A Prayer for Freedom from the Chains of Addiction
By: Amanda Idleman
Bible Reading: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." - 2 Corinthians 3:17
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Addiction is the enemy's way of entangling us in life-stealing practice. When we are battling addiction, we find ourselves slaves to the chemicals our bodies have become dependent on. It could be the high we gain while on drugs, the momentary pleasure from engaging with pornography, or the temporary satisfaction that comes when we overindulge. When we hand over our lives to this need, we lose the ability to live with self-control, and many times, the consequences of this entrapment are devastating.
In our home, we are raising kids who have lost devastatingly vast parts of their stories as a result of their first families' addiction. My heart continually grieves for the unknowns that will follow my children for a lifetime. The parts of their identity stolen because addiction ruled. The physical, emotional, and spiritual harm done to their tiny developing bodies because a chemical took away their first parents' ability to love them the way they needed to. While I can never undo what has been done, I can pray that God brings freedom and redemption in the places of their stories and their birth parents' stories that the enemy intended for evil.
If you have walked alongside someone who has struggled or been harmed as a result of addiction, I also grieve with you. For those who desire freedom and healing for those we love, there is also a heavy weight of grief we have to surrender over to our Father. He is our Comforter and great burden-bearer.
There is hope! The God of all miracles desires, just as we do, that the people we care for find and experience freedom while here in the land of the living. Where God’s Spirit is, there is freedom. He has the power to rewire our minds and bodies, to bring the support we need to remain faithful to a new, free life, and loves us enough to meet us in those dark places so we can find our way back to the light again.
God cares for the brokenhearted and is constantly at work righting wrongs that no human has the power to redeem on their own. In our daughter's story, her birth dad found God in jail while she was stuck in foster care. After years of struggling, he gave his life to the Lord, and God began to do what only he can! He is a creative God.
Now, two years since he got out of jail and one year since he was able to begin to know his daughter again, he remains clean! There is joy in his life and grace for his daughter to be in his story despite the brokenness that once was because of addiction. There is so much to their story that we happen to be a part of that only God could do! After walking this road of foster care and adoption, I am certain that God desires to bring freedom and is actively pursuing those stuck in dark places.
The first step towards freedom for ourselves and for those we love is prayer. The prayers of the saints are powerful. We must invite God to shine light where only he can. To show his love in ways that only we would see. And to provide a hope and a future for children who are victims of this evil.
If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of lies, helplessness, and dependence, seek help. Freedom comes as a gift from God, and learning a new way to live happens in the context of community. We need accountability in order to overcome our flesh and the powers that want to leave us bound.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord, we thank you that when your Spirit lives in us, we have access to a miracle-working power that brings freedom from every kind of addiction. We ask that your healing power would be at work in our lives and the lives of those we love. Bring every dark thing into the light. Bring repentance. Let your love wildly cover us all. Restore the things that have been lost in our lives because of sin. Protect those around addiction, not allowing the evil to steal from the innocent. We thank you that you are at work every day, creatively writing stories filled with redemption and grace. Do it again, Jesus. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/chaiyapruek2520
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Originally published Sunday, 16 March 2025.
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