Everyone in life is addicted to something in some form; we are all escaping a release, a greater path, some sort of meaning or fulfillment in some shape often without even realizing it. This can manifest in the form of substance abuse, but can also show up as being addicted to work, shopping, fitness, even dare I say misguided spirituality with an excess of yoga, meditation, and spending time going within searching for the answers of life.
In this blog post today I want to finally look behind the curtain of this condition, and share why we need a balance in our lives of not only going within, but also looking outwards towards a greater spiritual force – wherein this post I shall refer to as God/Holy Spirit.
I will not be diving specifically into any religion, nor do I believe a specific religion is the answer, but instead answering why developing a healthy relationship with God could be the missing piece of guiding you towards a healthy, fulfilled, balanced life of purpose.
In a prior blog post I described the importance of developing our intuition, and the difference between intuition and a connection with God. You can read that post here, and In that post I noted that, “While yes, our intuition can be a great aid, it is also subject to deception, and we should always counter balance our intuition with the connection of the Holy Spirit, to be sure we are following the correct impulses."
Let’s clarify this farther here … Intuition is an energetic form of communication with the world and the energy around us. The Holy Spirit is a higher perspective; it guides to innate purpose based on love and connection.
It’s easy to lean on intuition for it comes from within, it’s inside, a part of us. It preys to the selfish ego that we have all the wisdom – in contrast the Holy Spirit is greater than us, it is a force above and beyond our perception.
Remember, pride says “no I can do it myself”, or, “I don’t want to admit I don’t know everything”, or even, “I don’t want to admit that there are forces greater than I at play”.
Calling out to, and trusting, the Holy Spirit requires putting aside pride and taking on an attitude of humility.
So how does this play in with addiction of life substances and needing God? Blatantly, our souls crave this connection, this fulfillment of God, not just for answers but like a child needs their parent. Without that we succumb to these addictions as a way of trying to fulfill this need because we do not even realize we have it!
In John 4:13-14 Jesus was talking to a woman at a well who was drawing water and He declared, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of this water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Psalms 50:15 states, “Call on me (God) in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
The problem is life has shifted in such a direction we like to believe we have all the power within us. Yet even in all of our advances in science we will still never amount to the role of Divine Creator like our Heavenly Father is; we still need Him, and without Him we have this longing in our heart, we have questions that need answers, a depravity stirring in our souls, that only the peace, and wisdom, of God can fulfill.
Even I can struggle with this; as I create posts and content it is easy to attempt to use my mind, my ego, to write content rather than turning to God and writing the content that He has placed on my soul.
However, while it’s easier to turn to my mind the content that I write is always so much more powerful, and true to my Soul and Purpose, when I trust Him to guide me; such is true in all aspects of my life! From when I am tired and stressed it’s so important to rely on His power to comfort or guide me, rather than my own understanding and addictions of food, shopping, or my big one – smoking! And as I said earlier, I do struggle with this; it’s not about perfection, but a gentle reminding and a continual striving after.
Matthew 4:4 declares quite evidently, “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
And Matthew 6:31-33, “…These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” One final Bible Passage I am called to turn too is in Isaiah 6 where it describes angels(seraphim) who are praising God, singing out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”. If even these majestic beings know to turn to God, to honour Him, who are we to think otherwise?
So how can we start turning to God in our lives, breaking free from these addictions in our life? Stepping into the true power and purpose God intended for us?
1. Ask; take a moment right now even, or later on, and simply send a prayer to God asking him to guide you and to reveal Himself to you! Am I saying you suddenly have to go to church, or put aside any doubts of religion? No. You are going direct to God, I urge you to try it and see what unfolds.
2. Inquire – Do not be afraid to ask if what you are receiving is of God, of the ego, or of some other Spirit.
3. Take Action – Set a plan in place in to permit more time for God in your life, ask Him to guide you to methods, people, and situations to open up your heart, and to direct your life and then be sure to follow through!
4. Trust – This falls in line similar with taking action, but taking it a step forward. Knowing God’s wisdom is greater than your wisdom, so after you have asked and inquired, trusting the process that unfolds!
5. Be Patient and Have Courage – Consider the farmers who wait for rains, who have a specific time to harvest trusting in their crop (James 5:7). Trust, walk in confidence, be courageous, knowing you are no longer just relying on your sole power but on the power of God, the Creator.
When you follow these 5 steps I can guarantee your life will become more peaceful, more effortless. You will find more freedom, and joy, and those addictions in life you experienced, though you may not have recognized, will start to fall away as you step into the true purpose and power in your life that God created you for.