Pointing Out the Path to Freedom

Given the broad range of addictions, it’s likely that you will either know or be an addict. If you depend on anything more than you do on God, that’s at best addiction and at worst idolatry. Think about how God loves you and has better plans for you than you can even imagine, and seek help.

And when you reach out to a person with an addiction, use the acronym LOVE as a guide:

L—Listen. Get to know them on a personal level. Don’t offer any advice until you’ve listened. Don’t be the person who wants to tell them how to “get fixed” before you find out how they got broken.

O—Offer support. Let the struggler know you are available to pray, wrestle with the issues, and stand with them through all the ups and downs of recovery from addiction. As a representative of Christ, offer them a chance to hear the gospel and respond, even if it’s with what appears to be a weak faith.

V—Voice God’s truth. Don’t be embarrassed by the promises and prohibitions of the Scriptures. Find out what God has to say in His Word about breaking free of the world, and speak openly about it. Certainly, the heart of the gospel is love. Let your hearer know that though God accepts us just as we are, He loves us too much to leave us that way.

E—Esteem. All people deserve some level of respect simply because they have been made in the image of God, however marred that image may be. That doesn’t mean you must agree with them or support their activities, but it means that you voice and show your respect as a living testimony that you belong to Christ.

Jesus loves addicts. Will you? And if you’re struggling with an addiction, will you love Jesus and commit to follow Him? No one else can offer you the freedom He has for you.

A Good Addiction

One final thought: God’s Word speaks of one type of addiction positively. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he mentioned how the household of Stephanas had “devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15). In the King James Version, devoted is translated addicted. The Greek word is tássō, meaning to place in a certain order.

The idea is that their priorities were God’s priorities; they were addicted to doing His will—filling the God-shaped hole in their heart with God. Will you commit to doing the same?

For Further Thought

Have you had an opportunity to practice the acronym LOVE? If so, what did God show you through that situation? If not, are you willing to commit it to memory and put it into practice the next chance you get?

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