Is Addiction Your Idol? | Putting God Back Where He Belongs

Hi and welcome to the Recovered Christian. This is Suzanne, and today we're going to talk about idols In recovery. We often talk about our quote drug of choice. I call it the thing. My thing started out as one thing and then changed to something else. Apparently, I didn't learn from the first decade of chaos and headed right into another one with a new thing. I'm not the only one. I believe that's a pretty familiar pattern for a lot of us. But have you ever considered how the thing becomes an idol in our lives? Idols aren't just ancient statues. They're anything we prioritize above our relationship with God. In addiction, the thing can become that idol, consuming our thoughts, actions and desires. We will do anything for our idol. We worship it, give it our time and energy, change our lives to accommodate it. An idol becomes the thing we love most in life. Isn't it sad that we end up idolizing something that's trying to kill us? When you're in active addiction, it can feel like every thought, every moment is focused on the thing. Do I have enough? Do I need more? What time is it? Is it time I feel sick? I need it. I'm doing it again. Is it time to do it again? I'm never doing it again. If you've ever been on this never-ending cycle of misery, you know exactly what that's like. Our thing dominates our thoughts and actions and pushes everything else aside, open our love of the Lord. And sometimes, especially, that I read somewhere that our first thought in the morning when we wake up is what we idolize. Yikes, what was your first thought about this morning? Work, kids, family problems, the weather, sports, the thing. Or was it Jesus? Colossians 3-2 says Think about the things of heaven and not the things of earth. Thankfully, breaking free from addiction means dismantling these idols, sometimes little by little and sometimes all at once. So let's look at a few verses. Exodus 20, verse 3, says you must not have any other God but me or, in the King James Version, doushah have no other gods before me. This commandment tells us that God must be the focus and head of our lives. When addiction takes precedence, when the thing takes over, it becomes an idol competing with our devotion to God. Matthew 6, verse 24, reminds us 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. You can put anything there in place of money. Whatever the thing is that dominates your thoughts and time, put it there. This verse illustrates the impossibility of serving both God and addiction simultaneously. We have to choose. Seven years later, I'm so grateful I chose God and I continue to choose him. First, corinthians, chapter 10, verse 14, tells us therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. We're called not only to recognize idols, but also to actively flee from them, get away from them, set them aside. This includes fleeing from the grip of addiction and seeking freedom in God. Jonah, chapter two, verse eight, says those who cling to worthless idols, turn away from God's love for them. Looking back, I see how worthless my things were. I pretty much knew it then too, but I just didn't know how to break free or replace them with something good and true. So how can we apply this to our lives in recovery? First, acknowledge that recovery isn't just about stopping substance use. It's about shifting our devotion from our thing to God. It requires a transformation of our priorities and behaviors, a total overhaul of our hearts. I'm sure we've all met people in recovery who aren't using anymore, but a transformation, a real change has not happened. I have a very close family member that has lived like that for years. For me this was a process, a much longer process than I wanted, but it is what it is. If we keep at it, we'll redirect our focus and attention to what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable, as Philippians, chapter four, verse eight, tells us. We also must recognize the conflicting loyalties in our lives. Where have we placed our trust and dependence? Are you seeking solace and fulfillment in your past, grieving over what you no longer have, or in God's unwavering love? Lastly, we must actively pursue a life centered on God. When we start this, everything changes. We read our Bible, spend time in prayer, seek support from other believers and immerse ourselves in spiritual growth. We need to fill the void left by addiction with the richness of a relationship with God and fill that void with the Holy Spirit. I want my heavenly father to be my one and only idol. I wasted years idolizing all the wrong things. I always loved God, but I certainly was not putting him first in my life. And when I started to put him there, when I let the Holy Spirit come into my life, every single thing changed. I honestly can't believe how much everything has changed, and it's all because I surrendered my life to God. He is my only idol and I work hard every day to make sure he stays there. Let's pray, heavenly Father. We come humbly before you today and ask for goodness. We confess that at times, things other than you have taken place in our hearts. Grant us the strength to continue to live free from the hold of idols, those in the past and those remaining still, to trust in your grace and to find fulfillment in our relationship with you. Help us discern and flee from anything that competes with your rightful place in our lives. We love you and want to honor you in all we do and say in Jesus' precious name, amen. In recovery, acknowledging our idols is the first step to overcoming them. Breaking free requires more than just abstinence. We must embrace a new way of life centered on God's love and grace. May God grant all of us the courage and strength to live free and the wisdom to forge a life devoted to him. Thank you so much for being here today and I'll see you next time. Thank you so much for listening. I hope your bite-sized devotion today was very satisfying. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be honored if you'd leave a review or a rating. We are new, so every little bit helps me bring the word to the world. I'd love to get to know you better at our Facebook group, the Recovered Christian. I'll put a link to it in the show notes. So thanks again for being here and I will see you next time.