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Practical Christianity:  Behind the Face of Addiction Part 5 — When Pressure Returns, Who Rules?

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Don

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Practical Christianity:  Behind the Face of Addiction Part 5 — When Pressure Returns, Who Rules?

(Part 5 of 5)

⚓ Floatie:  Freedom Is Tested Under Distress, Not Comfort

Romans 6:16  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?(ESV)

Freedom is not proven when desire is quiet.  It’s revealed when pressure returns.

Addiction does not announce itself when life is stable.  It resurfaces when fear demands relief, when pain insists on speed, when trust feels too slow to survive the moment.

The decisive question is not, “Did the urge come back?”  The question is, “Who am I obeying when it does?”

Pressure does not create new masters.  It exposes which one still claims authority.

✒️ Forge:  Why Old Masters Speak Loudest Under Stress

Regulation trains the soul for immediacy.

Old masters promise speed:

  • quick relief
  • predictable calm
  • familiar escape

Trust does not offer speed.  Trust offers presence.  That gap is where freedom feels threatened.

The return of pressure does not mean freedom failed.  It means allegiance is being tested.

The mistake is assuming the presence of desire means the return of bondage.
Scripture never defines slavery by temptation.  It defines slavery by obedience.

John 8:34  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.(ESV)

Practice—not sensation—determines mastery.  Desire may knock.  Fear may shout.  But authority is only transferred when obedience follows.

⚒️ Anvil:  The Moment Addiction Reclaims Power

Addiction does not reclaim power at the urge.  It reclaims power at the decision.

The decisive moment is not emotional.  It’s jurisdictional.

Addiction regains authority when:

  • relief is treated as permission
  • urgency replaces obedience
  • fear dictates response
  • regulation feels “necessary” again

The language changes quietly:  “I just need this right now.”  “I’ll deal with alignment later.”  “I can’t sit with this.”

That moment is not weakness.  It’s negotiation.  And addiction only survives where lordship is negotiable.

Matthew 6:24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.(ESV)

Pressure does not require resolution.  It requires refusal.  The old master only returns when the throne is offered back.

🔥 Ember:  The Lie That Pressures the Free

Genesis 3:5  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(ESV)

The serpent didn’t promise pleasure.  He promised control.

Every addiction speaks the same lie under pressure:  “You must secure yourself now.”

Not later.  Not relationally.  Not by waiting.  Now.

That urgency is not truth.  It’s fear asserting authority.

Freedom is not lost because fear speaks.  It is lost when fear is obeyed.

Non-biblical insight:  Fear demands immediacy.  Faith tolerates exposure.

🌿 Covenant Triumph:  Freedom Is Guarded by Allegiance

Colossians 2:6  Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,(ESV)

Freedom is not maintained by effort.  It is maintained by allegiance.

Christ does not compete with your regulators.  He replaces them.

Pressure may return.  Desire may surface.  Fear may rise.  But the throne does not move unless you move it.

You do not remain free by never feeling the pull.  You remain free by refusing to renegotiate lordship.

James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(ESV)

Submission precedes resistance.  Resistance flows from authority.

Closing thoughts:  Addiction Ends Where Lordship Is Settled

Addiction does not end because desire dies.  It ends because authority is no longer contested.  Freedom is not the absence of struggle.  It is the presence of a faithful Master.

Relief is no longer king.  Urgency no longer rules.  Fear no longer governs obedience.  Christ does.  And He does not leave the throne empty.

[⚓ Floatie] [✒️ Forge] [⚒️ Anvil] [🔥 Ember] [🌿 Covenant Triumph]
This post follows the Forge Baseline Rule—layered truth for the discerning remnant.

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3 responses to “Practical Christianity:  Behind the Face of Addiction Part 5 — When Pressure Returns, Who Rules?”

  1. Annette B Avatar
    Annette B

    Its the first thought that must be quickly discarded. Thinking through , where that ‘ just one’ 😈(once), will lead .
    For me it leads to misery. Failure . Disappointment. Depression.
    Those are definitely not good feelings 🧐

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Don Avatar
      Don

      Apologies for the slow response. The holidays have taken quite a lot of time. Back to normal now. I hope.

      You’re absolutely correct when you say that the first thought must often be discarded. Especially when it’s something that leads to temptation. It’s not always the first thought that traps us though. This is why we are cautioned to take every thought captive. My wife and I both struggle in this department. We start doing too much and don’t have the mental fortitude to be able to wrestle with every thought. That’s when we tend to start having problems. The depression and anxiety kick in and we spiral. I’ve found that when this happens to me that I have to force myself to stop and just be still. I really struggle with the concept of being still because most of my self-worth is based on useful activity (learned from my dad, generational). It’s odd that I’ve actually come to enjoy that moment of clarity that only seems to come when you pause in the middle of the storm. Taking that moment to decide for myself that I won’t go any further until I hear from God is often all I really needed. Yet, I don’t do it as often as I know I should. I push on until I utterly exhausted and unable to fight the voices of doubt and fear that constantly nag me. Then, when I’m at my weakest, instead of calling out to God for rest or leaving enough “fuel” in the tank, so to speak, to get back to His shelter, that’s when I stumble. I begin to believe the lies of the enemy. Still, like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, sometimes all I really need is a nap and breakfast.

      I have found that when I insist on pushing beyond what God intended that 1. I get into trouble, and 2. He allows me to wear myself out even if I’m heading in the right direction. His timing is just as important as His provision.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  2. Annette B Avatar
    Annette B

    Yes I suppose in marriage especially its wise to pause and reflect. As in all relationships listening is probably vital for good communication.
    Learning not to react for me (overreact) .

    I really need to sort things out because of dysfunction chaos, conversions .Where confusion has become my red flag now 🚩

    If my brain cant keep up (and it didn’t), I started to ask the person to slow down or stop altogether.
    And those who couldn’t or didn’t, I decided to let go. I am content now knowing, it had nothing to do with love . Love does not require proof.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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I’ve walked a path I didn’t ask for, guided by a God I can’t ignore. I don’t wear titles well—writer, teacher, leader—they fit like borrowed armor. But I know this: I’ve bled truth onto a page, challenged what I was told to swallow, and led only because I refused to follow where I couldn’t see Christ.

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