Darkness to Light: Who & What Owns You? E.12

Sarah Annie Schneider: you To the Addicted to God podcast, I'm your host, Sarah Schneider, and I'm addicted to God. This podcast is for those of you who know deep in your heart that something has to change. You're tired of carrying addictions that quietly steal your peace, your relationships, your health, and your future. And you sense that God might be your only real answer. For more than 10 years, I've mentored incarcerated women in our local jail. And it was inside that jail that the addicted to God message was forged. Many of the women I sat with were addicted to substances, but they weren't always in jail because of drugs and alcohol. They were there because of the things that their addictions drove them to do. Shoplifting, burglary, DUIs, battery, or even running a human trafficking ring. Just to feed the hunger that controlled them. As I listened to their stories, I began to see something that shocked me. I was just as guilty. I had my own addictions, but they were approval, shopping, work, and even fitness. The difference was that God had already started exposing my addictions one by one. He put his finger on the things I was chasing, thinking they would bring me happiness, fulfillment, popularity, success, and pleasure. only to discover that they all left me empty. But these women hadn't discovered that yet. And here's what gripped me most. The same desperate, all-consuming hunger that they had for their addictions, I had developed for God in His Word. God's Word strengthened me, and for the last couple decades, He has been transforming me from the inside out. That realization changed everything. It birthed this mission to help People transfer that same hunger of the things from this world to the only addiction that truly satisfies. A life-changing pursuit of God. So that's why we're here. This isn't about trying harder, increasing your willpower, or getting another pep talk to stay sober one more day. It's about transferring your addiction to the only one who can set you free. So let's jump in. In our last episode, we talked about how addiction is actually bondage. And today I want to go one layer deeper. Before we can fully transfer our addiction to God, we have to explore a very unpopular topic and a very uncomfortable question, which is who really owns you right now? Let's start with a verse that might make you a little uncomfortable just hearing it. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 19 and 20, Jesus says, Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds be exposed. We don't like to admit it, but many of us do love the darkness because we think it hides what we're doing. We keep our addictions in the shadows because deep down we know they're wrong. We're ashamed of those dirty little secrets. We're terrified of being judged, exposed, or even rejected if anybody were to find out. We're afraid of losing respect, relationships, or even the image we have worked really hard to protect. So we hide. We smile on the outside while we're secretly scrolling, spending, drinking, numbing, or chasing whatever. makes us feel better in the moment. We tell ourselves, as long as nobody knows, it's not that bad. But darkness only feels safe for a little while. Eventually, it becomes its own prison. I want to encourage you to listen to episode 11 if you want to learn how addiction is actually bondage. In a previous episode, we also peeled back the onion layer to expose addictions for what they really are. idols, which idols are false gods that we bow down to. So today I'm going to take it a level deeper and we're going to call it what it really is. Sin. Sin is the root. Sin is what gives addiction its terrifying power over us. And until we understand how serious sin really is, we don't see how desperately we need the one and only one who can rescue us. Think about the Pharisees and the Sadducees that Jesus constantly confronted throughout the New Testament. And if you want a point of reference, you can read the specific story I want to talk to you about today. Look up Matthew 16. These guys were the most religious, educated, respected spiritual leaders of their time. They knew the scriptures backward and forward. They prayed, they fasted, they followed all the Old Testament rules, and they even made up rules of their own. Rules to keep the rules. And yet when Jesus, the Messiah, whom they claimed to be waiting for, was standing literally right in front of them, they didn't even realize it. They couldn't even recognize it. Why? Why wouldn't they see Jesus right in front of them? Because He didn't fit their expectations. He didn't conform to what they professed to be the definition of good, which was basically being perfect, keeping the laws, keeping the rules, their rules. You see, their pride, their traditions, their power, and their comfortable, safe, loving, and short-sighted version of God had completely blinded them. And that same thing happens today. We can be sitting in a church every Sunday, posting Bible verses on social media, and wearing that Christian label, in some ways just to associate ourselves with being good. Yet we're still blind to the real Jesus because we've got that God-shaped hole in our hearts. And it hasn't been filled by God. It's been filled with things that are comfortable for us. So I'm often reminded of 1 Samuel 16, 7 that says, look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. See, we might be fooling people around us, but we're not fooling God. Furthermore, Romans 6.23 puts it in the forefront of what sin really is. It says, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Sin. always pays a wage. that wage is death. Death, which equates to separation from God. And separation from God results in destruction, emptiness, and brokenness. Sounds a lot like addiction, doesn't it? We don't like talking about this. We want soft, cozy, loving, fluffy, and polite God. the kind of God who only brings blessings and good vibes. I gotta admit, I hate the word vibes. I really do. And it's so culturally acceptable to give good vibes. I feel like it just distracts from the true God. But the Bible doesn't shy away from any hard truths, and neither will this podcast. Isaiah 59, 2 says, Your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. That's heavy, but it's true. You see, the women in jail get this. Many of them have a lifetime of bad choices that have led to serious consequences. So when I ask them what's controlling them, they will tell me. Drugs, alcohol, greed, power, pleasure. And when I explain what sin is, they see it. Then they ask me, how do I get rid of it? Some are even one step ahead of me and say, I can't do that on my own. I need Jesus. So stay with me for a minute. Because there is real hope on the other side of this truth, I just don't want to flippantly say, sure, Jesus can do it. I want you to know why. Because it's not that he can't or won't do it. But there's an underlying explanation that I really want you to know. In church speak, it's called depravity of our sin. To you listening to this podcast, it means that we are all owned by sin, which messes up every part of who we are. Our thoughts, our feelings, our choices, our desires, and even our ability to love God the way we should. There's some questions that we really do need to wrestle with today. The first being, why do I sin? Second, why does it have such power over me? And third, who is really behind it? And I got a spoiler alert. Jesus gives us a sobering answer in John 8 44, where he says, you belong to your father, the devil. and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. This is one of the hardest truths in Scripture, but this is the truth. This is our human nature because we're all born with a sin nature. Go back to the book of Genesis where it explains how we inherited sin from Adam and Eve. Because they brought sin into the world, we don't have to be taught how to sin. It actually comes naturally to us. Think about it this way. No one has to teach a young child how to lie. If they're caught doing something that they know they're not supposed to do, they naturally think that they need to cover up the truth so they don't get in trouble. We're like children, but in the jail, I like to use this analogy. Imagine the giant Andean condor, one of the largest flying birds in the world. It's a scavenger. It can have a wingspan of up to 10 and a half feet wide. I never want to encounter one of these birds. Its beak can tear through the most tough rotting flesh because it's what it loves. Now imagine trying to convince that bird to stop eating a dead, disgusting, maggot-filled carcass and instead switches diet to eating fresh, beautiful vegetables. you lay out a perfect spread of broccoli and tomatoes and purple eggplant, all of the delectables, fully organic, pesticide-free, you name it, all the good nutritional things that you can possibly get off of those plants. And the bird glances over at it and goes right back to eating that rotten meat. Gross. Why does he do that? Because it's his nature. It's wired for it. And that is our sin nature. We know God's way is better. We know our addictions are destroying us. Yet we keep going back to what feels natural. I see this every single week. when I'm in the jail. Women will sit in Bible study with tears streaming down their faces saying that they want to change and yet they go right back to the same behaviors that once got them there. It's not just weakness, it's sin nature at its work. Satan knows exactly how to use it against us. I've clung to this verse before and I will repeat it again because it is so eye-opening to me. especially when we're dealing with sin and addiction. 2 Corinthians 4 says that the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ. Satan doesn't want you to see how good and satisfying God really is. He wants you to be owned by your addictions, your pride, your comfort, your shame, and your sin. His mission is to keep you controlled, entrapped, and ensnared. He wants you to have anything except God. Not only is He the enemy of God, but He's also the enemy of your soul too. And He has a two-for-one advantage. Not only does He dangle little sins in front of us so that we're distracted from God, but we're born with that sin nature within us that naturally desires. To sin more. I'll have mentioned one of my biggest struggles in this podcast several times. Materialism. Shopaholism. And it is true. Even to this day, I love to shop. My walk-in closet looks like a small clothing store exploded. At the peak of my problem, I would hide shopping bags in my car, sneak them into the house when my husband was sleeping or not looking. And I even lied to him about purchases. until I couldn't because my habit buried us in debt. All while I was telling myself I deserved it. I had a girlfriend, honestly, just the other day, walk in and see my shoe collection and her jaw dropped. She opened her arms about three feet wide, a small fraction of the width of my shoe rack. And she said, I only have a shoe rack about this wide. and half as tall. Her comment and her comparison surprised me. One, because I thought all women had a lot of shoes. And two, for another woman to criticize another woman's shoe collection? I just never expected that. If anything, I thought it would be the opposite. That her closet would be twice as big as mine and that she would brag about it as if to challenge me to catch up. Do you see how sneaky addiction is? Here I thought I was just like every other girl. My point is that God is teaching me that every time I run into things or run to things, seeking comfort, fulfillment, or even identity, I let something other than Him own me. So let me ask you again, who really owns you right now? What? has your heart. What do you crave more than God? What do you protect, hide, or lie for? So, let me go back to those girls in jail who get it. If you're asking, how do I get rid of it? Or you now see that you can't do it on your own and you really need Jesus? Then this is what you need to do. Talk to Him. Admit. You're a sinner. Ask Him to forgive you and invite Him to take whatever it is that owns you and ask Him to replace it with His power, His strength, and a deeper love for Him. You see, Jesus already knows. He knows what you say and whatever you disclose to Him, He already knew it was killing you. If not literally, it has been killing your joy or keeping you from what God deeply desires for you. The moment you see the truth, Satan's lies start losing their power, and God's undying love for you squelches out that darkness that you've been hiding in. You see, friends, this isn't the end of your story. This is the beginning of your rescue, and I'm thrilled to have you on this addicted-to-God journey. Nothing else but God and His amazing life-giving Word, the Bible, can truly satisfy. So, I want to take a moment and ask if this episode stirred something in you, would you please share it with somebody? We're all in relationships with people who feel trapped or stuck or defeated. You never know how God might use this message or your encouragement to bring freedom to them. And then on a more personal note, I'd love to stay connected with you. You can find me in several places. If you're on Instagram, look for SarahAnnie underscore author. On YouTube, my channel is SarahAnnie Schneider, addicted to God. Please subscribe. And I have daily inspiration out there that I'd really love for you to have access to. And if you're listening to this podcast on YouTube, please like it. Then Facebook. I have a page called God Girlfriends. And if you like and comment on my blog at godlygirlfriends.com, you'll also give me some lift. Lastly, if you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, would you take a moment to leave a rating or a review? It really helps this podcast reach more people who need this message. And finally, I am always looking for guests. If your life has been genuinely transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, If you've experienced what it means to transfer your addiction to Him and found that He really is the only addiction that satisfies, I would love to hear your story. Please email me at addictedtogodpod at gmail.com. As I close this episode, remember, you are not defined by your past or your struggles. And when you transfer your addictions from the world to God, God is that one and only healthy addiction. God bless you, friends, and may you continue to fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.