Shared Addictions

Shared Addictions

Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:14-17

We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Most of us didn’t fall into sin alone. We may have softened our guilt about falling into addiction by bringing other people along with us. Whatever the addiction, it seems there’s a tendency to lure others into the same pit. Whom have we harmed by bringing them down with us?

Solomon warned, “Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving. For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence!” (Proverbs 4:14-17). Peter warned of false teachers who used their position to take advantage of those who were emotionally needy. He said of them, “They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin” (2 Peter 2:14).

Solomon noted the power of seduction when he warned young men about the lure of a prostitute: “Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave” (Proverbs 7:25-27).

We see the devastating effect we can have when we lure and seduce others to join us in sin. Whom have we harmed by breaking down their will to do good, and luring them back into trouble?

No one stands alone; our addictions are usually tied to the addictions of others.