HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM BAD HABITS AND ADDICTIONS. – Abel Damina
HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM BAD HABITS AND ADDICTIONS. – Abel Damina
I once met a brother who was addicted to smoking. But the amazing thing was that this brother was genuinely born again and tongue speaking. So one day, after speaking at a youth conference, this brother walked up to me. He told me how he had been born again six months earlier but still fell in the habit of smoking. According to him, he had tried several times to stop but couldn’t. Sometimes, he stops for two weeks or three weeks but then falls into the habit again.
He said to me “How is it possible that I’m born again but still smoke cigarettes even after I’ve prayed, fasted and tried so hard to stop? I thought once I’m born again, all bad habits and addictions would go away”. I saw great worry and concern in his eyes. So I asked how long he’s been smoking before accepting Jesus. ” for 10 years ” he replied. I smiled. Apparently, this guy had been listening to religious preachers who try to emphasize that good moral conduct is the true mark of God’s approval.
Just a few months ago also, another brother after following my teachings for some time, slid quietly to my inbox to tell me how He also was born again but had a weakness – He masturbated often. He asked ” Sir, how do I stop.. I’ve tried and tried so much that now I don’t even know if I’m truly born again”. The first question I asked him was how old he was and he said he was 20. I smiled and I knew why I smiled.
You see, I have never emphasized on character modification and I hate it when a person tries to do so. Why? Because character modification is not being born again! In fact, one doesn’t even need Jesus to stop a lot of bad habits. Never judge a man by his weaknesses because you also have yours, just that perhaps you know how to pretend and cover it up nicely. Some of these habits would just leave on their own many times. Other times, one just needs some discipline! Some of these habits would just disappear with age as one grows older even without prayer or fasting. For instance, the young man who had a habit of masturbation was only twenty ! At twenty there is a burst of sexual hormones in your bloodstream. One would really need great discipline and real information about his body to overcome this. As he grows older, the level of these hormones would drop immensely , responsibilities would come also and the habit would just disappear or drop greatly! This is not a spiritual problem at all.
Again, many times, people pick up these bad habits even before getting born again. Like for the brother who’s smoked for ten years before getting born, this habit won’t go away in a couple of months many times. This does not mean he’s not born again genuinely. No! He’s born again and tongue speaking, all he needs is a renewal of the mind. How? By the word of God!
TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS :
1. AVOID PREACHERS WHO ARE MORALISTS: Avoid preachers who emphasize on character modification as being the mark of God’s approval. These preachers will worsen your situation making you doubt your salvation. You’ll end in self – condemnation and frustration. Never allow any man or preacher to condemn you. Most of those who are quick to condemn others have their own hidden dirty habits. Trust me, I know this very well.
2. STOP “TRYING” TO STOP! : Yes, stop “trying” to stop your bad habits. If you’ve been trying and it’s not working, that should tell you that trying is not the solution.
3. FOCUS ON JESUS AND NOT ON THE ADDICTION : The more you focus on the addiction, the more you are addicted. Get your eyes off it, focus on Jesus alone. No matter what the addiction is, always see yourself in Christ alone knowing that you are first acceptable to God because you are in Christ and not because you are a “good” guy. Never condemn yourself, just see yourself in Christ always.
4. STAY ON THE WORD : Keep feeding on the word of God, meditate on it always. Continuously load your heart and mind with the word. While doing this, If you still feel like smoking, masturbating etc, go and smoke! After smoking, come back to the word again, keep meditating! I know that sounds crazy but after a while, no matter how long it takes, the appetite for the addiction will disappear.
