Freedom From Addiction - Turn To God

Last week I covered the first of two ways in which the Bible instructs us to repent of our habitual sin. I talked about turning away from our sin. This week we're going to talk about the second part, which is turning to God.

Acts 3:19-20 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you -- even Jesus.

There are a large number of places where the Bible talks about turning to God. Many of those places are directly tied to the concept of being forgiven by God. As Christians, our goal is to follow Christ's example. As he lived a life that was oriented towards the goals and desires of God, so we are to do likewise.

The idea of following God is not some esoteric, high-minded, pie-in-the-sky ideal. There are practical ways that we can begin to form a habit of following God. A good way to start is with the basics: spending time with him. It is important to begin forming a daily habit of reading God's word (the Bible), and communicating with him (prayer). What is important though is not to do these things just for the goal of checking them off your list. The entire point of this is to allow a relationship with God to develop. Therefore, you must read and pray with the intent of seeking God, desiring to know him personally.

This process of seeking God is so important in finding freedom from our sin because we are doomed to fail if all we do is try to turn from our sin. The sin in our lives must be replaced with something else. God desires us to find fulfillment in him. He is the only lasting source of fulfillment. When we seek God, when we desire to know him, he provides the power for our lives to change. He is the one that will permit our feeble attempts at turning away from our sin to be successfully brought to completion.

This week, put a plan in place to begin seeking God. Create a schedule to help you find the time to begin reading the Bible and praying every day. Next week I'll finish up this series with a couple of closing thoughts about about your struggle for freedom.