What are some of the addictions I should be careful about?

Romans 3:23Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 6:6We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

Romans 6:19-20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.

1 Corinthians 6:11Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sin is the most deeply ingrained addiction of every person. We can’t go to some clinic or rehab center to stop sinning once and for all. But we can go to a person, Jesus Christ the Son of God, to be completely forgiven of our sins. He will lead our battle against any addictions that remain in our lives. When he forgives us, he looks at us as though we had never sinned, and when our life on earth is over, he will give us eternal life where we will be forever cured and never sin again.

Romans 8:5, 7Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, . . . For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

Colossians 3:5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

We can be addicted to our own sinful nature, which can dominate our thoughts and consequently our actions.

Proverbs 23:29-32Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper.

1 Corinthians 6:19Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1 Timothy 3:8Deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.

Titus 2:3Teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good.

Substance abuse has been a common addiction for millennia, and something Christians are warned against specifically. Does that mean Christians shouldn’t drink at all? In moderation, alcohol is fine—even healthy. Paul recommends “a little wine” to Timothy to help with his stomach trouble (1 Timothy 5:23). And if drinking wine was sinful, why would Jesus turn water into wine as his first miracle (John 2:1-11)? However, some Christians may find abstaining from alcohol to be the best way to avoid temptation—and that conviction is not something to mock (Romans 14). Sometimes, we should also consider the impact of our actions on the people around us. Perhaps we don’t have any moral qualms about drinking a beer and offering it to our guests, but the person next to us may be a recovering alcoholic. In that case, the godly course of action would be to refrain from serving alcohol (Romans 14:19-21; 1 Corinthians 10:23-33). Whatever our convictions on issues of alcohol and substance abuse, we should always do what honors God, others, and our bodies.

Matthew 5:27-28“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Romans 1:26-27That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.

Sexual immorality and sexual perversions can be addictive.

Proverbs 21:17Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

Amos 6:1What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.

Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Matthew 19:21-22Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Luke 12:15-21He [Jesus] said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

1 Timothy 6:10The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Pleasure, possessions, a luxurious lifestyle, and wealth can be addictive. Earthly definitions of success promise instant gratification and even long-term security. But like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, those who give their lives to such promises will experience a rude awakening. We all must face death.

Proverbs 6:9-11You, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Laziness can be an addiction.

Psalm 39:6-7All our busy rushing ends in nothing.

Ecclesiastes 5:3Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

Mark 6:31Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”

Work can be addictive. Each of us needs to make time to rest and refresh our body and spirit. Even Jesus took time to rest and time to pray, and he encouraged his disciples to do the same.