Have you ever struggled with an addiction that you couldn’t seem to just shake off? Something that maybe started as a joke but it soon became a stronghold that you would give anything to get free from? Worldly addictions is a concept that as believers, are a bit hesitant to talk about. Yet our hesitation does not negate the fact that at some point, we have found ourselves struggling with one addiction or the other. So, how do you navigate these worldly addictions?
Where do addictions come from?
To understand an addiction, it is essential to understand where it came from first.
We call Satan the Father of Lies. Perhaps here we can also call him the Father of all worldly addictions, huh?
Worldly addictions can be traced back to the devil. Remember the time when the devil was an exalted cherub? Isaiah 14 gives us an idea of who Lucifer was before the fall:
Isaiah 14:12 NIV
How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[a]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High
There is nothing that God created that was not perfect. Even Lucifer was made perfect. It is not until he thought he can now become like God that he fell.
Where is my victory from worldly addictions?
Have you ever found yourself asking this question, “If Jesus died and paid for our victory, how is it then that we do not access that victory as God desires?”
Satan is the reason why at times, we do not get to enjoy the victory that has already been wrought for us by our Lord and Savior. There are areas as a believer, where you realize that you do not exercise dominion as you have been called to. This is because the devil knows something you do not know and he comes up with weapons and trials to ensure you do not gain victory in that area.
As a believer, we are not called to be obsessed with the enemy. However, we are called not to be ignorant of the enemy and his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV
Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
The devil will take advantage of you if you are ignorant of his devices. The enemy may introduce an addiction into your life since he knows that struggling in that particular area will mess up with God’s purpose for your life.
What is the main agenda of the enemy?
What does the enemy want with your life? Why is he so interested in it?
The enemy wants to have trans-generational allegiance and total dominance over the saints.
The manifesto of the satanic kingdom is to fight and completely frustrate the plans and purposes of God from prevailing over the lives of people.
Have you ever seen someone who was a rising star? Doing so well for themselves and sometimes even for the family and community only for their lives to be suddenly cut short? That is the enemy fighting and frustrating God’s plan over that person’s life.
The enemy does not mind, he will use any means to assert dominance over you. It can be death, poverty, disease, depression, or even an addiction. In his kingdom, the end justifies the means.
The enemy using worldly addictions
Addiction is just a drop of what the enemy is seeking to do. Have you ever seen this pattern, where an alcohol addiction can be traced back to the great-great-great-grandfather? That is proof of the enemy’s goal and reach in that family.
Weapons that the enemy uses against us
Ignorance
One of the ways that we give access to the enemy is through ignorance.
Hosea 4:6 KJV
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
When you do not know the weapon that has been availed for you to handle the enemy, you will not know how to fight. This is why God does not want us to be ignorant. He does not want us to watch helplessly as the enemy destroys our live
s and those of our lineage.
Now that we know one of the weapons that the enemy uses against us is ignorance, we can learn how to disarm him, right?
As a believer, there is a need for you to become a spiritual archeologist. You need to comb through that bible of yours and increase your knowledge of God. Knowing God for yourself will help you learn how to fight the enemy. It will also help you learn not to hold on too tight to religious things that are not really biblical. When it comes to a gunfight, having a fake knife will get you killed faster than anything else. Becoming a spiritual archaeologist will help you ensure that you present yourself to the battleground armed with the right weapon.
Disobedience and rebellion
What makes us to rely on God is:
- His integrity. Ability to keep what He says. The ability not to lie. God has no shortcomings. And for this reason, we can trust His integrity.
- His ability (power). We can trust in God’s absolute power. Anything that He says becomes reality. Therefore, we can trust His power because we know that there is nothing that is impossible with Him.
Covenants
A covenant is powered by an altar. An altar is a physical or spiritual thing where there. Altars are quite powerful and obedient to the latter. For instance, if there has been established an altar in Nairobi that says your destiny should be hijacked, even if you run to South Africa, that altar will follow you there since it is not limited by geographical location.
Most of the families have this saying, “it is always in our family.” It could be a sickness or an addiction or an unexplained event that always happens in a particular plan. Our ancestors unknowingly got into covenants that have now become a nuisance to their lineage since altars do not die just because someone died. Altars are powered by operated by spirits, which is why they outlive the men who work them. Just because you do not know that there is an altar active in your family does not mean that it will not work. As a believer, you should not say ignorantly as other people do, “It is always in our family.” Ignorance has no defense. This is why you need to understand the happenings in your life and family so that you can fight and fight correctly.
Everything is laid bare in the spirit. This means that what a diviner will see in the spirit is what a prophet will see. Do you know what this means? Just because someone tells you they saw something does not automatically mean they are of God.
Ecclesiastes 5:6 NKJV
Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?
As a believer, you should never downplay the significance of an altar, especially if it can work against you. Do not even jokingly engage with an altar. The spiritual world does not know jokes.
James 2: 26 NKJV
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
There is always a spirit that is working behind the actions that we see. This means that while we physically see an addiction wreaking havoc in someone’s life, what we do not see is the spirit powering that addiction.
For example, if you obey the principle of work, but your work does not seem to bear any fruits, then it means there is something else working behind the scenes. A pattern is not just a pattern, there is always an altar (positive or negative) responsible for the pattern. What are some of the patterns that you have noticed in your life or family?
Deception as the devil’s tool
One of the main tools that the devil uses against God’s people is deception. Someone can only deceive you if they already know the truth and you don’t. The enemy knows that God’s plan for us is to thrive and continue shining brighter and brighter. This is why he will use all means necessary, even good things to fight you.
Proverbs 4:18-22 ESV
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The enemy will frustrate you at times just so that you cannot see God. Have you seen people who can no longer step inside a church because they were hurt in the church? That is still the enemy using a good thing (church and church folk) to hurt someone so that such a person is left without a covering.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
It is the will of the Father for believers to dwell together in unity. Satan knows this, which is why he will sometimes introduce offense and isolate you, leaving you defenseless.
If the enemy cannot tempt you with lies, greed, immorality, or other negative vices, he will use something good against you. This is why as a believer, you should never forsake the fellowship of the brethren. Do not isolate yourself regardless of what is going on in your life. Do not give the enemy an opportunity to mess with you.
Altar of Calvary
Altars are powerful. But there is no altar that is as powerful as the altar of Calvary. On the cross, Jesus said it is finished. Victory has already been wrought for us. Power is available. Knowing that the price has been paid gives you the courage since you now know that are operating from a place of victory. When it comes to spiritual warfare, you fight from a point of victory. You contend with Satan knowing that victory has already been won for you.
It’s getting hot in here. Let’s pick it up from here next week, alright?
Say this prayer with me:
Father, thank you for this teaching. Thank you for your work in my life. In light of your word, I connect my life and everything concerning my life and my family to the altar of Calvary. As Jesus spoke on the cross and said it is finished, so do I declare over everything that has been out of alignment in my life and family. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your precious blood, oh Jesus.
In Jesus name do I pray.
Amen!