“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,”. Psalms 63:5 ESV
http://bible.com/59/psa.63.5.esv
“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” Psalms 103:10 ESV
http://bible.com/59/psa.103.10.esv
The notion that a soul can be satisfied with fat and rich food would suggest that the spiritual and the physical are inseparable. It stands to reason then, that my addiction is not merely a physical problem. It is rooted in something deeper, something more foundational.
Any addiciton is a substitute for God in our life. Everyone, whether they believe so or not, has a God shaped space. We call it a heart or soul, but whatever it is called, it is meant to be filled by a loving God. Yet, we look to fill it with pleasure, love for self or selfishness, alcohol, food, sex, codependency or a host of other things. This is why Chesterton says that when we enter a brothel, we are really looking for God. Our need to fill this space will be satisfied, if with some counterfeit to God’s deep love.
So to resist the temptation toward our addiction, we must not only stay sober from whatever our addict desires. We must also reshape our attitude toward ourselves, that we are created for good, and reform our thinking to acknowledge the need for a power greater than ourselves to overcome our addict.
Thankfully God knows of our tendency to look to fill the spiritual void in all the wrong places. The Bible calls this sin, and no matter what you call it, God does not deal with us accordingly nor does He repay evil with evil, but with love.
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Psalms 103:8 ESV
A Recovery Pilgrim 