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What are you addicted to today? Nothing you say? Look again; you may be surprised to discover there are some areas in your life out of balance; some habits you can’t quit; some obsessions you can’t control. That is called an addiction.
Addictions are closely related to needs. When any of us feel some need within us, our natural reaction is to meet that need. We don’t like our needs to go unmet. So, we set off in search of something to meet our needs.
Our culture and our own sinful natures lead us in the wrong direction in this search to meet our needs. For some, they’ve been led to believe that success in business will scratch that itch, and that’s how they become addicted to work and success. People who’ve studied food addictions tell us that overeating is often our way of trying to subdue some other need or emotion. And eating becomes our avenue of need satisfaction and pain avoidance.
We also become addicted because we want our needs met quick and easy. None of us, especially in this country, like to wait for anything. So, we become addicted to what looks fast and easy, since we’re not willing to put discipline in our lives and wait for the real thing.
If you’re looking for ways to meet your legitimate needs, and you’re not looking in the right places, you can expect some addiction to follow. Christians really have no excuse for this, because we have available to us a person who is capable of meeting all our needs, Jesus Christ. His name is Jehovah-jireh, God our Provider, and when we look elsewhere to find our needs met, we’re in trouble.
I ask you to search your own life. If there is some area of addiction, even a small one that nobody sees but you, dig underneath and see if it’s not because you’re trying to meet your needs in your own way rather than turning to Jesus to help you.
