Page 67 - Overcoming Addiction

Deuteronomy 20:1-4
“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and
chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for
Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
Now it shall come about that when you are approaching the battle, the
priest shall come near and speak to the people. And he shall say to them,
'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today.
Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them,
for Yahweh your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against
your enemies, to save you.'”

There was a time when I was struggling against the tyranny of sexual lust
and an addiction to pornography, and I had lost hope that I would ever defeat this
enemy that continually brought me shame. Its strength was greater than my own,
and the Lord allowed me to realize this was so. The Lord did not bring me to this
realization that I might be cast down and resigned to defeat. He wanted me to
begin to reckon according to His mighty power that was at work in me. I had
formerly only reckoned on my puny strength, and I recognized my inability to cast
down this enemy on my own. But where I am weak, He is strong. In Christ all
enemies are overmatched, and none can stand against us.
It is necessary that we begin to place a greater weight upon the testimony of
God than we place upon our past experiences. It is by faith that every enemy is
cast down. As we consider that Yahweh is on our side, and He will fight for us,
then we need not be afraid of any enemy. This same testimony is found in the New
Testament.

Romans 8:31-32
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how
will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

II Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious
promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
(from New International Version)

As we combine these words of the apostles Paul and Peter, we can arrive at
the following true and magnificent statement:

“God will freely give us all things necessary for life and godliness
in order that we might participate in the divine nature and
escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”