Have you ever been chained to something? It's one of the worst feelings in the world. You want to go somewhere else -- do something else -- but you can't, because you are tied up. That's how it is to be addicted to something. 2 Peter 2:19 says, "You are a slave to whatever controls you." You may be dealing with this right now. It could be food, sex, alcohol, or shopping. Maybe it's approval or lying. Addictions come in many forms, but they share the same root: a compulsive, destructive behavior that is trying to mask the pain of something deeper. For example, some people smoke cigarettes to deal with stress. However, the smoking doesn't actually cure the stress, only masks it. It actually ends up making things worse when you are confronted with quitting due to health risks. The same is with every addiction. At first, it seems like a great comfort blanket. But with time, that blanket becomes a huge weight that you can't get out from under. The question every person chained in addiction asks themself is: Can I be free of this?
The answer is YES: Jesus Christ offers you freedom you can't find anywhere else. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). The truth that shall set you free is actually in knowing Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The Bible tells the story of a man who no one else could reach. He lived in caves, and it says, "Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones" (Mark 5:5). Sounds intense, but that's what addiction is: being in pain and harming yourself. But Jesus came, totally unafraid, and healed him. It says that his town saw him "sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid" (Mark 5:15). That's how great the transformation was. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He can transform your life in the same way. Learn more about Jesus’ healing power and practical steps to have victory over your addictions in this section.
Section 9: Financial Freedom