"Freedom From Addiction"
by Mercend (Cindy) Moore
In 1998, I found myself in the position of being addicted to gambling. I remember sitting in the casino playing my last $20.00 of a $700.00 dollar paycheck when I noticed that I could no longer hear any of the noise around me. There was complete silence. Then I heard the voice. I met the Lord at a young age but I didn't know him and I was as lost as possible at that moment. He simply asked "Do you love this more than me?" My answer was "No but I can't stop myself. I need help."
About a week later, I was directed to a church just down the street from my apartment. There was a support group that dealt with addictions and my new pastor asked me to attend. That is where I met Tim Austin, the brother in the Lord that taught me how to stay free from addiction. It is his revelation and teaching that I am repeating for you here.
2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 says " For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," These two verses are the plan to stay free from addiction. An addiction is a stronghold. Notice in the verse that it says that strongholds have to be pulled down. That means that it has control of you like a collar on a dog. You can go for a little way and then the owner (Satan) can pull you back. The only way to freedom is to have the anointing of Jesus come in and break that collar off of you. You have to have help. What can you do before it gets to that point? How can you stay free from the addiction?
Let's back up and talk about how a stronghold comes to be. The first step is a thought. The very last line gives us the answer on how to avoid that. "Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." Think about what you are thinking about. For example, an alcoholic will think man I would love to have a drink right now. At that point the believer has to stop and say Jesus, this thought is not really mine. I am bringing it captive to you. You have control over my want. If they do not then the thought progresses to the next step.
In the next step, the thought becomes a vain imagination that has set itself up against the knowledge of God. At this point an alcoholic will see in their mind where to get a drink. A gambler will see where to go gamble. This one is a little more serious because now this want is on a pedestal just like an idol. You can taste it and see it so to speak. It has to be cast down. (I like to picture something like what we saw with Saddam's statue. There is a rope around its neck and it comes crashing to the ground and breaks in pieces.) For the believer, something like this should be the response... Jesus I am choosing as an act of my will to pull down this vain imagination. It has set itself up against the knowledge of God. I choose to walk in freedom from this addiction. Again if this step is not done, then the addiction progresses to the next level....a stronghold.
A strong hold has a strong hold on you. You are no longer in control and you cannot free yourself. The alcoholic might go a few days without drinking, but anytime Satan wants he can jerk on the chain and drinks follow. This strong hold can only be broken by something and someone stronger than Satan. I like to picture a city sitting on a mountain over looking all the events in my life. No matter what I do I cannot destroy the city. So I call on Jesus and as the anointing hits the city, the walls explode into thousands of little pieces. There is nothing left of the strong hold. It is now my job to make sure that the city is never rebuilt. I have been doing that for 7 years now! Jesus and His anointing is the only way to pull down a stronghold.
1st take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
2nd cast down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
3rd (if it gets this far) pull down strongholds
