Overcoming Elephants

Addiction

Overcoming Elephants in the Room is a series all about how to address some of the biggest issues facing your students. We may avoid these issues because they might feel awkward, uncomfortable, or unnecessary. It’s like having an elephant in the room; everyone knows it’s there, but nobody wants to talk about it. In this series, we’ll see how God’s Word speaks to these issues today.

Romans 7:15-20; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:19-26; Romans 12:21

Overcoming addiction with dependence on God, not your own strength.

Has anyone ever heard the expression “Elephant in the room”?

It’s something everyone sees, or wants to say, but no one ever addresses it.

We’re going to address some pretty awkward topics over the next three weeks. Some “elephants” so to speak.

Have you ever been in one of those awkward situations where everyone in the room knows something, but nobody wants to say it outloud.

Toilet paper stuck on your shoe, or worse, your shorts…

a. those awkward unfomfortable moments are “the elephant in the room”

b. in our culture today, there are topics that people just avoid. It’s really not healthy.

One of the biggest elephants in the room that almost everyone deals with is “addiction” to something.

And when you hear that word… your first thought.. no not me..

Addiction can show up in our lives in more ways than we think… it’s not just in the big ones we hear about… like drugs ,alcohol , vape etc.

So, before we move on, let’s get honest for a second: Have you ever been addicted to anything?

Maybe you’re addicted to…

a) Video Games? Do you spend hours ignoring the needs and people around you while you zone out online?

b) Food? Are you constantly eating with no ability to stop, no matter how much you’ve eaten

c) a) Gossip? Can you not wait to hear the latest news going around the school and to join in spreading rumors about others?

Maybe something we think is more serious, like…

a) Alcohol? Maybe you know it’s wrong and illegal at this age and that it’s bad for you, but it’s an escape for you from all the stress of life.

b) Vaping? It started as a way to “fit in,” but now you can’t go a day or even an hour without thinking about it.

c) What about your phone? Did you know that over 80% of teenagers check their phones every hour? What are you missing out on because your face is buried in that phone?

What is addiction from a biological perspective?

A simple Google search tells us that addiction is:

a) Compulsive physiological need for and use of habit-forming substances, characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.

You see, there’s this chemical in our body, maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s called

a) Dopamine

(1) Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. It’s like a little Amazon delivery driver in our brains that carries messages to and from the different parts of our brains to make us do and feel certain things.

Dopamine plays a major role in how our bodies feel and sense pleasure

a) Your body spreads it along major pathways in the brain

b) Like most other systems in the body, you don’t notice it (or maybe even know or think about it) until there’s a problem.

Dopamine is kind of like the body’s natural reward system. If you have an Apple Watch and you’ve ever closed all your rings in a day, and those little fireworks go off- dopamine is like that, but in your brain. It just feels awesome, and you can't wait to see or feel it happen again!

a) So, the first time you do something that the brain likes, it overwhelms the brain with pleasure, excitement, or joy

(1) But over the course of time, your brain adapts and builds up a thing called tolerance.

(2) So, it takes more and more time for that substance or activity to release the same amount of dopamine as it does in the first few times in which it happens.

(3) This is where we get the idea and term “high.”

It can feel like more of a reflex than a conscious choice, as your brain is literally telling the rest of your body, “Go get me some more of that dopamine!”

The Bible and addiction have things to say about this. It is not silent.

The apostle Paul even talks about something similar to this.

a) Read Romans 7:15-20 ESV

(1) “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

We don’t know for sure that Paul is talking about addiction here, but it sure sounds like it, right? There’s this battle going on inside of him.

(1) Addiction isn’t an excuse or reason to let people off the hook fortheir behaviors, though.

But how? How do we resist addiction, how do we resist sin, and how do we win this internal wrestling match in our hearts and minds?

a) Paul gives us an idea in another one of his letters.

(1) This time, he’s talking to the people of a city called Ephesus. He’s specifically talking about the issue of drunkenness, but I believe this topic can be expanded to any area within the conversation of addiction.

(2) Read Ephesians 5:18 ESV

(a) “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”

(3) Paul says, don’t get drunk. Instead, be filled with the Spirit! What he’s saying is, don’t be dependent on wine or whatever your addiction is.

Replace that dependence with depending on the Spirit.

(a) Often, our addictions are born out of some kind of longing or emptiness. We go back to these sins over and over to fill a void in our lives. But Paul offers a different way to fill those empty spaces.

Paul challenges us to overcome our addiction to dependence on God and be filled with Him. It’s a shift from dependence on a thing, idea, or habit to dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Now, let me take a quick moment to pause here and say that this can feel like an oversimplification of an incredibly complex issue.

This is truly a life-transforming truth to know in your brain.

But it’s one of those things that is way easier said than done and typically doesn’t happen overnight. Maybe you’re finding yourself in this moment addicted at a level that you’re dangerously committed to.

a) Even if you don’t want to be, you seem unable to find a way out of it.

b) I want to let you know we’re here for you, and we have resources to help you out of this, and we’ll talk more about that in a bit.

c) And, can I just say, if that is you, know you are not alone in this battle, nor are you the first to walk through it. Others in this same room might be fighting those same struggles as you.

We can’t miss the importance of the Holy Spirit

In order to understand “dependence,” we need to look into who the Holy Spirit is and what He does for us.

Once again, the Apostle Paul comes to our rescue.

Paul wrote another letter, this one to another first-century city called Galatia.

He says this:

a) Read Galatians 5:19-21 ESV

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

a) Sounds like areas of addiction, does it not?! However, look at what Paul says next.

b) Read Galatians 5:22-26 ESV

(1) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

See, this is why we said to overcome addiction with dependence on God, not your strength. With that biological information on dopamine and that theological lesson on the Spirit, what do you do if you’re addicted? I’m glad you asked! Here are 3 things to consider:

2. Overcome addiction by your dependence on God not your own strength.

APPLICATION

Pray and fast

One of the first things, if not the very first thing, we should do in our addiction is to seek the Lord. Turn to Him, ask Him for help, and be filled with His Spirit.

The Bible has a word for taking an intentional break from something: it’s called fasting.

Biblical fasting is a practice where you lay something aside to allow for greater focus on God, to pursue greater dependence on Him, and greater delight in Him.

When you find yourself tempted to turn back to your thing that’s addicting, and your brain is begging you for more dopamine, that’s when you turn to reliance on God.

a) Maybe by spending time in His Word or with Him in prayer.

b) Pray specifically about that addiction, and in your moments of temptation, pray. When the thought crosses your mind, get up, take a walk, and pray. Distract yourself, turn to the Lord, and embrace Him and His Word.

Get accountability

You need accountability and community to break through your addictions.

a) One of the fastest ways to break a habit is to give someone in your life permission to ask you the hard questions, say the hard things to you, and, out of love for you, encourage you to make the right choices in life.

Having an accountability partner is not meant to be like having a friend in your life who is constantly wagging their finger at you in disappointment or reprimanding you for every bad choice you make. Yes, an accountability partner should challenge you to live rightly, but they should also be there to remind you of what is true - you’re forgiven, and you’re free.

a) Accountability isn’t about encouraging each other to avoid what’s wrong but also about encouraging each other to embrace what is right and true.

Accountability isn’t just a Christian thing, either. Science tells us that accountability makes it way more likely that we’ll start or stop behaviors. Have someone in your corner cheering you on!

When you have accountability, it’s a pretty clear sign that you are looking for help. You will need others to help carry you through this because you are not strong enough on your own.

Get professional help

If you have an overwhelming, unrelenting addiction and find yourself in too deep a hole that prayer, fasting, and accountability aren’t working, then talk to your parents about seeking professional help.

Sometimes, the Spirit uses the ministry of other people, churches, programs, and organizations to point you to Him and help you take the steps toward health that you need!

If you need guidance in finding a resource like that, please come and talk with me. I would love to help you find what you need to experience the freedom that Jesus wants for you from someone who is more qualified to help you.

There is no shame or embarrassment that should come from seeking professional help.

GOSPEL

The ultimate example of dependence on the Holy Spirit is found in the moment of salvation. When we come to grips with our sin, we realize it's a burden too deep, too overwhelming to conquer on our own. Addiction is just one manifestation of that brokenness, a sign that we cannot free ourselves from the chains that bind us. But the beauty of the Gospel is that Christ has already carried the weight of sin and addiction to the Cross.

Jesus' death and resurrection paved the way for us to experience true freedom, not only from the guilt of sin but from its power over our lives. When we confess our sin and surrender it to the Lord, we aren’t just asking for forgiveness—we're asking for transformation and freedom. We are turning to the One who defeated death, sin, and every addiction on the Cross, trusting Him to lead us into new life by the power of His Spirit.

Through the Holy Spirit, God offers us a new heart, a new mind, and the strength to overcome what we never could on our own. Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

This freedom is not temporary or conditional; it's eternal and complete.

If you haven't yet taken that step—if you haven't yet asked Jesus to set you free, not only from your addictions but from the sin that separates you from God—I want to give you that opportunity tonight.

Surrender your life to Him, let go of the chains that keep you stuck, and let the Spirit begin the work of true transformation in your life.

Conclusion:

As we wrap up, I want to remind you that the battle with addiction, whether it's something we view as "small" or it’s life-consuming, is a battle you don't have to fight alone.

We’ve talked about the power of dopamine, how our brains can betray us, and how sin can feel like it's controlling our every move, just like Paul described in Romans.

But we’ve also seen that the Bible is clear: you were never meant to live as a slave to addiction or to sin.

Paul says in Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. Throughout this entire series, we will see how God’s Word shows us how to overcome these evil things with good. Through the Holy Spirit, you can overcome addiction with dependence on God, not your own strength.

Christ came to set you free, not only in eternity but in the here and now. His victory on the Cross wasn't just over sin in general but over the very things that bind you—your addiction, your struggles, your failures.

You don’t have to break those chains on your own. In fact, you can't, and that’s why He offers us His Spirit, who helps us overcome what we can’t handle on our own.

This freedom is a process. It’s a journey of learning to depend on the Spirit more and more each day. It might require you to fast from those things that are leading you back into bondage, it might mean getting accountability or professional help, and it will definitely mean replacing your dependence on things like alcohol, your phone, or gossip with a growing dependence on God’s Spirit.

Remember, God is not asking you to be strong enough on your own—He’s asking you to depend on Him. And when you do, He promises freedom. As we close, if you're struggling with addiction or sin in any area of your life, don't leave here tonight without taking the first step toward freedom. Whether it’s talking with a leader, reaching out for help, or simply praying and asking God to work in your heart, the Spirit is ready to help you.