Lesson 2: Jesus is our only hope
Romans 6:17 - But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.

We begin the road to freedom from addiction by acknowledging we cannot do this by ourselves. We need help! And while another person can provide encouragement or advice, there is only one who can help us change who we are on the inside – Jesus. Why is this so important? It is important because overcoming our addiction will not be easy. We will fail many times, and the evil one will tell us over and over that we can never get it done, we can never be over comers. We must be like that little child who is learning to walk. He takes one step and falls. Mom or dad picks him up, sets him back on his feet, wipes away the tears, and encourages him to try again. The next time he tries he again takes only one step and falls. This may happen many times, but each time mom or dad picks him up, hugs him, and encourages him to try again. Slowly the child takes more and more steps before falling, and before long learns not only to walk but to run – time, patience and a desire to learn and, in our case, to be free from our addiction.

It may be days before we can take more than one step successfully. There will also be days in which all of the steps we take seem to be going in the wrong direction. But we must choose to trust that Jesus never forsakes us, never gives up on us, never says it cannot be done. It may be a beginning success for you to deny the thing you crave for one hour or one day – taking one step at a time. The important thing for you is choosing to dismiss doubt and making the choice to trust that Jesus loves you, that He loved you enough to die for you, and He says He loves you forever – see Jeremiah 31:3.


In this study I will encourage you to memorize Scripture. And this verse is the first one I ask you to memorize because it will become an anchor for you, something for you to hold onto no matter how many times you might fail. And every time you fail, you go back to 1 John 1:9 and confess your failure to Jesus, asking Him to help you again, then get back up and continue the race choosing to trust that He will do so!

Prayer for today: Dear Jesus, I know I am imperfect, and I cannot change this addiction on my own. I am sorry I ever got into this habit of (name your addiction), and now I am in chains I cannot break. I ask You to forgive me, and to help me become free so I may serve You as You intended and designed me to serve You.