14 Jan De-Hooked – Learning to overcome addiction in your life PART 1

Everyone needs a hobby that can serve as a “mental getaway”. ..something they do that takes them away from the mental grind of everyday life.  Something peaceful and something safe. Like my hobby…shark fishing (I know, my wife thinks I have issues too)! I am aware this sounds funny but I thoroughly enjoy fishing for shark.  The bigger the better!

Over the years, as I have pursued bigger and bigger sharks, my fishing equipment has had to grow as well.  Since most of my fishing is from the shore, I have to use a very sturdy pole, a huge reel with over a thousand yards of very heavy line and huge hooks.  The size of the hooks are what’s called 16/0…they are huge! I can hang a very large and bloody bait off of this extremely large hook. Once the shark has taken the bait and the hook has been driven in to its mouth…it is very hard to dislodge it.

My rigs are quite valuable so with the smaller or medium size sharks, I’ll try to retrieve my hook.  With the bigger shark, I use heavy bolt cutters to cut the hook and release the fish. Either way, once the hook is in the shark’s mouth it is quite difficult to remove.  It takes special knowledge and equipment to “de-hook”.

As a pastor with 35 years of ministerial experience, I have seen the same thing amongst believers.  Christians become addicted to something and once hooked, it takes special knowledge and equipment to get them “de-hooked”.  The good news is contained within the pages of God’s Word and is just the right knowledge and equipment to free us from whatever we are hooked on.  As we enter into 2020, let’s talk about your freedom!

The Bible tells us, “He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengthens for himself among the trees of the forest; he plans an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.  Then shall it be for a man to burn; for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; yea, he makes a god and worshippeth it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down thereto.  He burns part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eats flesh; he roasts roast, and is satisfied: yes, he warm himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire; And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falls down unto it and worships it, and prays unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for thou art my god” (Isaiah 44:14-17).

In these powerful verses, we can see how man takes a good thing such as fire and warms himself.  Warming yourself is good. He then makes bread with it…also good. He then roasts meat with it…again, good.  Lastly he makes an idol out of it…not good.  Remember this:  Idolatry occurs when we take good things and turn them into god things.

This is where addiction begins.  Notice the phrase in the aforementioned verses, “Deliver me…you are my god.”  In other words, we turn to it in times of need, instead of God!  Let me give you some modern illustrations. Ice cream is good. Eating a gallon of it as therapy when your boyfriend dumps you is bad!  Sports are good. Depressed for two weeks when your team loses is bad. Coffee is good. Turning to it just so you can be pleasant in the morning is bad.

Join us over the next few weeks as we share principles from our series…

“De-Hooked – Learning to overcome addiction in your life“