Feel free to pass judgment on the following person: He is addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling and pornography. How close would you allow him to get to you? Or your children? Would you tell your children to use him as a proper role model?
At some time in his life, this man tried everything listed above. He followed up by trying them all again. Then again. Each time he found something enjoyable about them all. He kept going back. At every opportunity he dove into them.
The day arrived when he could not pass any of them up. If he missed any opportunity to imbibe in any of them, physical and mental stress consumed him. He became irritable and uncontrollable. Those stresses only left him when he found his next ‘fix.’
Five addictions—five nooses around his neck. Nooses not meant to destroy him immediately, but nooses intended to slowly carve him into nothingness. The addictions desire that he still breathe. But they want him to always be willing to trade his last breath for another ‘fix.’
Self-control is the last quality mention in the spiritual fruit: “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Would you rather have the life of this addicted man, or would you rather have the life of a person whose life reflects the nine qualities of the fruit of the Holy Spirit? At this point, your choice is overwhelmingly simple.
Next, consider your relationships with others. Would those relationships be better and stronger in every way if your life exuded the nine qualities of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, or if these five addictions consumed your life? Again, your choice is exceedingly simple.
The man could respond, informing us that he’d just go find another person who has the same five addictions, and they’d hang around together for the rest of their lives. But he’s still chained to his addictions. They still control every aspect of his life even if someone joins him in his prison.
Jesus’ promise can release him from his prison. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
When a person comes to Jesus by turning his life over to Him, Jesus fulfills this promise. It doesn’t happen overnight because Jesus doesn’t carry a magic wand around. No fairy dust to sprinkle on the head. Instead, He sends His Spirit to dwell in the person, and the Holy Spirit immediately plants the seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control within the person.
Will the person suffer set-backs? Probably. But the person’s faithfulness stays intact and continues growing. God’s peace returns—this time a bit stronger. His self-control grows stronger and stronger. Joy becomes a constant quality of his life. He finds himself focused more on other people than on himself. He begins caring about others more than he cares about himself.
He also follows Jesus’ second command: “…learn from me.” How does the person do this? Jesus has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. The person opens His Bible and reads, and he puts himself in front of teachers who handle God’s Word wisely and judiciously.
Two actions: 1) Coming to Jesus and 2) learning from Him. Two actions capable of changing a person’s life forever. It doesn’t matter if he has one addiction or twenty addictions. The heavy chains of defeat and despondency will fall away. He will walk out of the darkness of prison into the bright sunlight of freedom. His angered brow will fade, replaced by a gleaming smile.
Most of all, he will know to Whom he belongs from that day forward. Think about the horrific realization of being chained in this life only to discover you will be chained in the next life forever as well. He knows that’s not his future anymore.