Picture Satan as a drug dealer
and sin as his drug. This is not a waste of imagination. It is an absolute picture of
reality! To turn away from the habitual or recreational use of any drug, withdrawal is an
experience that awaits all who choose the path of healing. When the outer surface of the
body is wounded, the body will provide an outer layer of protection to the wound to
protect the healing process. We call this scab. Now picture sin as a wound to the body or
the mind. You are still in reality. Sin will injure one or the other. Now picture
withdrawal as a type of scab. If only we could begin to see that withdrawal is an
important part of the healing process, the pain that this "scab" offers could be
viewed as a protective layer that should not be feared or avoided. Withdrawal is not a
static thing, it is a dynamic process that lives and breathes, ebbs and flows according to
how the life of a person is going. In this study we will examine the common ground of
withdrawal and repentance. Withdrawal is the process of ceasing to take an addictive drug.
Repentance is the resolve not to continue in sin. In withdrawal the mind can say no while
the body says yes. The body can signal no while the mind approves of the action. In either
case there is an intense desire to do what you are trying to withdraw from doing. This is
the nature of addiction. It can be an overwhelming need. It is also the nature of sin. A
very intense battle is taking place. It will help in the study to examine the first
recorded battle in history. Addiction is
part of the nature of sin and Satan is the progenitor of it. John 8:44. In the third
chapter of Genesis we read of the inception of sin to the first man and woman. Satan, the
pusherdemon, introduced his drug to the first couple. Although created as adults, Adam and
Eve were almost like children in the pusherdemons hand. At the inception of his
drug, Satan gave the illusion that sin was good to ingest, a delight for the eyes,
desirable and able to make one wise. (Vs.6). Satan is a dealer who uses his own
drugs with no repentance and his will for his victims are to be exactly like him. Sin has
killed Satans mind. He is insane. To be forever apart from God and be conscious of
it is madness. The method of his madness is to separate humans from God and to withdraw
them from life. The garden of Eden was mans first experiment with this drug called
sin. That experiment has set a pattern of abuse that has existed from then until now.
Satans will is to addict all humans. God is interested in the total rehabilitation
of mankind.
Satan tried to separate Adam and Eve from God.
He tried to destroy their self esteem by telling them that they were naked. He wanted them
to believe that they had no covering, no shelter, no protection or identity. The main
intent was to infect their relationship with God. In Gen. 3:11 read Gods divine
interrogation of the couple. He asked, who told you that you were naked? Who is behind our
feeling that we have no protection? Who has infected our identity? Sin can severely damage
self esteem and self identity. Its damage is reflected in the inability to function
effectively in relationship with God and man. Also, infected is the sense of harmony and
emotional balance. A Christians good self esteem is co-exsistant with the relationship
with his maker. When you commune with Christ, you not only think well of yourself, you
have confidence in your entire environment, including how well you fit into it. This is
why Adam and Eve hid themselves. When your sense of relationship with God has been damaged
by sin, you loose the sense of fellowship and belonging. You know God rejects sin, so you
feel he rejects you. You become at odds with the environment he has placed you in
and begin to question your place in it. The original couple had no others around them.
With modern day Christians the damage can be aggravated by a world that is insensitive to
the inner-struggle of the withdrawal from sin.1Cor. 3:19,20. Human wisdom is not enough to
recover from sin. Recovery involves finding the relationship with God and then people.
That is the proper therapeutic order for the right spiritual growth. Whether we realize it
or not, withdrawal and pain have a great capacity for healing and growth. Which comes
first, the egg or the chicken? Which comes first, pain or healing? With the first riddle
Im sure God created the chicken first, with the second I believe there is no
separation. They are parts of the same body and ambidextrous. God is able to create and
maintain what you or others may feel are unrealistic expectations or standards for self.
The bible is based on actual events and views of humans who let God raise their level of
being. Ps. 119:98-99. He is the source of altering the self. We have our identity with him
and the realization that he is, and will reward those who choose to withdraw from sin and
suffer the pains of repentance. Heb. 11:6. Healing is a two-edged sword, you hurt but you
improve. To withdraw is to suffer. You do not procrastinate withdrawal from sin. You
prioritize it. We set the goal of suffering to make our lives better. People dont
like suffering, they would rather hide. You should never run and hide from withdrawal. It
will hurt but it will help. Bad habits should be goals and life is the opportunity to
accomplish their removal. You develop trust in God by being hurt and witnessing him heal
you. If you withdraw from God, you avoid resolving any healing. One sin will connect you
to another and you will collect more reasons to maintain sin in your life. In repentance,
a God inspired decision has been made to eliminate sin from you. ROM. 2:4. This is the
security that we need in withdrawal, knowing that God is there. The abuse of sin is a type
of covering that can mask other spiritual and physical problems. Sin can take on an
anesthetic nature. When you withdraw from it, a variety of other sins that were masked can
appear. Like a bump on a rug, when it is flattened out in one place it pops up in another.
This is why some who withdraw from sin without proper understanding feel as if repentance
only makes things worsen. They remove one layer and it reveals another, they become
fearful and leave the layers alone and in place. Withdrawal takes courage to encounter
Satan and the true self. In reality all sinners experience low self esteem because the
parent of sin, Satan, has molested us. The dynamics of low self esteem are the results of
the effects from continual bombardment of quilt. The devil does not want the stain of
guilt to be removed. He must separate the sinner from Christ. 1John 1:9. The natural
presence of Christ will cleanse. Satan seeks to mask your sin. It is an intentional volley
of self deception fired at you to sustain a level of abuse. This method is the same type
used in the garden of Eden. You are made to feel that you are facing the reality of your
condition when really you are not. Gen. 3:4-5. "You wont really die." He
does not want you to introspectively examine your behavior and lifestyle. Gods way
is diametrically opposite. It is to help you encounter reality. Wisdom is knowing how it
is, not how it seems to be. God leads one to be clearly aware of the insidiousness of sin
and to accept that you are powerless to pull out of it on your own. ROM. 6:23.
Withdrawal from sin hurts. It could become
difficult for the repentant sinner to learn how to confront day to day life situations
without using sin as a pain killer or social lubricant. The sinful mentality is a
resistant to withdrawal. Look at Heb. 11:25. Sin is called a passing pleasure. We must be
detoxified from sin because it is a stimulant. Its poison must be extracted from the
mental and physical system. Satan is cunning and devious in perpetuating the self
deception that enables sinners to rationalize their self-destructive tendency to sin. We
are inspired to smoke cigarettes in spite of their chilling effect. We are told that the
feeling sin offers are greater than the resulting effects that it will incur. We are then
led to believe it is beneficial. Often the withdrawal from sin involves a heavy influx of
truth. The repented is actually becoming "aware." Matt. 5:6. They feel the need
to change and the desire to draw close to Christ, the truth. So they must be trained in
the unsettling revelation of personal problems. Therefore, the need for church attendance
and Christian education is evident. Heb. 10:25. Encouraging one another and verse 24,
stimulate each other to love and do well. Some fear having to relate to others in
withdrawal. They may not wish to discuss their sin or continue to hide, even while in
withdrawal. This is part of the mask of sin and could lead to backsliding. Satan will
institute a phony pseudo psychology to convince people that they are healed when they have
not. Healing is good news and should always be interpreted as such. That is the ingredient
testimonies are made of. Ps. 40:8-10, James 5:16. Only Christ can remove the mask of
withdrawal. The mask can be a crust of behaviors that suggest "theres nothing
wrong with me," and will not ask for help. The mask relates to the disparity between
the strong images presented to the public and the insecure unhappy feeling that exist
underneath the facade. Perhaps surrounded by qualified help they seek none and endure on
their own. They facilitate a self deception of feeling strong when the person underneath
is actually weak and full of doubt. Withdrawal must deal in reality. You must view
yourself as you are and the actual condition you are in. Christ will peel away the layers
of deception the external presentation of self presents. James 1:21. Deception and reality
are incongruent, out of place with each other. Self honesty is a powerful weapon. It is
gut level instinct.
The fruit of the Spirit requires freedom of
expression with a release in reality. Withdrawal from sin can become a major self
satisfying achievement. It offers a euphoric restructuring of your relationship with
Christ. When sin is totally understood - then rejected, that is a constant ally in
withdrawal. People who do not understand withdrawal can make the experience more
uncomfortable on themselves as well as others in withdrawal. Withdrawal is not alienation
from God. Sin causes separation from God. Withdrawal is a walk toward God. Alienation is a
feeling associated with sin. It is the feeling that you do not belong, so you hide. This
is highly distressing because you feel emotionally disconnected from God and lonely or
lost. Gen. 3:8. There is nothing admirable or glamorous about alienation. It is a type of
pathology. It is an important psychological symptom suggesting that something has gone
badly wrong in a persons life. It is a joyless existence. Until the individual
repents, they will pay a heavy emotional price. Sin is recreational self destruction. The
sense of filling the lonely space with entertainment is part of the so called "party
Spirits." Withdrawal from these "Spirits" can leave one emotionally and
physically drained. You could begin to hate yourself. The hate arises out of guilt. The
imposition of harsh conditions on ones own life may be a way of cleansing the soul,
a way of purifying the self. It is also a way of replacing Christ, paying for real or
imagined crimes. Suicide is the chronic end of this behavior. Matt. 27:5. This extremely
negative behavior is a type of remorse. If the conscious were not aware of God sin would
not pester it. We cannot die for our own sins. No human can stand against the shifting
winds of evil. Only through Christ can we find that harbor of peace from the changing
winds of joy and despair. Phil. 4:7.
Addiction to sin is not solely caused by a
desire to avoid withdrawal. It is more than just stopping habitual behavior. It has to do
with changing lifestyles and attitudes. You must change how you live. Read Matt. 19:16-22.
It seems almost impossible for a person in position with power, to withdraw from sin. They
dont see themselves as hitting a wall of failure. Their influence shields them from
the humility of withdrawal. They are surrounded by enablers who do not speak against sin.
They become resistant to helpful advice on being born again. Matt. 13:45-46, 19:23-24. All
sin, no matter how different it may appear, has one thing in common. They are different
versions of the same phenomenon. It is all one disease and against the belief system of
God. That is the defining nature of Satan. He is the root of addiction. He appeals to the
five senses of humans. He offers an explosive mixture that causes rapid physiological
addition that will combust more and more intense. He has created a society that flourishes
under evil conditions that are counteracted by his supportive cast of demons. Satans
environment shows definite advantages to committing sin. He even makes it easier to sin.
He causes sin to appear in a way that you will want to embrace it. Eph. 2:3. You cannot
withdraw from a society set in sin with brute will power. Demons will overwhelm human
resistance every time. They will gang up on you if necessary. This does not mean that will
power cannot be employed. It must be done so under Gods direction through the
indwelling holy Spirit. Withdrawal from sin is directly related to relationship with Jesus
Christ. The more intimate the relationship, the more restoration of all parts of you. Your
sense of belonging to him is restored and renewed each day. Withdrawal will not be a
ritual, but a transformation. Rituals are only profitable if they bring the problem to the
surface and lead you to Christ, then they are of value. If they hide the problem or cause
you to hide then they are useless. Withdrawal is not a comfortable chair to sit in. It can
rock you to sleep spiritually or keep shaking you to God. It should always stir you to
Christ and cause your comfort to be in only him. If you cant take giant steps, then
take small ones, always in his direction. Never feel that your behavior cannot be
helped. Your genes have not doomed you to anything. God can alter any real or imagined
condition of anything that exists. If you can completely cold turkey a sin then do it. If
you need time, take it, all of it. God is there for you. Withdrawal has no timetable and
none should be placed on it. Stay in reality and do what you can when you can. Sin can be
a temporary vacation from reality, so try to do something each day and you will notice a
habitual life of service to your maker as withdrawal becomes a way of being. There will be
pockets of peace to enjoy. In the end all things are judged by Christ that is the one true
reality. Sin will never improve you. The presence of the Spirit does not come from sin.
Sin erected an impenetrable wall between God and his children. A great price was paid to
break that wall down. John 3:16, Matt. 27:51. Withdrawal from sin can be a hopeful period
of expectations for your future. All optimistic assessments should be drawn from
Gods word and kept near your heart. Read Gal. 2:20. Withdrawal is being crucified
with Christ, you no longer live alone but Christ lives in you. You withdraw from sin by
faith in the son of God who loves you and delivered himself up for you. The mask of sin is
nullified by grace and you are restored from any curse. The adjustment stage to the
withdrawal from sin can be a very depressing one. You can feel extremely guilty for
failing to meet personal goals. Self can be blamed for not trying hard enough. The
expectation for God to make it all better at once is tested. God would rather help us grow
from experience and face our human limitations. When all is not made better at once, the
feeling that God has forsaken you or is punishing you can make you cynical or perhaps
bitter. Jesus understands the feeling of being forsaken. Matt.27: 46. It is only a
feeling. God would never leave you. Heb. 13:5. Be content with your pace of withdrawal. It
is better to remember what you are capable of doing than to constantly think about what
you have done.
During this time any Christian in contact with
the person in withdrawal must pray to show regular, if not frequent and consistent,
patience, love, sensitivity, empathy and a willingness to listen and encourage. Recognize
and acknowledge any daily progress, even if it seems small and insignificant to you. There
is no convenient category for the application of Gods grace. Forgiveness is a
correlate of the gift of Christ blood. His blood bleeds for all from the wounds of
withdrawal. Jesus offers a daily emotional check up to all who come under his blood.
Christ forgiveness can never be overextended. Withdrawal from sin can be a circuitous and
torturous tunnel back to the creator from whence we came. Its route can be different for
each person. Steady or unsteady, up and downs, stumble, slip, slide forward or back. Every
Christian is in some stage of withdrawal from some level of sin. We are all being
rehabilitated. Since the garden of Eden we all have died.1 Cor.15: 22, and all have
sinned. ROM. 3:23. When you see your death to sin, from this point Christ must be the role
model selected. Exciting and interesting growth will then occur. Your relationship with
Christ is magnified and pain has purposes. Your environment is manipulated by the Spirit.
Withdrawal becomes growing up. You see yourself as God views you. Then self image has a
degree of righteous reality. Personnel weak spots are selected and attacked aggressively.
Matt. 11:12. Your worship is intensified. You experience freedom from the weight of guilt.
An enlarged scope of spirituality is added unto you. Strength is given to carry you away
from destructive behavior. Your adequacy comes from obedience to God. The way you view
pain is transformed. Our culture looks at pain as something to be avoided at any cost. Yet
it is the resistance to the pain of withdrawal that is often the most painful. Thats
really what addiction is, and look at the pain it has caused. Pain is personal growth that
is ultimately freeing. Recognize that, feel it, and God can sculpt and shape you in a very
beneficial way. It will hurt but it will help. I work at a clinic where the nurses have a
little poem tacked to the wall of the room they administer shots to patients. It says;
dont fret, dont cry, the pain will pass by and by. It might hurt, it might
swell, but it will help you to stay well! Whatever set of circumstances you find yourself
in, God has allowed for your ultimate good. He is not trying to trip you up, nor is he
indifferent to your situations needs. He cares for us and wants things to work out for our
benefit. He knows better than you that your previous sins have separated you from him.
Is.59:1-2. Openly deal with your sins to God, dont hide in the garden with Adam and
Eve. Draw close to God and he will draw close to you, which will cause sin to withdraw
from him and benefit you. James 4:8. God is willing to forgive as often as we are willing
to repent. Fighting the urge to sin is righteous war. It may very well be easier to strive
to obey than it is to try not to sin. Be of good cheer, know that our actual father, our
ever loving God is only dealing with sin for a short duration of time, and then it will be
no more. Let us praise God for his plan and purpose for his creation of life! |