John 4:31-34 “Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (NIV)

John 6:31-36 “Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” (NIV)

Three Thanks—King County Health Department for their part in this service and particularly in the www.freedomfromaddiction.net website which they paid for. While I am thanking outside funders, I would also like to thank Microsoft for $16,000 in matching funds that they recently added to our school building fund. We also received this week $250,000 from a local family who wanted to help with our school building fund. Even though they attend another church, they wanted to be a blessing to the work that we are doing here and I thank them and others outside our church who help to make this work possible.

The words of Jesus speak of the spiritual dimension. Physical food is important but not as important as spiritual food. Both these passages speak of this. In the first case, Jesus was so motivated by the Spirit, that he found himself strengthened by Him as if he had just eaten. In the second case Jesus declares that he can give life (v33) and that he can satisfy hunger and thirst (34).

No addiction would have any power if it did not deliver something pleasant, at least for a time. The behavior gives a positive feedback and gradually hooks the person on that type of behavior. Food is like that. We like it and we need it. What Jesus is describing is something more fundamental that addiction. It is God himself who meets the needs of our lives.

I have noticed that addiction discussions tend to emphasize one of two categories. One would be God’s power in deliverance. The second would emphasize what we have to do. Somehow, we need to bring both these two areas into play. We want God’s power. We also want to take responsibility for our actions.

If this were easy, we wouldn’t be having a prayer service for it. Almost certainly, we have tried many times to be free but have not yet broken free. That is the definition of addiction. These are some classic lines on this subject. Someone has said, it is easy to quit smoking. I have quit hundreds of times. One of America’s tragic figures is Morton Downey Jr.. He is reported to have said, "It's easy to stop an addiction. Anyone can quit. The tough part is not starting again."

In other years I have detailed the extent of the various types of addictions. I think people understand the extent of the problem, not so much statistically, but because so many in our families have these issues and we see the impact it has on their lives and indeed, upon our own lives.

“Directly or indirectly, addiction to drugs, cigarettes and alcohol is thought to account for a third of all hospital admissions, a quarter of all deaths and a majority of serious crimes. In the U.S. alone the combined medical and social costs of drug abuse are believed to exceed $240 billion.”[1]

Last year, on the Bothell campus, we had 216 people identify some life-controlling habit. There were 41 at the Northshore campus. The largest category was attitudes or mental habits with 164 indicating some recurrent problem with anger, impatience, worry, fear, selfishness and the like. For these people, such attitudes control them, rather than the other way around. The second largest category had to do with food with 76. There were issues such as compulsive eating, eating when anxious, and eating for no apparent reasons including hunger. The third largest category had to do with things sexual with 37 people reporting that area. There were issues of pornography, lust, adultery, and the like. The fourth area was nicotine followed closely by alcohol and then drugs. One has the distinct impression that the church is full of human beings.

I think it is very healthy for us to openly deal with these issues. It takes away the feeling that somehow I am the only one who struggles. These are human problems. I got an email from a lady who worked in the denominational office of another denomination. She said that she knew the churches of her denomination would not be having such a service because they were unwilling to face the issues that she knew existed. Such problems were for other people, not people in the church.

Part of the power of addiction is secrecy. Once it comes into the open, there is at least the possibility for change. First you admit it, then you address it.

This service is for each of you engaged in that struggle. This is a day for Hope, Courage, and Faith. It is a day of hope because many people have lost hope. They have just quietly accepted that they will always be controlled by the habits that have been griping their lives. It is a day of courage because it takes courage to hope when there has been a long history of failure. It is a day of faith because faith is what God puts in our hearts to believe for something better. Faith is the active ingredient that makes everything else work.

There is tremendous power in Christ. Paul said that in Romans 8:11-15 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-- but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Last night, after the prayer service, a young man came up and spoke about being set from some issues about five years ago. Then he said, after a couple of years he realized he needed to deal with the underlying issues that make him vulnerable in the first place. Most of these addictions and habits came into our life to meet some real pain that we were experiencing. If you are going to stay free you are going to have to find out what was driving that thing in the first place and ask Jesus to heal you at the heart.

For the healing to hold, we will usually need ongoing support. I think we have a group for just about every kind of life-controlling problem there is. Get involved in one of those groups. Share your victories and defeats. Once you are free, get involved in encouraging and helping others break free.

We have some tremendous testimonies in this church. I would like to have you hear a couple of them. Terra Casisas was raised in church, but not in a healthy way. She ultimately got caught in alcoholism. I would like to have two or three of you just come forward and give a brief testimony of release from bondage to a life-controlling. Please do not share anything that couldembarrass anyone else in your family or elsewhere unless you already have their permission.

In this time of prayer, we are going to ask you to fill out the prayer card that is located in your pew. Bring it up and pin it to this cross. Then go to the altar and ask for the grace of God to be free from your life-controlling habit. I hope you will take the next step and get involved in one of our groups or in similar groups that exist around the community. But at least give it to God.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We pray that today would be a turning point in these lives. May each of these look back and say that was the day when I became free or when I started on the path of freedom. As we pin the bondages and addictions to the cross, we pierce the wood.

Thank you Jesus, that you let them piece you so that we could be free. You were bound to the cross, unable to escape, so that we could escape our bondages today. By your stripes we are healed and we pray for that healing today.

Also visit Freedom From Life Controlling Habits web at Cedar Park.

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[1] J. Madeleine Nash, Time Magazine. “Addicted: Why do people get hooked? Mounting evidence points to a powerful brain chemical called dopamine”. MAY 5, 1997 VOL. 149 NO. 18.