Run Away! Don't Look Back!

There are a lot of directions and ideas that God is exposing me to lately that have not been a part of my life before. It seems that I have come across a lot of people lately that have dealt with or are dealing with substance addictions. Growing up, my first response, thankfully, was always to avoid such situations at all costs. I have never had a desire or temptation to use alcohol or other drugs in my own life. (Like everyone, I have other areas that demand my personal discipline to avoid.) I am happy that recently I have come into contact with several people who have walked through that valley and come out the other side with their eyes focused on the Lord.
In speaking with them, I have realized that "addiction" in itself is another way to say "an irresistible temptation." It is something that we know we should avoid, but is so desirable to us that being around it is so enticing that it results in us giving in to it.
How can we say that there is such a thing as an irresistible temptation? Can't we pray that the temptation will be taken away and that God will deliver us from it? I believe that the answer is "yes." I have spoken to many people who attest to that, but they also point out something that we often overlook. The successful ones seem to be the ones who realize that when they ask God to deliver them from an addiction, they are putting that tempting area away as a sacrifice of honor to God. It is giving up something that gives them earthly pleasure in order to honor God. That level of committment is what God honors.
So many times, people bring back an addictive situation and talk themselves into believing that it is a test to see if the temptation is really gone. It is not a test, it is another temptation and it is revoking the dedication to God that replaced the addiction. In other words, it is giving the Lord that part of your life as a sacrifice and then taking it back. Flee the evil desires of youth... it says in 2 Tim 2:22. It doesn't say see how close you can be to them and still not participate. Flee... Run... Move away.... Build a wall... Get Away... Replace the addictions with righteous things. Spiritual addictions... The rest of that verse says... but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
I believe that there are times that God completely removes an addiction and the person does not have to worry about being around the addictive substance any more, but it seems that most times He maintains that sacrificial covenant of the recovering addict and uses it as a way to keep the person involved with Him on a daily basis. We become reliant on Him and at that point, He can expose us to a deeper relationship that we otherwise would probably not have embraced.
I hope that in the areas of struggle and temptation, we can give up our feeble efforts to resist it with our own strength and make a sacrifice of that part of our lives to God, burning down the bridges behind us, fleeing with all of our might and developing new habits that create barriers between ourselves and our areas of temptation.