How does all that come together?
The Power Of GOD over Addiction....
Had a question on the Internet (a couple years back) about a wife that caught her husband looking at lustful things, dirty pictures on the net and that caused a whole butch of problems.
Now another lady, realized she was a shopaholic, spent on her credit cards, and they controlled her. She couldn't stop, and loved every sale.
My son, taking high school math, hated it, and would refuse to study (or do it with anger) thinking he hated math.
My own Dad was an alcoholic, and they told him (years ago) that the only way he would quit, is when they buried him 6 feet under. (Today: My Dad is happy and hasn't touched a drink in 30 years, as JESUS alone keeps him well hydrated)
JESUS said: "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again!"
John 4:14
If you drink HIS water, you wont be thirsty. (for anything that controlls you)
If you drink HIS water, you wont need alcohol.
If you drink HIS water, you wont need porn.
If you drink HIS water, you wont spend, and waste money.
Starting to get it?
Drink in the TRUTH of JESUS and the LOVE actual un-conditonal LOVE that HE has for you.
This is what I wrote: (then to these 2 ladies who had these 2 problems)
GRACE teaches us to say: "no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (see Titus 2:11-12)
We don't do it, it teaches us! (not your responsibility to change).
GRACE comes only by revelation - its a gift, so it has nothing to do with us
'going to get it', our job is to receive it (by believing).
The LORD has literally taken away my Dad's drinking by GRACE my Dad has not touched alcohol for 30 years (JESUS keeps him well satisfied).
The LORD has taken out of me, anger and lust. I would punch holes in walls, swear,
fly of the handle etc... (GOD calls it a work of the sinful nature "fits of rage".) Galatians 5:20
That sinful nature is not you! (because you with GOD'S nature want JESUS) also
you can't stop it - Paul says you can't do what you want! Galatians 5:17
But GRACE comes only by revelation because its JESUS HIMSELF all we do is ask
and receive and we receive by believing - that's it!
I will give you another example. My oldest son when he was in grade 8, started
to struggle in math.
Now when he started grade 8 it was in a new school. So, he doesn't know anybody, we are in a new
town (that the LORD brought us to) and he is struggling and also starts failing math.
The teacher is calling us, wanting to keep us updated and naturally concerned.
Our son is really feeling super weak, uneasy, stupid, because of this impression that
new boy comes to new town, new school and is no good in math. The pressure of all that and the added pressure of what the other kids think? (the very ones he is trying to 'fit in with')
The final straw came when he got 9% on a math test! And angerly said "I hate math,
and my Math Teacher hates me too - I want to quit math!"
(Of course now he didn't even want to go to math class, and refused to talk about it, when we tried).
Then he had another math test coming up...
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How do you handle that?
Is there help from the LORD, for parents?
Is there help from the LORD for anyone?
Just like any other sin...take it to the LORD.
Believing HE changes hearts, its HIS problem not mine.
HERE is what we did. (actually what JESUS did).
We are around the kitchen table with him and his math book. My son
is not happy and can barely sit there for anger. (really fear working).
Knowing that is not the real him (showing anger) why? because
the JESUS inside him is wisdom, is loving, is good - not failing, stubborn, hostile!
My son doesn't want to fail and doesnt' want to live like that. (who does?).
Sound familiar?
This husband with this addiction, or this wife with a 'shoe shopping fetish',
or this one punching walls, or this one hating and failing math.
Is there a deliverer in the house?
We encouraged my son to pray - but our prayers are like this (no begging).
this is pretty much what he prayed (note we didn't pray it for him, he has seen
GOD do this before, and prayed alone - we agreeing).
"LORD, you know I hate math - can't stand it, I wish there were no such thing!
I don't want to study it, I don't even want to sit in the class, I can't pass it
and my math teacher hates me too. But can you change my heart, I am willing
for you to do your will - do it your way, because I can't"
That was it except we believe HE heard us and waited.
Within 5 minutes, my son wanted to study (not loving it yet, but as he
said GOD put a 'jolt of joy' in my heart and found the energy and joy in
looking at math to study again).
He re-did at home his math 9% math test and studied for almost 2 hours.
That has carried over, he has studied ever since (been 1 1/2 months so far).
He on his own, has gone to the teacher for extra help at lunch.
He also had the desire to ask his teacher 'math questions' too.
His math test that he was studying on? 70% Praise the LORD!
Great parenting? I think you know the answer to that!
I am not going to tell you he is a math wiz today, - not yet!
But what we've come to see in our family is that its just JESUS.
We've given up trying to do the Christian things and just found
ourselves at HIS feet, and that is where HE meets us.
When you experience HIS love, HE (not you) replaces that lust,
that wrong, that control of the sin nature - with HIS LOVE (HIMSELF).
You can't do it - but that is the trap most Christians are in, they
try to do it, try to live the Christian life.
Instead you are to believe so that you can receive.
Believe that HE loves you unconditionally - meaning there is nothing
you can do to adjust his love for you. Even when you are sinning, lost,
and losing it HE can't stop accepting you and loving you. When you are
at your worst, HE is drawing close to you and is ready to save!
When you give up all your effort - your struggles to be good Christians.
We used to think, (now its here I am probably going to offend some).
I'll put it this way:
As Christians we go to these special places (buildings)
we go on a special or holy days.
we read out of our holy book.
we listen to our leader/ explain holy things.
we give to support this good work.
we repeat the cycle throughout the years.
Every religion in the world does that!
They all have their holy books, holy places, holy times, holy people etc..
NOT TRUE CHRISTIANITY - is so much NOT like that!
Its about 1 person - JESUS and HE is interested big time in you.
I've mentioned in this forum before, but when I was dating I (like many of you) had love
letters from my wife (then my fiance). She had some from me as well, but I would
love to read them and couldn't wait to get them, because I wasn't around her as much as I wanted to be - it was a way of keeping close in a distant world.
But the Amazing Thing Happened! We got married, and all those love letters are in
some shoe box somewhere - never opened, never looked at.
Why?
Because I've got her, and she is so much better in person than on paper.
She is so much better when she is around me, then when she was far away.
I've really gotten to know her, now married and living 24/7 together then
when we dated and wrote a shoe box full of love letters.
That is exactly where many of us are folks, we are living on JESUS
love letters (and that's OK for a while) but HE is talking
marriage, union, dwelling (living together).
POWER and TRAINING to OVERCOME in this world.
