“put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14, KJV)

There are many forms of addiction. Whenever a substance, activity, or anything has such a strong attraction and appeal that the person is powerless to resist, it’s an addiction. Such things are often imposed upon an individual by someone else. The person then becomes trapped by the allurements and cannot escape without great sacrifice and effort.

The Bible describes such a scenario in 2 Peter 2:18-19, when it references those who are “entice[d] by fleshly desires, by sensuality . . . slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” (NASB, emphasis added) It also prescribes the remedy, the setting free from addiction’s mastery, when it says to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14, KJV)

Jesus came to earth, in part, to free the captives. (See Luke 4:18-19.) His overcoming power is promised through the gift of the Holy Spirit, as He begins to live in the one made new in Christ. Whenever an individual is truly born again, that person experiences new and unprecedented power to resist sin. The New Testament describes this in many places, including 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

This truth is further amplified in Romans 6:22. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Addictive and destructive powers are removed, and the person is provided a new deliverance (“free from sin”), a new devotion (“servants to God”), and a new destiny (“everlasting life”). That is freedom. And it’s available in Jesus.