I’ve heard and come across many people who were addicted to drugs. And though I’ve never done a hard drug in my life and have NO IDEA what that’s like (selling nearly all you have just for that one “fix” or “hit”), I HAVE struggled (and overcome) OTHER “addictions” in my life.

Drug addiction can honestly be compared to several other addictions like sex, alcohol, porn, food, smoking, shopping, Youtube, masturbating, Netflix, sugary drinks/soda, videogames, gambling, etc. Why? Because the physiological effects are the same! These addictions “reward” the “pleasure center” of the brain and after the brain develops a “tolerance level” to it, it needs more and more and more just to be able to feel the same “pleasure” (high levels of dopamine/endorphins release).

After awhile, the body (and brain) becomes SO used to these “addictions”, that the physical body suffers severe withdrawals if said thing is not had (though drug and alcohol withdrawals are the MOST intense out of ANY of the “addictions” mentioned). But HERE is where the lies of Satan and his demons come in (as a whole): THEY are the ones lying to you in your MIND, saying things like, “You better have more of this addiction right now, or else you’ll DIE!” [And yes, some people who starve themselves COMPLETELY of their “addiction” — during a SEVERE drug/alcohol withdrawal symptom/s — DO die, but that’s a different post for a different day].

Lets say you have a food, sex, porn, or soda addiction, for example. Your body gets SO used to it, that it almost feels like DEATH the moment you try to DEPRIVE yourself of said thing or things. You might even feel like you’re gonna pass out and die if you don’t have it – whatever the “addiction” may be. Your brain says, “I NEED IT! I NEED IT!” While your physical body CRAVES IT! But you have to understand that the ROOT CAUSE of the addiction is not so much PHYSICAL as it is SPIRITUAL! For the true “root” of the addiction problem comes from Satan and his demons “tricking you” into thinking that you NEED that thing/s when you DON’T! 

So what do you DO, in that instance? Answer: Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus/Yeshua, in all spirit and all truth! And don’t just call out to him half-heartedly! Call out to him FROM THE DEPTHS OF YOUR BEING! Call out to him from the pure depths of your MIND, HEART, BODY AND SPIRIT! Tell him how long you’ve struggled with said addiction! Tell him you’re tired of said addiction and that you’d rather own IT, in his great heavenly name, instead of IT owning YOU! And then……..HAVE THE FAITH THAT HE’LL DELIVER YOU FROM SAID ADDICTION(S) AND HE **WILL**, MARK MY WORDS! 

For years and years and years and years and YEARS, I struggled with a SEVERE soda pop addiction! I know that might sound *laughably funny* to SOME, but I’m DEAD SERIOUS! The psychological/physiological effects I suffered from soda pop withdrawal was probably not much different from what an alcoholic suffers when they can’t have their alcohol or when a crack addict can’t have their crack. It was THAT bad.

I would get these TERRIBLE HEAD-SPLITTING MIGRAINE HEADACHES that felt like my head was being crushed AND aggressively pulled apart on each “temple area” on the sides of my head and also behind BOTH EYES! (Not to mention I’d also feel EXTREMELY NAUSEOUS and I’d feel pain from my head to my stomach!) And these headaches would hurt SO BAD, that I’d CRY and moan in AGONY for HOURS! (Even drinking caffeine or taking actual headache medicine didn’t seem to help either, usually!) 

And if people that hadn’t known me saw me, they probably would’ve thought I was going through some type of SEVERE alcohol/drug withdrawal, instead of mere soda pop withdrawal. {What the HECK do they put in those soda pops on the market today, anyways? I wonder if it was the “phenylalaline” ingredient that did that to me? Because I know they put that ingredient in Diet AND Regular sodas……}

However, that was only when I experienced severe withdrawals from having no soda pop [like, when I was younger and my parents refused to buy any or when I was older and forgot to get some at the store and ran out of it, etc]. As long as I had atleast ONE soda pop a day (be it Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, whatever), I was usually fine. But even WITH drinking the soda pop once a day, I’d sometimes STILL get the *withdrawal symptoms* that I’d get when I’d have NONE (Weird, huh?), and again, the process would sometimes start all over again……the head-splitting headaches, the pain, the nausea…..

When I was about 25 or so, I FINALLY discovered a migraine medication that actually WORKED (which was Exedrin migraine). It would knock out my migraines in 15 minutes flat and would help me to go about my day, whenever I started to get a headache or a migraine. However, keeping around a constant supply of Exedrin migraine pills then became a “hazard” for me (spiritually AND physically) because it actually allowed me to dwelve deeper and deeper into my soda pop addiction. It was then that I started drinking 2, sometimes as much as 3 Dr. Peppers or Cokes a day. It became an OUT-OF-CONTROL addiction. And I started gaining weight, as a result.

I still read my bible and prayed at this time and the Lord was showing me so much through his written word in the bible. But I still hadn’t fully understood at around age 20 what I do, NOW: In order to feed THE SPIRIT, we must STARVE the flesh! Because if we FEED THE FLESH/BODY, we are STARVING THE SPIRIT! And if we are starving the spirit in ANY type of way, we are giving heed to SIN! In other words, at around age 20, I was still controlled by my LUSTS (my lust for food, my lust for soda pop, and the occasional lust for the opposite sex).

And it wasn’t really until the end of last year or beginning of this year that I was FINALLY able to permanently BREAK FREE from my soda pop addiction……..the thing that had held me physically and spiritually captive FOR YEARS! “How did you do it?”, some might ask. Answer: Two things! Through the help of the Lord God Almighty and something called Hint bottled water! (Hint bottled water can be ordered at: http://www.drinkhint.com). In other words, the Lord God Almighty (atleast in MY life, anyways) utilized Hint bottled water in order to help ME break my soda pop addiction FOR GOOD! Plus (as a whole) I no longer get the nausea and migraine head-aches that used to come with it! I feel so blessed! 🙂

And now, if I try to drink a soda (even a diet one), it tastes WAY TOO SWEET! (Glory be to God!) Therefore, the Lord has successfully delivered me from THREE addictions last year: lust, alcohol and soda pop! 

The Devil is SO GOOD at telling people LIES: “You’re biologically programmed to be attracted to the opposite sex, might as well act on it”, “there’s nothing wrong with masturbation or porn viewing”, “there’s nothing wrong with drinking sugary soft drinks all day”, “there’s nothing wrong with over-eating!”, “there’s nothing wrong with getting an abortion or being an active homosexual”, “there’s nothing wrong with not reading the bible or not believing in the bible”, “there’s nothing wrong with getting high/doing drugs”, etc.

Basically, his LIE starts out with the 4 words: “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ________”. Now think about that. TRULY think about that for awhile. If there was “nothing wrong” with _________, then why is the bible so AGAINST it? Ask yourselves that, folks!

The sad thing with people with addictions is that they feel so hopeless and as if they have “no way out”. But ya know what? According to Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”. Therefore, we know from this passage that Satan HAS ALREADY BEEN DEFEATED (in the Lord’s future timeline) and is nothing more than a DEFEATED FOE!

So when you hear that little voice in your head that says things like, “You’re gonna get a headache if you don’t drink a soda pop today”, “If you go gambling, you’ll make more money”, “If you get high, it’ll be the best high you’ve ever experienced”, “If you have an affair on your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, nobody will EVER know”, “you better have some alcohol or you’ll die”, “there’s nothing wrong with porn viewing and/or masturbation, go for it“, IGNORE IT! For that’s the voice of the DEVIL and/or his demons talking to you, trying to get you to do things that go AGAINST the Word of God! [Please remember that the Word of God is Jesus Christ Almighty HIMSELF and that the bible is considered the WRITTEN Word of God!]

Philippians 4:13 is one of the most beautiful pieces of scripture for it says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. Wow. SO TRUE, people of God! SO TRUE! Each and every time I feel tempted with something, I think about those words and apply them to my life.

Another passage that gives me strength in time of trials/temptations is Isaiah 54:17 which states: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord”.

So I’ve told you all how I got delivered from soda pop addiction. I went from drinking 2-4 caffeinated, sugary sodas A DAY to now only drinking ONE can or HALF a can of non-caffeinated soda (if that) every Shabbat/Sabbath (Saturday) for my “Shabbat wine” since I don’t really like to drink alcohol OR soda anymore (as a whole).

And yes, I will sometimes drink a can or two of 7-Up every great once in awhile when I’m not feeling good/have a cold or have an occasional Strawberry Welch’s/Diet soda (like, maybe once a month or every other month or so, if that). But that is nowhere NEAR the ungodly amounts of soda I used to drink every single day, when my soda addiction was still going strong. And sometimes, even the tiniest bit of soda I DO drink tastes too sweet for me. So perhaps I might have to switch to tea or water for my “shabbat wine” from now on. Anyways……….

Some of you are probably wondering what I meant about my lust addiction, what all it entailed and how I got delivered from it. Well, the truth is, I hardly ever lusted or watched porn and that sort’ve thing when I was around age 20 or so. But every great, great once in awhile when I DID, it became addicting and out of control! More like “binge porn”, if you will.

And finally one day, I realized something. Most of the people in the porn business (be they male or female) were sexually abused as a child. So when you watch those people in actual sex acts, it’s like you’re watching that child (as an adult) get visually sexually abused all over again. In fact, the Lord showed me visions/mental images of many of those porn stars as children, fearfully crying as they were being sexually abused by their relative or a stranger! And it made my heart absolutely DISGUSTED at porn watching and I just couldn’t watch it anymore! I prayed to the Lord to remove ALL porn viewing from my heart and he did!

That was YEARS AGO and I still hold the same view, TODAY! Porn watching is WRONG! It not only destroys the mind, heart, body and spirit but it destroys relationships and marriages, it has MANY bad long-term psychological effects on the people who view it (such as a reduction of brain cells, according to several scientific studies……but again, why is that surprising?), it makes men disrespect women and women “objectify” men, etc. 

But in fact, the Lord’s now got it to the point in my life where now I can look at a guy and think he’s attractive without wanting to do anything with him physically (as a whole). And yes, I might still have a “lustful thought” from time to time (I’m only human), but I know in my heart and soul that the Lord’s gonna find a way to deliver me out of such things if/when I do and that fact alone pisses the Devil off! Because I know the Devil’s wanting and hoping that I’ll fall back into lust and soda pop addiction again but alas, those things will NEVER HAPPEN, MARK MY WORDS!

Again, the devil becomes SO ANGRY whenever I won’t give in to “temptations”. I know it is a time of “testing” and the Lord’s “refining” in my life. And I am okay with that. Because I know in the end that I will pass nearly every test, for the most part! And I know that if there’s ever a time I fail at such “tests”, that the Lord can help me pick myself up, dust myself off, repent and truly start living for him again once more! For I know as a FACT that it was the Lord of the bible who delivered me from such things (as a whole!) The same Lord that plagued Egypt, parted the Red Sea, closed the mouths of lions and much, much more! 

I KNOW it was THE LORD who spiritually delivered me from such UNGODLY THINGS and it’s the Lord of the bible and ALL creation that I’d like to PRAISE HIGHLY! 

Because I KNOW as a fact that I wasn’t spiritually delivered from these things alone/of my own accord and that the Lord had HIS mighty hand in all of this! There’s no doubt in my mind, WHATSOEVER! GLORY BE TO HIS GREAT, MIGHTY, HEAVENLY NAME! 😉

[On the other hand, women: BE FOREWARNED about today’s guys. And guys: be forewarned about today’s women. Whenever you date them, they WILL try to manipulative you for sex sooner or later. At first, it’s so subtle: they’ll make sexual comments about a movie scene they saw in a general movie or mention about a sexual comment one of their close friends had most recently made or tell a dirty joke, etc. 

And THEN, they’ll start with the common tagline, “But EVERYONE’S doing it……you’re gonna have quite a bit of trouble keeping a guy (if female) or a girl (if male) if you DON’T do it with him/her!” (Which implies said guy or said girl will leave you if you don’t have sex with THEM!) Oh well, just let that person leave you, in that case. They’re not worth it, in that scenario. For if they REALLY, TRULY loved you, sex would be the furthest thing from their mind, as they’d be far more focused on YOU and just merely enjoying being AROUND you and spending time with you and just merely having you in their presence!

And NO, not EVERY single straight guy (and ESPECIALLY straight female) is “doing it”. Some have strong religious convictions. Others tend to be on the Asexual side of the scale. So no, not EVERYONE is “doing it”, as it were. Although it’s probably true to say that VERY FEW are refraining from “doing it” (as a whole). However, if everyone were jumping off a cliff, would YOU do it, too? Just because there’s ALOT of people “doing something” doesn’t make it RIGHT, so remember that, folks!].    

But the point I wanted to make is THIS: If the Lord can deliver ME from MY past addictions, he can MOST CERTAINLY deliver YOU from YOURS! 😉

So why not call out to the Lord of all creation today? Why not call out to him with all your might (your mind, heart, body AND spirit) and TELL HIM how much you want to be spiritually delivered from all your addictions today!

But KNOW this: As soon as you TRY to break free from addictions in the Lord’s heavenly name, the Devil and his demons will fight you ALL ALONG THE WAY! So you gotta be STRONG! You gotta KEEP WITH IT! Don’t give up! Keep going! You CAN overcome it and you WILL overcome it! For if the Lord created the universe and the heavens, doesn’t it stand to reason that the Lord can help ANY one person on this Earth overcome any one THING or THINGS? Think about it, folks!

The Lord’s NOT gonna create the ENTIRE universe and the heavens, and then scratch his head in confusion over how to help a person overcome their addiction(s), am I right? 😉

But again, I’m not really sure why I share all this (all my personal struggles with addictions and overcoming them) but I hope this will help someone out there who’s struggling with some sort of addiction(s), be they great or small. 

And for another post on the subject of addictions, please read the following:

https://yeshua777.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/j/