The topic for prayer for April is addictions. Pray for all suffering from addictions of any kind, especially drug and alcohol addictions:
• Pray that God will impact the lives of people with addictions
• Pray they will be delivered from their addictions
• Pray they will come to know God as their Saviour
• Pray that the people who supply them will be caught or stop dealing
• Pray that God will help the families of these people, keep them safe and bless them with food
• Pray that God will protect the children in these families
• Pray that the dealers trying to sell drugs in schools will be caught and stopped
• Pray that God will help the police dealing with drug-related problems and families
• Pray that God will help the police to clean up the drugs and drug-related problems in our villages
• Pray for any other problems with addictions.
Addiction is defined as “the continued use of a mood altering substance or behaviour despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviours.” Addictions can include, but are not limited to, drug abuse, exercise abuse, sexual activity and gambling. Classic hallmarks of addiction include impaired control over substances or behaviour, preoccupation with substance or behaviour, continued use despite consequences, and denial. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification (short-term reward), coupled with delayed deleterious effects (long-term costs).
Jesus died on the cross to set us free from all sins and all addictions. He has the power to deliver us from everything that would lead us into slavery. When we are addicted, something else has mastery over us. We may not even realise this (since denial is so strong within us), but we need Jesus to set us free from every other master. Paul says, ‘ “I have the right to do anything,” you say— but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.’ (1 Cor 6:12) Peter says, “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” (2 Peter 2:19), a theme developed by Paul at great length in Romans 6:
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Rom 6:8-14)
Let’s pray for people to come to know the liberating power of Christ and to be set free from addictions in His mighty name!