ASSIGNMENTS

1. Once a day read over this material and read or sing the song.

2. Keep the scripture where you will see it often each day.

3. Find a scripture each day that deals with some addiction that you are struggling to overcome, and meditate on it throughout the day.

4. Write about a time you won a battle against one of the addictions in your life.

5. Plan to tell the class about struggles, failures and successes you have had with some sin/habit/addiction.

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DAILY BIBLE VERSES AND PRAYER THOUGHTS

MONDAY - VERSES: Proverbs 23:1-3; 24:21-22; Romans 16:17-18
PRAYER THOUGHT: Father, help me to be honest with You and myself about what things in my life might be addictions.

TUESDAY - VERSES: Ecclesiastes 8:8; Philippians 3:18-19; Jude 1:7
PRAYER THOUGHT: Master, help me to realize the difference between needs and wants and work to fulfill the needs instead of the wants.

WEDNESDAY - VERSES: Isaiah 47:7-9; Jeremiah 6:11-15
PRAYER THOUGHT: Creator, Help me to remember that you made me and know the desires that I have and that I can control the choices I make to do what is right.

THURSDAY - VERSES: Acts 17:16; 1 Timothy 3:2-3; Titus 1:7
PRAYER THOUGHT: Gracious God, forgive me for the times I have allowed sinful things into my life and allowed them to take Your place in my desires. Help me to be true to You in the future.

FRIDAY - VERSES: Acts 6:4; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Corinthians 6:12-
13, 19-20	PRAYER THOUGHT: Blessed Redeemer, thank you for Your effort to redeem me and help me to accept Your forgiveness.

SATURDAY - VERSES: Romans 12:13; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 PRAYER THOUGHT: Lover of My Soul, help me to replace the addictions that don't belong in my life with devotion to You and an addiction to righteousness.

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A story is told of a lady and her husband were playing the slots side by side. The lady's husband had a heart attack. The lady pushed her husband out of the way, straddled both machines and continued gambling while the medics tried to revive him to no avail.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH REGIMEN - WEEK 68

ADDICTION - 11-17-13 to 11-23-13

SCRIPTURE - 1 Corinthians 16:15 - I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

COMMENT – God created mankind with a nature that desires to worship and serve, and when people chose to reject God and don't worship Him; they will find something else to worship and serve. We often call these devotions that people have chosen 'addictions'. Even 'Christians' who are not addicted to God and good, will find themselves addicted to other things in this world.

SONG - I AM RESOLVED

1) I am resolved no longer to linger, Charmed by the world's delight; Things that are higher, things that are nobler, These have allured my sight.

CHORUS - I will hasten (I will hasten)to Him, Hasten so glad and free(Hasten glad and free), Jesus,(Jesus, Jesus,) greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.

2) I am resolved to go to the Savior, Leaving my sin and strife; He is the true One, He is the just One, He hath the words of life.

3) I am resolved to follow the Savior, Faithful and true each day, Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth, He is the living way.

4) I am resolved to enter the kingdom, leaving the paths of sin; Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me, Still will I enter in.

5) I am resolved, and who will go with me? Come, friends, without delay, Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit, We'll walk the heav'nly way.

THOUGHTS

You can fool the hapless public, you can be a subtle fraud.

You can hide your little meanness, but you can't fool God.

You can advertise your virtues, you can self-achievement laud.

You can boast yourself somebody, but you can not fool God.

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Addicted Ants

The ways of the ant not only serve to illustrate the virtues of an energetic and productive life, but also show us the sad result of taking pleasure in things that are self-defeating and detrimental to others. Observers have noted that certain kinds of ants have a passion for the sweet, glandular substance given off by the caterpillar of a large blue butterfly. They can become so "addicted" to it that they even seek out "the supplier" and carry him to their nest with delight. But they unwittingly bring home an enemy in disguise, for the caterpillar gorges himself exclusively on ant larva. Usually such a threat to the colony would be repelled with great vigor, but the adults enjoy the tasty secretions of their "guest" so much that they are oblivious of the fact that their young are being devoured in the process.

Similarly, the child of God can become absorbed in practices that are inherently dangerous to his own Christian experience and ultimately will affect the lives of others. (Job 20:12,14)

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BONUS SONG - PURER IN HEART, O GOD

1) Purer In Heart, O God, Help me to be; May I devote my life Wholly to Thee. Watch Thou my wayward feet, Guide me with counsel sweet; Purer In Heart, Help me to be.

2) Purer In Heart, O God, Help me to be; Teach me to do Thy will Most lovingly. Be Thou my Friend and Guide, Let me with Thee abide; Purer In Heart, Help me to be.

3) Purer In Heart, O God, Help me to be; That I Thy holy face One day may see. Keep me from secret sin, Reign Thou my soul within; Purer In Heart, Help me to be.

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All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is damnation. - W. H. Auden

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"I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom." - Edgar Allan Poe - Many addicts hate their addictions.

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Sins and addictions all seem to work in the same way. There are certain steps involved in the enslavement. These steps are taken from material by Dr. Victor Cline:

FIRST STEP - ADDICTION - "The first change that happens is an addiction-effect." The first exposure to something addictive is often unpleasant. The first smoke, drink, drug hit, binge, etc. may even cause physical illness, they are acquired tastes that are acquired as a result of some other desire. It is only after repeated exposure that the body begins to crave these things.

SECOND STEP – ESCALATION - With the passage of time, the addicted person requires something stronger. It may be higher stakes in gambling, larger quantities of their preferred "drug", or something stronger or more expensive.

THIRD PHASE – DESENSITIZATION - "The third phase was desensitization. Something which was originally perceived as shocking, taboo-breaking, illegal, repulsive, or immoral, in time comes to be seen as acceptable and commonplace."

FOURTH PHASE - ACTING OUT - "The fourth phase was an increasing tendency to act on desires." All inhibitions and restraints of conscience are weakened to the point that the individual becomes totally enslaved and can't resist on his or her own.

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WHAT ARE YOU _________________ TO?

L. S. - SOME ARE ADDICTED TO . . .

I. THEIR _________________ - PROVERBS 23:1-3

II. CHANGE - _________________ 24:21-22

III. F____________________ - JUDE 1:7

IV. W____________________ - ECCLESIASTES 8:8

V. P____________________ - ISAIAH 47:7-9

VI. C ______________________ - JEREMIAH 6:11-15

VII. W___________ - 1 TIMOTHY 3:2-3

VIII. I________________ - ACTS 17:16 -

IX. _____________- TITUS 1:7

X. H_______________________ - ROMANS 12:13

XI. F___________ & P____________ - 1 COR. 7:5 & ACTS 6:4

XII. _________ - 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-5

WHAT ARE YOU ADDICTED TO?

INTRODUCTION: 1 Corinthians 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

L. S. - SOME ARE ADDICTED TO . . .

I. THEIR APPETITES - Proverbs 23:1-3 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: {2} And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. {3} Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Romans 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Philippians 3:18-19 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: (19) Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

II. CHANGE - Proverbs 24:21-22 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: {22} For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

III. FORNICATION - Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

IV. WICKEDNESS - Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

V. PLEASURE - Isaiah 47:7-9 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. {8} Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: {9} But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

VI. COVETOUSNESS - Jeremiah 6:11-15 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. {12} And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. {13} For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. {14} They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. {15} Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

VII. WINE - 1 Timothy 3:2-3 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; {3} Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

VIII. IDOLATRY - Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

IX. MONEY - Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

X. HOSPITALITY - Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

XI. FASTING & PRAYER - 1 Corinthians 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

XII. GOD - 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; {2} How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. {3} For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; {4} Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. {5} And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

CONCLUSION

A. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? {20} For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

B. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. {13} Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Pornography Addiction has a deadly progression says Tom Buford a converted porn addict, "Our thanks to Morality In Media for the use of the following information from Healing Sexual and Pornography Addictions by Dr. Victor Cline."

1. FIRST STEP - ADDICTION - "The first change that happened was an addiction-effect. The porn-consumers got hooked. Once involved in pornographic materials, they kept coming back for more and still more... The pornography provided very exciting and powerful imagery which they frequently recalled to mind and elaborated on in their fantasies."

a. "Once addicted, they could not throw off their dependence on the material by themselves, despite many negative consequences such as divorce, loss of family, and problems with the law (such as sexual assault, harassment or abuse of fellow employees)."

b. "... many of my most intelligent male patients appeared to be most vulnerable—perhaps because they had a greater capacity to fantasize, which heightened the intensity of the experience and made them more susceptible to being conditioned into an addiction."

c. "... It is difficult for non-addicts to comprehend the totally driven nature of a sex addict. When the "wave" hits them, nothing can stand in the way of getting what they want, whether that be pornography accompanied by masturbation, sex from a prostitute, molesting a child, or raping a woman. These men are consumed by their appetite, regardless of the cost or consequences. Their addiction virtually rules their lives."

2. SECOND STEP – ESCALATION- "The second phase was an escalation-effect. With the passage of time, the addicted person required rougher, more explicit, more deviant... sexual material to get their "highs" and "sexual turn-ons." It was reminiscent of individuals afflicted with drug addictions. Over time there is nearly always an increasing need for more of the stimulant to get the same initial effect."

a. "... Their addiction and escalation were mainly due to the powerful sexual imagery in their minds, implanted there by the exposure to pornography."

3. THIRD PHASE – DESENSITIZATION - "The third phase was desensitization. Material (in books, magazines, or films/videos) which was originally perceived as shocking, taboo-breaking, illegal, repulsive, or immoral, in time came to be seen as acceptable and commonplace. The sexual activity depicted in the pornography (no matter how anti-social or deviant) became legitimized. There was an increasing sense that "everybody does it" and this gave them permission to also do it, even though the activity was possibly illegal and contrary to their previous moral beliefs and personal standards."

4. FOURTH PHASE - ACTING OUT SEXUALLY - "The fourth phase was an increasing tendency to act out sexually the behaviors viewed in the pornography, including compulsive promiscuity, exhibitionism, group sex, voyeurism, frequenting massage parlors, having sex with minor children, rape, and inflicting pain on themselves or a partner during sex. This behavior frequently grew into a sexual addiction which they found themselves locked into and unable to change or reverse—no matter what the negative consequences were in their life."

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians

16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

1 Corinthians 16:15

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)