Page 107 - Overcoming Addiction

What peace is it to which the angels are referring? It is peace between God
and man. Because of sin mankind had been at enmity with God. Sin had caused a
breach in man’s fellowship with God. In the book of Romans the apostle Paul
declares, “while we were enemies Christ died for us.” Christ came to bring peace
between God and man. He came to cancel out the bill of decrees against us as He
bore our sins on His body at the cross.
John the Baptist came as a forerunner of Christ. His father prophesied the
following words concerning him.

Luke 1:76-79
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go
on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge
of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of
our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into
the way of peace.

Our peace is accomplished through the forgiveness of sins. Even as shoes are
that which man stands upon, so the forgiveness of sin is the foundation for our
victory in Christ. Our victory begins with our reconciliation to the Father. Apart
from being united with the Father we can have no victory. It was the atoning death
of Christ that made peace between God and man, and now that peace has been
made man can walk with God as He leads mankind to victory over every enemy.

The Shield of Faith

Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Mankind has an external enemy in this battle to establish the kingdom of
God within his being. This enemy is Satan, and those forces in league with him.
Faith is a key element in the armor of the saint.
Many Christians think only of belief in the atoning death of Christ when they
hear the word faith. They only understand faith as it relates to forgiveness of sin.
Yet faith is also a critical part of our victory over sin. We saw this in the earlier
chapter that looked at the failure of the Israelites to believe that God would give
them victory over all their enemies. Because they preferred to believe the report of
their eyes, they were not able to enter the land.
When we come to Christ we begin to take an accounting of those things that
dwell in the land of our flesh. There are strongholds and walled cities and giants
that live in the land. Some of these bear names such as ADDICTION, FEAR,
LUST, PRIDE, and ANGER. A man may have been ruled by a violent temper all of
his life before coming to Christ. Another man may have been addicted to drugs or
alcohol. One man may have been enslaved to sexual lust, while another man has
been covetous of worldly possessions. As these men look upon the enemies