"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~ 1 John 1:8-9
How do you become like an infinitely good God? How do you transform into His look-alike? How do you take on the divine image? How does addiction make that even harder?
God is most interested in bringing us into relationship with Him for His glory. He created us to bring Him glory and that through the sacrifice of ourselves as He has sacrificed for us. But there's a problem, we are not God. We are not perfect. We DO sin. Even when we are in the kingdom of God, we sin. For the addict, this reality is more than just inconvenient, it's in his face all the time, telling him that he's a failure and will never measure up.
On one hand this is a huge benefit. Far be it from Christians to start thinking too much of themselves and miss the sinfulness in themselves. The honest addict has no illusions about this: he desperately needs Jesus. I say honest because addiction is replete with denial, and a man has to be through with pretending that his sin doesn't exist first, then he can benefit from the intense humility that is naturally produced. It is good to KNOW in your bones that you need Jesus.
But on the other hand, it is still sin. And we are still trying to kill it. And it is incredibly painful. Becoming like God means we have to do something that Jesus never had to do... we have to repent. We are not perfect like He is. We will not be. No matter how good we get, we will never get anywhere close to the infinite goodness of God. Jesus has clothed us in righteousness, but our behaviors, emotions and thoughts do not automatically fall into line. He gives salvation, then offers sanctification.
The point is, we are going to sin. For an addict, this looks like acting out.
Acting out is the endgame of an addict's body. The body craves it's medication. The thing that it has learned to do when it needs problems solved. For many sex addicts, this is pornography. Watching and masturbating. For some this is affairs. For some this is hook ups and one night stands. The list can go on. At the end of all of these processes is orgasm, and this is the reward process that trains the body to want it again and again and again - even when shame is dramatically present.
But acting out isn't the end of the story. Remember, Jesus has clothed us in righteousness. Jesus has made the way for us to come back to God! Because of Christ, we can return to God and take hold of the Holy Spirit to guide us in how to kill more of our evil and become more like God... even after acting out. Maybe even PARTICULARLY after acting out.
This is why Warfare of Grace has developed the Victory Worksheet. This sheet is a series of questions and reflections that help us to orient properly back to God. For the honest addict, it gives an opportunity for him to fight back against the devil's schemes and reveal what he could have done differently. He can then take those strategies and apply them to his next time of temptation, which for an addict is certainly to come. We, like Jesus, know what it means for the devil to leave "until a more opportune time." (Luke 4:13)
For the addict, acting out is a huge release of energies and it leaves him with an opportunity. For the first time in a while, he is able to think straight. His mind is not presently pulling him towards evil. And in that moment where shame tries to grab hold of his soul, he can flip the script on hell and fight back. He can grab a victory worksheet, and put in motion the healing journey. He can release shame, discover healthy living and return to the loving father like a prodigal again and again.
Warfare of Grace does not, in any way, want to say that acting out is ok. Absolutely not. It is a sin against God and should be rejected. However, we have a God of grace who opens His arms time and again to us sinners to return home. That return is healthy and right, and can be a blessed experience of grace! We hope the victory worksheet gives you handles for how to do that, and that you would find your way back into grace quickly and authentically for the glory of God the Father.
Here's the Victory Worksheet! Feel free to download and print it out. The image below is just of the first page, so make sure you click through and get the whole thing!
