Brothers, I have experienced this same type of defeat over and over. I was
so sick of my sin that I wanted to die. In fact I was so grieved that I
begged God to just kill. In spite of this I continued to sin.

My continual sin of p & m was not the problem but the result. As you
indicated the addictions suffered by these men were not the problem but the
result of a much greater problem.

I absolutely believe that the reason that Christians continue to sin is
because Jesus Christ is not the Lord of their lives. Jesus is their Savior
but not their Lord. Until we are willing to be slaves to Christ we will not
discover the glorious freedom and joy and peace and power that is ours.

Isn't it remarkable that we could trust Jesus with our souls but not with
our lives. We trust Jesus with our eternity but will not trust Him with our
today. I'm not condemning anyone but rather looking at this as one of you.
After all I spent 30 years imprisoned in an addiction to p & m. Sixteen of
those 30 years were after I asked Jesus to be my Savior.

During those sixteen years I tried everything. The problem just got worse. I
wondered why the WORD of God had no power for me. My emotions concerning
this were completely out of control that I thought at times that my heart
would explode. I was so desparate to escape that I was willing to die. I had
no hope.

Then one day, completely broken, I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life not
just my Savior. I was willing to do whatever He wanted me to do. I was
willing to become a slave of Jesus Christ. Finally my willingness to follow
Christ was greater than any fear I had.

This my dear brothers is the key to FREEDOM, FREEDOM IN CHRIST. Yes, freedom
is found in complete submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is the
irony and mystery of God. Slavery to Christ is Freedom, freedom in a way
that is beyond our understanding and comprehension. Our God has such a
glorious life awaiting us and it is found in submission to His will.

Brothers, I leave you with this word from my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?John+15

The Vine and the Branches

¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[1] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
⁹"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

Spiritual Nourishment helps with stress

We need to
- Talk with our families - tell them about our daily stresses, pain, etc!
- Talk with our friends - We need a support network of people who care!
- or write our brothers in the FIC group

Consider the choice of spiritual water we have in the following two verses

John 4:10

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
Jeremiah 2:13

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

- ALSO CONSIDER -

Isaiah 55:1-2

1
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.