Independence From Sin

I was a teenager for most of the 1980s. It was a time that spawned a great number of pop culture icons, including a digitized talking head named Max Headroom, Michael Jackson’s phenomenal album Thriller, and of course, Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign against drugs. Max Headroom, for all his ubiquitous appearances on TV, became little more than a footnote in pop culture history, while Thriller went on to become the top-selling album in history. And the “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign?

It was ambitious, if nothing else. Every type of media displayed those three little words, completely saturating the landscape with the idea that resisting drug use was as simple as can be. Just say no! Unfortunately, in spite of the campaign’s immense presence and the nearly Pavlovian response drilled into my generation’s psyche, research has indicated that “Just Say No” had little to no impact when it came to actually reducing drug use.

How is it that such a well-funded program, one which was supported by the vast majority of Americans, one with the best of intentions, could prove to be so completely ineffective?

Surely there is a lengthy list of reasons: peer pressure; the thrill of rebellion; and not least of all, a sense of emptiness inside oneself. Drugs and alcohol stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain, providing a short-term sense of euphoria. But when the high wears off, the problems which people are trying to escape remain. Often, it takes more and more of the substance in question to achieve the desired high, and eventually, the body becomes incapable of feeling any joy or relief without the drugs. Thus begins the cycle of addiction.

It is much the same with sin in our lives. Simply saying, “no,” isn’t always a sufficient response, especially after one is caught up in the deadly cycle. The Bible illustrates this principle in the following passage describing the behavior of demons…

 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first…” (Matt 12:43-45)

Consider it like this: you are faced with a sin in your life - it doesn’t matter which sin, just know that it is one to which you, personally, are susceptible. Out of willpower and prayer, you are able to resist… for a time. You clean up your act and put your life in order… for a time. You repent and vow never to return to that kind of thing… for a time.

But at some point, the temptation returns, stronger than ever. You fall. You repent… for a time. This vicious cycle snowballs until you feel hopelessly trapped in a quagmire of sin. You repent, you resist, you pray, but inevitably… you fall again. What is missing from this equation? Are repentance and calling to God in prayer not sufficient?

I have heard numerous stories of alcoholics and addicts who have come to the end of their ropes and fall on their faces before God. These are usually powerful stories, because they are cases where God intervenes dramatically in a person’s life to remove an addiction in a miraculous manner. I, personally, have never experienced such a dramatic event. Maybe God knows that I haven’t really hit rock bottom, even when I’m sure that I have. Maybe I’m not relying fully on Him. Maybe God just treats each person on a case-by-case basis. Maybe, for whatever reason, I’m supposed to find a way through this without an obvious miracle.

Let’s face it: God doesn’t just toss miracles around left and right. Devout Christians die from cancer, terrible accidents, and any number of wasting diseases, all without God providing a miraculous solution. Sometimes, with our sins, God tells us that we have to find a way through it.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God always provides a way out: a means of avoiding the temptations which he allows to come our way. The problem is: we don’t always see it. Part of the reason is that we focus our minds too much on the problem, rather than the solution. Part of the reason Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” program failed to produce the desired results is that the catch phrase does nothing to provide a way out. Yes, “saying no” is analogous to resisting sin, but if that’s all you do, then the temptation remains foremost in your thoughts. At best, it allows you to clean yourself up for a little while, until the demon comes back with friends.

You must change your way of thinking. You must find the way out which God has provided.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

One of the most vital parts of recovery from addiction is a change in one’s mindset. Often, this involves not only distancing yourself from harmful ways of thinking, but physically removing yourself from locations, situations, or even people who would inevitably drag you back into the lifestyle from which you are trying to escape. Ultimately, these things which have been removed must also be replaced. Whether it’s “saying no” to drugs or keeping your spiritual house free of demons, something absolutely must fill the void left by the sin which has been evicted from its place of residence within your life.

Yes, the expected (even cliché) Christian response is something like “fill that void with Jesus!” And yes, this is an excellent thing to do, if you know how. But what exactly does that mean? How do you do it? The key is to find something else to do in order to keep your time and your mind, even your body, occupied. Prayer is a wonderful thing, but if you spend your prayer time asking God to help you resist that thing, you’re ultimately just keeping that thing on your mind. Instead, ask God to give you a new direction, and then move quickly in that direction!

Take up a hobby. Read a book. Go to the gym. Take a walk. Clean the bathroom. Do some laundry. Do whatever it takes to completely distract yourself from the temptation which stalks you. Become so engrossed in whatever the new direction is that you don’t have time to even be tempted into that old sin.

And when you do pray, because prayer is an absolutely vital part of the Christian life, don’t waste time focusing on the things which bring you down. Surrender your will to God, and allow Him to determine the course of your recovery. He will bring your desires into alignment with His own, and the Holy Spirit will guide you away from the temptations that plagued you.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)