapter we will discuss the spiritual battle for our mind; then we will
have all the tools we need to tear down mental strongholds.
GOING DEEPER

1. Why is it important to identify and deal with strongholds

that affect our lives?
2. What does having “the mind of Christ” mean?
3. What is the difference between the outer person and the
inner person? How do they work together?
4. How do our choices in life affect the outer person and the
inner person?
Note

1 Ed Silvoso, That None Should Perish (Ventura, CA: Regal Books,

1994), p. 155.
CHAPTER 9

TEARING DOWN STRONGHOLDS

The sins of the mind are the last habitation of the devil.
JAROL JOHNSON

When God wants us to move a mountain, he does not take a bar of iron,
but he takes a little worm. The fact is, we have too much strength.
We are not weak enough. It is not our strength that we want. One drop of
God’s strength is worth more than all the world.
DWIGHT L. MOODY

A struggling addict said, “I guess I’m not strong enough.”

Mike responded, “That is not your problem. The problem is you are
too strong. As long as you think you can get out of this by your own
strength and resources, you will continue trying. You are trying to
save your pride, and that is keeping you from experiencing the grace
of God.”
Many of us try to overcome slavery to sin on our own. Some of us
put our confidence in secular programs and popular strategies. These
may help addicts achieve a degree of abstinence, but the emotional,
mental and spiritual freedom for which they long will continue to elude
them. We cannot achieve total control of our lives by sheer human
effort.
Ironically, when we surrender to the lordship of Christ, we
experience self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit. We are saved
and sanctified by faith, not by how we behave. Paul wrote,
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything
as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant,
 not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:5-6).
The Holy Spirit gives us life, strength and direction, but there are
counterfeit spirits that will lead us astray and keep us in bondage. A
pastor shared with me that a number of people in his church were
chemically dependent. In response, they had plans to start a ministry
to help people who wanted to overcome their addictions. They all
insisted that the catch phrase on the front of their brochure read “Are
you tired of listening to those voices?” What are those voices, and
how can we win this battle for our mind? Winning this battle is the last
piece in the recovery puzzle.
RECEIVING MIXED MESSAGES

There are all kinds of mixed messages in this world. Consequently,

there are a lot of mixed emotions. Some Christians don’t feel saved,
don’t feel like God loves them, don’t believe they’re worth anything.
These messages aren’t true, but many of us believe them, which
results in irresponsible behavior and troubled emotions. Scripture
clearly teaches that all the messages we receive aren’t necessarily
from the world. Paul wrote, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times
some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things
taught by demons” (1 Tim. 4:1, NIV). I have counseled hundreds of
people who were hearing voices or struggling with tempting, accusing
and blasphemous thoughts. In many cases, it has proven to be a
spiritual battle for their mind.
If Satan can get us to believe a lie, he will keep us in bondage
emotionally, mentally and spiritually; and as a result we will give up
some degree of control in our lives. His primary strategy is to distort
the truth about our identity and position in Christ, and distort our
understanding of God. I have talked with seminary students who
intellectually know that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient,
kind and loving in all His ways; but when asked about their feelings
toward God, many respond, “I’m not sure He loves me!” Their
feelings don’t conform to reality, because thoughts have been raised
up against the knowledge of God. Satan can’t do anything about our
position in Christ, but if he can get us to believe it isn’t true, we will
live as though it’s not. People don’t always live according to what they
profess, but they always live according to what they believe.
Our problems don’t just stem from what we believed in the past.
Paul said we must continuously take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ (see 2 Cor. 10:5). The word “thought” comes from
the Greek word noema. Notice how else Paul used this word in the
same epistle: “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in
order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his
schemes [noema]” (2:10-11, NIV). I believe the greatest access that
Satan has to the Church is our unwillingness to forgive those who
have offended us. It certainly has been true with the thousands that
we have had the privilege to work with.
In another passage, Paul wrote, “The god of this age has blinded
the minds [noema] of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV). Think of the
implications that this has for world evangelization. Let’s consider one
more passage from this epistle: “I am afraid that just as Eve was
deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds [noema] may
somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to
Christ” (11:3, NIV). I’m concerned, too.
RECOGNIZING THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE

Attend almost any recovery meeting and the leaders will advise
addicts not to pay attention to that committee in their heads. What is
that committee? Counselors refer to this battle for the mind as
stinking thinking, which is a given for those who struggle with
addictive behaviors. Solomon said in reference to those who drink too
much, “Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter
perverse things” (Prov. 23:33). This is nothing more than a struggle
with our old nature (flesh), or is it?
If there is a spiritual battle going on for our mind, why don’t we
recognize it? For one reason: I can’t read your mind, and you can’t
read mine. We really don’t have any idea what is going on in the
minds of other people unless they have the courage to share that with
us. In many cases they won’t, because in our culture they fear that
others will assume they are mentally ill. Clients will talk about their
abuse or what has happened to them in the past, but only to the right
person would they dare share what is going on inside their head. Are
they mentally ill, or is a battle being waged for control of their mind?
The lack of any balanced biblical contribution to mental health
professions has left them with only one conclusion: Any problem in
the mind must either be psychological or neurological.
People who have panic attacks, suffer from severe depression or
see things that no one else sees will likely be diagnosed as having
chemical imbalances. They will probably be given a prescription for
medication with the hope of curing the problem or eliminating the
symptoms. Other sufferers self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Our
body chemistry can get out of balance and cause mental and
emotional discomfort. Hormonal problems can throw off our systems,
but other legitimate questions need to be asked: How can a chemical
produce a personal thought? How can our neurotransmitters
involuntarily and randomly fire in such a way that they create
thoughts that we are opposed to thinking? Is there a natural
explanation for that? I’m willing to hear any legitimate answers and
explanations, because I care for people and I don’t want them to live
defeated lives. I also want to see their problems resolved by the
grace of God, but I don’t think that will happen in many cases unless
we take into account the reality of the spiritual world.

WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY ARE

HEARING VOICES, WHAT ARE
THEY ACTUALLY HEARING?
When people say they are hearing voices, what are they actually
hearing? The only way that we can physically hear with our ears is to
have a sound source that compresses air molecules. Sound waves
move through the physical medium of air and strike our eardrums,
which send a signal to our brain. That is how we physically hear. The
voices that people hear, or the thoughts with which some struggle,
are not coming from that kind of source.
In a similar way, when people say they see things that others don’t
see, what are they actually seeing? The only way that we can
naturally see something is to have a light source reflecting off a
material object to our eyes, which sends a signal to our brain. Satan
and his demons are spiritual beings; they do not have material
substance, so we cannot see or hear a spiritual being with our natural
eyes and ears.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12, NIV).
The battle is in the mind, because there is not a physical presence
that can reflect light rays and originate physical sound. The secular
world knows nothing of the spiritual world, so people who do not
believe in God have no choice but to consider some natural
explanation for what is being reported to them. Let me illustrate with
the following e-mail that I received:

For years I had those “voices” in my head. There were four

in particular and sometimes what seemed like loud choruses
of them. When the subject of schizophrenia would come up
on television or in a magazine, I would think to myself, I
know I am not schizophrenic, but what is this in my head? I
was tortured, mocked and jeered—every single thought I
had was second-guessed-consequently, I had zero self-
esteem. I often used to wish the voices would be quiet, and I
always wondered if other people had this as well and if it
was common.
When I started to learn from you about taking every
thought captive to Christ and read about other people’s
experiences with these voices, I came to recognize them for
what they were, and I was able to make them leave.
That was an amazing and beautiful thing, to be fully quiet
in my mind after so many years of torment. I do not need to
explain further all the wonderful things that come with this
freedom of the mind; it is a blessing you seem to know well.1
RESISTING THE ENEMY

The answer is not to cast out a demon of homosexuality, a demon of

lust or a demon of alcoholism. That kind of simplistic thinking has
damaged the credibility of the Church and left the addict without a
complete answer. I have seen Christianity mocked on primetime
television by a parade of homosexuals and lesbians who have left the
Church because well-meaning Christians had tried to cast out of them
a demon of this or a demon of that. Don’t get me wrong. There is no
question that Satan is part of the problem, and his demons do tempt,
accuse and deceive us if we let them. They will take advantage of
any ground that we give to them.
Simply casting a demon out of someone doesn’t take into
consideration all the other dimensions of reality, and I personally don’t
think that it is the best method for resolving spiritual conflicts.
Defeated Christians are like a house filled with garbage—the trash
hasn’t been taken out in months and things have been spilled without
being cleaned up. It attracts a lot of flies. We can study the flight
pattern of all the flies, determine who their commander in chief is and
get the name and rank of every fly, but that will not resolve the
problem. Even if we manage to chase them off, they will come right
back. We have to get rid of the garbage. Repentance and faith in God
has been and will continue to be the answer. We do this by submitting
to God and resisting the devil (see Jas. 4:7). If we try to resist the
devil without first submitting to God, we will have a dogfight. We can
submit to God and not resist the devil, but we will stay in bondage. It
is a tragedy that most recovery programs aren’t doing either one.
Paul admonished us to put on the armor of God (see Eph. 6:10-
18). The belt of truth defends us against the father of lies. The
breastplate of righteousness is our protection against the accuser of
the brethren. Then Paul summarized by saying, “In addition to all,
tak[e] up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all
the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). The “flaming
missiles” are just tempting, accusing and deceptive thoughts that
everybody has to deal with. Healthy Christians don’t pay attention to
them. We know the truth and we choose to believe it. What happens
if we don’t take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? If
we entertain such thoughts, we will develop strongholds in the mind,
lustful habits and emotional attachments.
Don’t assume that all disturbing thoughts are from Satan. Whether
a thought came from the television set, the memory bank, the pit or
the imagination doesn’t matter in one sense, because the answer is
the same. We have to choose to think the truth. We could try to
analyze the source of every thought, but that wouldn’t resolve the
problem. We would only be caught up in our own subjective maze.
Too much time is spent in the paralysis of analysis. Providing a
brilliant analysis of addictive behaviors and telling people why they
suffer from those addictions don’t solve the problem.
FINDING HOPE FOR OUR FREEDOM

In order for people to find their freedom in Christ, they must assume
responsibility for their own attitudes and actions. We can’t forgive for
them, renounce for them or think for them. It is every individual’s
responsibility to submit to God and to resist the devil. The role of the
pastor or counselor is explained in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NIV):

The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be

kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who
oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will
grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
and that they will come to their senses and escape from the
trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
This is not a power model; it is a kind, patient and able-to-teach
model. It clearly shows that the Lord is the One who grants
repentance and sets us free. It also reveals that the battle is in the
mind, and that is why truth sets the captives free—provided the
people under bondage know the truth and choose to believe it.
Can we tear down mental strongholds? Yes, we can. If we have
been trained in the wrong way, we can be retrained. If our mind has
been programmed wrongly, it can be reprogrammed. If we learned
something the wrong way, we can learn to do it the right way. If we
believed a lie, we can decide to renounce the lie and choose to
believe the truth. However, it will take the rest of our lives to renew
our mind and mature in Christ. Our mind will never be fully renewed,
and our character will always fall short of perfection, but that is still
our pursuit. The growth process will be stopped, however, if we have
not resolved our personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine
repentance and faith in God. Those living in bondage go from book to
book, program to program, pastor to pastor and counselor to
counselor; but nothing seems to work. They can’t grow, because they
are chained to the past. They have unresolved issues between
themselves and God, which are keeping them from experiencing His
grace; and they are being distracted and deceived by the father of
lies.
 When I was a young Christian, I decided to clean up my mind.
When I made that decision, did the battle get easier or harder? It got
harder, of course. Temptation isn’t much of a battle if we easily give in
to it. It is fierce when we decide to stand against it. I didn’t become a
Christian until I was in my 20s, even though I had gone to church all
of my life. I had a good moral upbringing, for which I am thankful; but
after spending four years in the United States Navy, my mind had
been exposed to a lot of junk. I didn’t drink during my first two years
in the military. Then I started to join my friends. Fortunately, I didn’t
drink long enough or often enough to establish a habit, but I had seen
a lot of pornography, which was a problem. After one look, images
would dance in my mind for months and years. I hated it. I struggled
every time I went to a place where pornography was available. I
finally got the victory. Let me share how.
Think of the mind as a coffeepot. We desire the water inside to be
pure, but unfortunately, we have added some coffee grounds. There
is no way to filter out the coffee once it has been added, so the water
inside is dark and polluted. Sitting beside the coffeepot is a huge bowl
of crystal-clear ice, which represents the Word of God. We are only
able to put in one or two cubes a day, so it may seem a little futile at
first. But over the course of time, the water begins to look less
polluted, and we can hardly taste or smell the presence of the coffee.
The process works, provided we stop adding more coffee grounds.
For most people, this process of winning the battle for their mind
will initially be two steps forward and one step back. With persistence
it becomes three steps forward and one back, and then four and five
steps forward, as we learn to take every thought captive in obedience
to Christ. We may despair with all the steps back, but God isn’t going
to give up on us.
Remember, our sins are already forgiven. We only need to keep living
by faith and taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ. That
means we don’t think on anything but that which is true. This is a
winnable war since we are already alive in Christ and dead to sin.
Christ has already won the greater battle. Freedom to be all God has
called us to be is the greatest blessing in this present life. This
freedom is worth the fight. As we learn more about who we are as
children of God and the nature of the battle for our mind, the process
gets easier. Eventually it will be 20 steps forward and one back, and
finally the steps are all forward with only an occasional slip in the
battle for the mind.
Paul wrote, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as
members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”
(Col. 3:15, NIV). How we do that is explained in the next verse: “Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (NIV). We have to fill our mind
with the crystal-clear Word of God; there is no alternative plan. Just
trying to stop thinking bad thoughts won’t work. Rebuking all those
tempting, accusing and deceiving thoughts will not work. We are only
treading water if that is what we’re doing, and we will make no
progress toward recovery.

WE OVERCOME THE FATHER OF

LIES BY CHOOSING THE TRUTH!
We would be like a person in the middle of a lake who is treading
water and trying to keep 12 corks submerged with a small hammer.
What should we do? We should ignore the stupid corks and swim to
shore. We are not called to dispel the darkness; rather, we are called
to turn on the light.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living

according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not
let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your words
in my heart that I might not sin against you (Ps. 119:9-11,
NIV).
We overcome the father of lies by choosing the truth!
There is a peace of God that surpasses all comprehension and
guards our hearts and our minds (noema) in Christ Jesus (see Phil.
4:7).

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if
anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these
things. The things you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace
shall be with you (Phil. 4:8-9).
 We can swim to shore if we are experiencing our freedom in Christ.
If we have a lot of unresolved conflicts, however, we are just treading
water and will eventually sink. In the epilogue that follows, I will
demonstrate how resolving personal and spiritual conflicts leads to
freedom. Before we get to that, I’d like to share this closing testimony
from a missionary who was sinking fast. This person’s story illustrates
the freedom that comes through genuine repentance. She was
seeing her psychologist, psychiatrist and pastor once a week just to
hold her life together. I had the privilege to meet with her one Friday
afternoon and take her through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Two
months later, she sent me this letter:

I would like to share an entry I made in my journal Sunday

night after our meeting on Friday.
Since Friday afternoon I have felt like a different person. The
fits of rage and anger are gone. My spirit is so calm and full
of joy ... I wake up singing praise to God in my heart. That
edge of tension and irritation is gone. The Bible has been
really exciting, stimulating and more understandable than
ever before. There was nothing dramatic that happened
during the session on Friday with Neil, yet I know in the
deepest part of my being that something has changed. I am
no longer bound by accusations, doubts and thoughts of
suicide or murder or other harm that came straight from hell
into my head. There is serenity in my mind and spirit, clarity
of consciousness that is profound.
I’m excited and expectant about my future now. I know
that I’ll be growing spiritually again, and will be developing in
other ways as well. I look forward happily to the discovery of
the person God has created and redeemed, as well as the
transformation of my marriage. It is so wonderful to have joy
after so long a darkness.
It has been over two months since I wrote that, and I’m firmly
convinced of the significant benefits of your ministry. I’ve been in
therapy for months, but there is no comparison with the steps I am
able to make now. Not only is my spirit more serene, my head is
actually clearer. It is easier to make connections and integrate things
now. It seems like everything is easier to understand now.2
GOING DEEPER

1. How does what we think about ourselves affect who we

are?
2. Have you struggled with a spiritual battle in your mind?
How has this affected your ability to overcome your
addiction(s)?
3. Why is it not enough to simply cast out a demon of lust,
homosexuality or alcoholism?
4. How can we tear down mental strongholds?
Notes

1 E-mail written to Neil Anderson at Freedom in Christ Ministries.

2 Letter written to Neil Anderson at Freedom in Christ Ministries.

EPILOGUE

For 15 years, Freedom in Christ Ministries has been helping people

all over the world resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through
genuine repentance and faith in God. The discipleship tool we use is
entitled “The Steps to Freedom in Christ.” The Steps can be
purchased from our office or from any Christian bookstore. Many
Christians can work through the process on their own. However,
some cannot and need the help of a godly pastor or counselor. To
know how to minister the Steps, read Neil’s book entitled Discipleship
Counseling (Regal Books, 2003).
Helping Christians find their freedom in Christ requires a wholistic
answer, which takes into account the reality of the spiritual world. We
have to submit to God and resist the devil (see Jas. 4:7). It also
requires an understanding of and intentional inclusion of Christ and
the Holy Spirit in the process. God is the wonderful counselor and the
great physician. Only He can bind up the brokenhearted and set the
captives free. He is the one who grants “repentance leading to the
knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25).
Research has been conducted on this discipleship counseling
process in several churches in conjunction with our Living Free in
Christ conference. The participants were those who requested further
assistance after hearing the message—much of which is included in
this book—at the conference. They were given one extended
counseling session with a trained encourager. They took a pretest
before their counseling session and a posttest three months later.
The results showed the following:
• 57% improvement in depression
• 54% improvement in anxiety
• 49% improvement in fear
• 55% improvement in anger
• 50% improvement in tormenting thoughts
• 53% improvement in negative habits
• 56% improvement in self-image
 We are not sharing these results to establish confidence in our
ministry. The reason this process is so effective is not because we
are wonderful counselors. Actually, trained lay encouragers did all the
counseling for the purpose of this research. It was effective because
the Lord was the One who set these people free. Christians bond with
their loving heavenly Father after they have resolved their personal
and spiritual conflicts, and the Holy Spirit bears witness with their
spirit that they are children of God. Every testimony you read in this
book is a product of this discipleship counseling process. You, too,
can find your freedom in Christ through genuine repentance and faith
in God. When you do, your Bible will come alive, and you will grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May
the good Lord grant you that repentance.
The following page can be cut out for your use. On one side is a
description of who you are in Christ. The other side is “The
Overcomer’s Covenant in Christ.” They are tools that you can use to
remind yourself of who you are in Christ and the victory you have
over sin.

For resources and conferences information contact:

Freedom In Christ Ministries
9051 Executive Park Drive, Suite 503
Knoxville, Tennessee 37923
Phone: (865) 342-4000
Fax: (865) 342-4001
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ficm.org
 WHO I AM IN CHRIST
I AM ACCEPTED

I AM SECURE

I AM SIGNIFICANT
THE OVERCOMER’S COVENANT IN CHRIST
1. I place all my trust and confidence in the Lord, I put no
confidence in the flesh, and I declare myself to be
dependent upon God.
2. I consciously and deliberately choose to submit to God
and resist the devil by denying myself, picking up my cross
daily and following Jesus.
3. I choose to humble myself before the mighty hand of God
in order that He may exalt me at the proper time.
4. I declare the truth that I am dead to sin, freed from it and
alive to God in Christ Jesus, since I have died with Christ
and was raised with Him.
5. I gladly embrace the truth that I am now a child of God
who is unconditionally loved and accepted. I reject the lie
that I have to perform to be accepted, and I reject my fallen
and natural identity, which was derived from the world.
6. I declare that sin shall no longer be master over me
because I am not under the Law but under grace, and there
is no more guilt or condemnation because I am spiritually
alive in Christ Jesus.
7. I renounce every unrighteous use of my body, and I
commit myself to no longer be conformed to this world but
rather to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I
choose to believe the truth and walk in it, regardless of my
feelings or circumstances.
8. I commit myself to take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ, and I choose to think upon that which is
true, honorable, right, pure and lovely.
9. I commit myself to God’s great goal for my life to conform
to His image. I know that I will face many trials, but God has
given me the victory and I am not a victim but an overcomer
in Christ.
10. I choose to adopt the attitude of Christ, which was to do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility
of mind I will regard others as more important than myself. I
will not merely look out for my own personal interests but
also the interests of others. I know that it is more blessed to
give than to receive.
 Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
NOTE TO THE READER
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 - WHY DO WE DO IT?
PARTYING PROBLEMS AWAY
STOPPING THE PAIN
UNDERSTANDING THE REAL PROBLEM
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 2 - THE PATH TO ADDICTION
TRACING THE STEPS TO DEFILEMENT
SPIRALING INTO ADDICTION
EXAMINING YOUR HABITS
ADMITTING THE PROBLEM
ELIMINATING CODEPENDENCY
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 3 - THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF ALL ADDICTIONS
BACKING UP TO THE BEGINNING
EXPOSING THE TRUTH
OVERCOMING A FALLEN WORLD
LOOKING FOR LASTING ANSWERS
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 4 - THE GOOD NEWS
CONSIDERING THE ENTIRE GOSPEL
DISCOVERING CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST
IDENTIFYING OURSELVES AS CHILDREN OF GOD
WORKING THE 12-STEP PROGRAM
EMBRACING THE GOOD NEWS
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 5 - VICTORY OVER SIN
MAKING CHOICES
EMBRACING FREEDOM IN CHRIST
EXAMINING THE TRUTH
CHOOSING TO BELIEVE THE TRUTH
 COUNTING OURSELVES DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE TO
GOD
FINDING VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 6 - THE WAR IN OUR MEMBERS
GLORIFYING GOD IN OUR BODY
BREAKING SEXUAL (AND OTHER TYPES OF) BONDAGE
BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 7 - SEPARATING OURSELVES FROM SIN
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 8 - HOW MENTAL STRONGHOLDS ARE FORMED
REPROGRAMMING OUR MINDS
UNDERSTANDING HOW STRONGHOLDS DEVELOP
STANDING AGAINST TEMPTATION
CORRELATING THE OUTER PERSON WITH THE INNER
PERSON
IDENTIFYING THE CAUSES OF SEVERAL
STRONGHOLDS
GOING DEEPER
CHAPTER 9 - TEARING DOWN STRONGHOLDS
RECEIVING MIXED MESSAGES
RECOGNIZING THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE
RESISTING THE ENEMY
FINDING HOPE FOR OUR FREEDOM
GOING DEEPER
WHO I AM IN CHRIST
THE OVERCOMER’S COVENANT IN CHRIST