*BEST OF DTB #187* Addiction: The Destroyer's merciless predatory game

Revelation 9:11
A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans,

In other words, translated, his name is 'the destroyer'. That is his name, that is his game, that is his sole mission and motivation 24/7/365.

Through your dreams, through your goals, through your ambitions, through your strengths, through your weaknesses. Constantly probing, ever on the attack, ever the predator, merciless and cruel, vile, disgusting, grotesque and inhumane. Always stalking, always menacing, setting traps, going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.

If the Lord God allows you to suffer it is only that He seeks your ultimate good. A little pain now, through which He may bring you to eternal bliss.

Ah, but the destroyer uses the lure of bliss for bait. A little sugar laced with poison? Some forbidden fruit perhaps? Some alcohol or drugs to dull your pain? Maybe a little frolic for the flesh? How about I pour the fill of your ego or satiate your need for greed?

All the while, he is only crouching down as you circle the bait, entranced by it's shimmer, it's fragrance, it's taste. Crouching, stalking, moving in that he may get close enough to strike and grab you in his talons and drag you into his house of fire to torture you and laugh as you shriek and scream in pain.

Addiction is his cunning and merciless game, his web meant to ensnare you that he may store you away as his captured prey that he may move on to another unwary victim. Recently, my wife told me that she does not believe in sex addiction, responding to something she read in the paper.

My vantage point is just a bit different. You see, I do believe in sex addiction, but only within the framework of addiction itself. What I am saying is that I don't believe in food addiction or gambling addiction or alcohol addiction or drug addiction or sex addiction being about food or gambling or alcohol or drugs or sex, at least foundationally. Though some of these addictions can have dire physical consequences, their cause and the far greater consequence, is spiritual.

Here in this article, I wish to deal with ten principles that are at the core of addiction. Some of them, you may not have ever considered before. I draw all of the principles from various places and I will try to give credit where it is do.

1. Addiction, itself, is the issue,  not the subject of the addiction. There is no drug addiction or alcohol addiction or sex addiction. These are only various manifestations of a learned behavior of buying short-term satisfaction or relief at the expense of deferred but greater suffering. Addiction is suicide on the payment plan.
2. Addiction controls, and is controlled by, all 4 facets of the human person- Physicality, Emotion, Intellect and Spirituality. Any cure to addiction that doesn't incorporate all 4 is doomed to failure.
3. All behavior, regardless of how self destructive, results in a payoff. If you cannot identify and remove the payoff, you cannot hope to change the behavior.
4. You cannot have it all. God has already given you more than you can possibly repay.
5. Happiness is a choice. It takes work. Happiness is not about things.
6. Love is a choice. It takes even more work. Love must be given unselfishly and received graciously and humbly. Most people have no clue what love is.
7. Sometimes pleasure must be denied. Sometimes, pain must be endured.
8. Pride is deadly. All sin, all addiction comes from an unhealthy pride. Even despair is pride turned inside out.
9. Denial is deadly. It isn't just annoying and debilitating. Refusing to see the truth has dire consequences.
10. The truth will set you free. The Truth has a name and He has a Church.

Tune in tonight as we discuss the Destroyer's game.

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