A South African couple were visiting a national park when they saw a python slither out of the grass and under their parked car.
But the python did not come out.
Cautiously, the man looked under the car but the python had disappeared.
Then the man lifted the hood. There, the giant snake had made herself comfortable around the car engine!
Here is the message the Lord gave me about this story:
Addictions don't belong in our brains any more than a snake belongs in a car engine.
The picture shows you exactly how the spirit of addiction operates!
A python kills through constriction. It wraps around the person, putting them in bondage. Each time the person breathes, the snake coils around them even tighter until the person can't breathe anymore.
Here is the sad thing: Many people start treating that snake as a pet.
They keep feeding it and it deceives them into thinking that it is a part of who they are. They think they cannot live without it.
However, an addictive spirit is never satisfied.
No matter how much you feed it, it will always want more. It will keep feeding upon you until it takes your life.
Several years ago, I watched a documentary called "I eat 33,000 calories per day" about four people who were in bondage to food addiction.
Check out this 5-minute clip from the documentary. It is sad because you see how this lady's food choices are squeezing the life out of her:
It was sobering for me to realize that I was on that same road that Lisa was on.
But it was God's grace that showed me a better path to take. I can't deceive myself in thinking I can go back to my old ways. All that will do is invite that "snake" to come back.
I have decided to choose life and blessing rather than death and cursing.
Breaking free from an addiction requires both prayer and practicality. Prayer is self-explanatory, but the practicality part requires protecting yourself from those things that feed the addictive spirit.
You do those things that nurture you rather than harm you. You find out what 'need' that addictive spirit was filling in a counterfeit way and you seek God's wisdom to fill that need in a way that pleases Him.
It does hurt your flesh to say 'no' when it seems that your whole body is screaming for that addictive substance.
And yet, you are not willing to believe the lie that says: "I can't live without it." You declare instead,
I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord (Psalm 118:17)."
You choose life and make steps toward life rather than hiding out from it in an addiction, knowing that the Lord is with you every step of the way.
Jesus came so that we do not have to live in bondage and fear. Galatians 5:1 encourages us:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Grab hold of the freedom that you have in Jesus. Make daily choices that build your health and you will have peace.
If a choice does not give you peace, then don't go there. Trust in the Lord to strengthen you as you create new core health habits that empower you to be about your Father's business.