Struggle With Addiction? Please Watch This
You're not struggling with addiction. You're struggling with the identity God gave you. And here’s the part that most Christians get it wrong. You’re not trusting in this new identity. Before salvation, there's no internal fight. You just do it. You struggle with addiction because you’ve not learned this one thing and when you do, it’s completely going to shift how you look at addiction all together. The fact that Satan continues to speak in your mind about something that happened a decade ago is proof. In this preview, we look at scriptures where we learn how to reframe who you actually are, and why Satan's biggest weapon isn't temptation but something else.
You're not struggling with addiction. I know that sounds crazy. The reason why you're struggling is a proof that you're saved. Have you thought about that? (audience applauding) (dramatic music) Hello Johnny, my name is Jason. How you doing brother? So I've never lived a life going to church or anything like that, I've never looked for them. I've never looked for them. I've started going to church here in the past, maybe two years, I just feel that there's something calling me, what I suffer from, and I know you guys said honesty, right? I suffer from anger, betrayal. I'm in active drug addiction right now, and there's times where I feel suicidal. 100%, gotcha. And I wanna know how to deal with it. Yeah, so that's the first and foremost, bro. Thank you for being honest. Thank you for keeping it real. (audience applauding) - What you did right now is called releasing spiritually. Amen, that's why you're crying. (audience applauding) That's why you're crying. So that's very important. 'Cause I know you ain't did that probably in a long time.
Amen, so I understand that, bro. I understand that people from the streets, right? People who grew up the way you grew up, I grew up. We just know, we get it. And so what's very important, though, is what I talked about was trusting the word of God above your thoughts, right? So for you, bro, when you get a chance, look at 2 Corinthians 5, 17. It says, "Those who are in Christ Jesus "are a new creature," right? All the old has passed, behold, everything is made new. It doesn't say, "Is going to be a new creature." It says, "R is." It uses these words, right? And so your job, bro, is that you're not struggling with addiction. I know that sounds crazy, right? You're struggling with identity that God gave you and you trusting that new identity. That's what you're struggling with. Understand? (audience applauding) I'll explain. Let me explain it to you. I was a gang member, right? My mind would tell me, "Johnny, it's over for you, bro." You're gonna die like this. So how did I live? I'm just like this.
No matter what, I'm gonna act like this, I'm gonna react like this, whatever it is. But one day, pastor, my pastor, pastor, Kim, he showed me the scripture. You're a new creature. You don't have to be this way. Bro, I felt like somebody was lying to me and they were. Satan lies to us every day, bro. When you look at Revelation 12, verse 10, it says, "He is an accuser of the brethren, day and night. "All day, every day, bro, he's whispering. "Bro, you're an addict. "You struggle with betrayal and anger and frustration and lust." Whatever it is that he tells you, right? That's why I was teaching, not trusting the heart, not trusting the mind, leaning on the word of God, bro. The only issue right now that I see is that maybe you're not in your word as much as you should be. You know what I'm saying? Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the same way. He was like, "Turn these stones into bread." What did Jesus say? He said, "It is written." Understand? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. What does that mean? He's using the word to combat, understand? So when you sit here, bro, and you think,
"I'm not good enough, I'm an addict," right? What do you have to use? No, no, no, no, I'm a new creature. You have to fight in this way constantly. Understand what I'm saying, bro, right? So that's number one. Number two, think about it like, do you know how to ride a bike? Yeah. You're like, what kind of dumb question is that? I'm asking the questions, right? Why I say this is me, I like to use analogies, bro. When I first started riding a bike, I would scrape my nail, would fall down, I get pissed. I don't wanna do this anymore, right? But little by little, the more you try what happens, you ride it like it's normal, you get me? It's the same with distrust in your thoughts. In the beginning, your life is like, "What the heck? This doesn't make sense. Don't distrust your thought. Who am I gonna trust?" But little by little, bro, it gets to the position where it's like, "Oh, this is from the enemy. I don't need to buy what he's selling." You know what I'm saying? You start to learn, "Oh, this is wrong." No, I can't do that anymore. Oh, addictions come, "No, I'm a new creature." If you feel guilt and shame,
the last thing I wanna finish with, look at Romans 8 verse one. It says, "There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." I believe you're in Christ Jesus, right? Understand what I'm saying, bro? You're in Christ Jesus, bro. But Satan, he tells us that it's too late for you. Oh, if you keep like this, it's not good for you. He tells us that, you know why? 'Cause he wants you to believe that. 'Cause if you believe that, you'll start living like that. Understand what I'm saying? Satan cannot drag you to hell, but he will try to make you forfeit, bro. That's the one thing that he loves doing. You thought about that? I'll explain When they used to pass around that plate that I was actively addicted to right the the white powder Right which I keep a PG-13 Right I was never like oh my gosh guy daddy who I don't believe in. I feel like this I shouldn't do this now. I was like give me that eight ball in each nose. I'm just keeping it real, right? But what I recognized was after I got saved. There's this breaking system Wait, why can't I do what I used to do? Why do I feel this way? Do you understand? That's the holy spirit. Don't let anybody tell you bro that you struggling means that you're not saved in fact It's the opposite understand what I'm saying Hey, man brother Hey, man brother. Hey, man. God bless you You (audience applauding)
(gentle music) (upbeat music)
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