The Bible condemns drunkenness and alcohol abuse but makes no specific reference to drug abuse, eating disorders, workaholics, or most other addictions that concern us today. In many societies, thousands of individuals are addicted to alcohol, drugs, television, compulsive spending, sexual immorality, smoking, overeating and a host of other behaviors. An addiction is anything or a behavior that is habitual, repetitious and difficult or impossible to control. Usually the addiction brings short-term pleasure, but there may be long-term consequences in terms of one's health and welfare. Addictions tend to be progressive conditions that slowly exert more and more power and control over the individual. As people move from infancy toward maturity, they travel through developmental periods in which people have somewhat similar characteristics. Each individual advances through various stages in life-all distinctly different-to maturity. The infant stage differs greatly from the junior high, but both contribute to the total development in the life span of the individual. For the Christian there are two aspects of personality developments. One relates to the natural human personality and the other is the Christian personality. Personality, in the natural human sense, is a term describing the total of what people are physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually. It includes every aspect and area of life. From birth personality is influenced and molded by many forces, heredity and environment being the major forces. Within the environment, mainly family, school, church, peer group and society influence a person. Subsequent, physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual structure is built upon the foundation of early childhood. Growth and development are not synonymous terms. Growth means to increase in size, function and complexity up to maturity. Development implies change over time in structu

I am Redeemed

By Phyllis E. Jones Coleman

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Phyllis E. Jones Coleman, PhD.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-8748-4

Contents

Dedication............................................................viiPreface...............................................................xiIntroduction..........................................................xxvChapter 1 The Beginning...............................................1The Scriptures And The Addict.........................................1The Father Heart Of God...............................................5Chapter 2 Preparing Our Self For Spiritual Change.....................11Find The Treasure In You..............................................15Sad Childhood Experience..............................................17The Missing Pieces....................................................23Waiting On God........................................................28Renewing Of the Mind..................................................30Chapter 3 Developing the Mind of Christ...............................37Developing The Roots Of Christian Characters..........................38Adventures In Prayer..................................................40Experiencing God through Prayer.......................................42The Process To Spiritual Growth.......................................43Passion And Purity....................................................45Character Qualities...................................................45Chapter 4 Being Rooted and Established in God.........................51The Work Of The Cross.................................................52I Have Grown In Christ................................................55Untwisting Twisted Relationships......................................58Chapter 5 Restoring Broken Relationships..............................61God's Call To Marriage................................................61Dating Before Married.................................................63The Family God Made Us To Be..........................................65Christian Stewardship.................................................67Pursuit To Holiness...................................................67I've Been Redeemed....................................................74Bibliography..........................................................77Bible Citations.......................................................79

Chapter One

The Beginning

"As a rule, at the Teen Challenge Ladies Home, you aren't allowed visitors for the first three months. For me this did not happen until much later; my spiritual deliverance from certain demons was brutal and lengthy. The requirement of successful completion of each phase and written documentation of each level, section is mandatory. This is the beginning of God's process for MY REDEMPTION!

The Scriptures And The Addict

"Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can stop drug addiction. The things I did I hated and it made a big effect on my life. But the sins I did, dwelled in me. I didn't understand. I learned to first go to the heart and address it with scripture. I found out what sinning was. Anyone who deals with Christ is a new creature. Eventually, God will take away the pain. And all things will past away. And upon my salvation, He will forgive me. And most of all through new birth of the praise of the Lord, I finally learned! You do not sin because you are an addict. You are an addict because of sinning!

By my accepting Christ in my life, I discovered I wasn't sinning because I was an addict; I was an addict because I was sinning. I didn't understand. My eyes were opening pertaining to the scripture, the Word of Christ. There I found out what sinning is. I am truly astonished. I have learned to first go to the heart and address it with scripture. My heart has been enlightened.

I thought it was the environment; but it is all over. By escaping your personality, you inherit emotional hang-ups. With the rejections and personal hang-ups, I became a sinner. I began to put the blame on someone else, some times my parents (challenged parental responsibilities), and sometimes my siblings. My self-confidence was in drugs and alcohol. The reality was I was not a sinner because of the addiction; I was an addict because of the sin. Personally, I had to relax myself, trust in God, give Him more praises and believe in Jesus."

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me" Romans 7:15&17 (NIV).

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6 (NIV).

Sin has always fooled people by misusing the law. When Eve encountered the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), the serpent fooled her by taking her focus off the freedom God had given her and putting it on the one restriction He had made. Ever since then, we have all been rebels. Sin looks good to us precisely because God has said it is bad. Instead of paying attention to his warnings, we use them as a "to do" list. When we feel rebellious, we need to back off and look at the law from a wider perspective-in light of God's grace and mercy. If we focus on His great love for us, we will understand why He asks us to restrict our behavior. He only restricts us from things that ultimately will harm us.

We must never underestimate the power of sin. Satan is a crafty tempter and we have a great ability to make excuses. Instead of trying to overcome sin with human will power, we must take hold of the tremendous power of Christ that is available to us. This is God's provision for victory over sin; He sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and give us power. And when we fall, He lovingly reaches out to us and helps us up.

"The devil made me do it;" it sounds like a lame excuse, but it may be true. Without Christ's help, sin is stronger than we are, and sometimes we are unable to defend ourselves against its attacks. That is why we should never stand up to sin all alone. Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin once and for all, promises to fight by our side. If we look to him for help, we will not have to give in to sin.

It is false that anyone who is good and innocent will never suffer. The Bible gives us teachings and examples of what we should do as well as what we should not do. The Bible teaches that everyone has a natural tendency to sin. Those who follow God, however, can decide to resist sin.

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts. God brings understanding with truth. He is the one who actually preserves the truth in us. The sinner that became the drug addict went astray. The root of the problem was that the sinner needed the Lord Jesus; didn't have the strength to do well for in the flesh dwells no good thing.

Many that are delivered from drug addiction and alcoholism struggle with patterns; some perish with in the sin. The habit becomes an addiction caused by a private pattern caused by a habitual sin. Many that give their life to Christ often return to their sinful ways. Why do some go back? The addict must know that upon salvation we receive forgiveness. The Law of Principles: 1st Adam (old nature)-bondage & last Adam (new creature)-deliverance; the addict no longer has...