A Daily Encounter reader writes, “I’m writing this in pure despair. I’ve written to some other Christian organizations only to receive ‘canned’ responses. I am a 50-year-old woman and have been a drug addict since the age of 13. I have been in many treatments, had psychiatric care, on psychiatric meds, in all kinds of 12-step programs, attended Church on a regular basis, read my Bible daily, prayed earnestly, helped others in leading them to the Lord … on and on and on. But I am hopelessly defeated.

“I’ve often thought that I had a demon or demons in me. I have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and even pray in tongues, but nothing happens. I don’t seem to hear from God. Has He given up on me? I’m so scared of going to hell. I don’t want to be this way. Please help me.”

Hello, Jeanie (name changed),

I am sorry to hear of your plight and your struggle. First, let me say, you are not lost. It is our faith in Christ that saves us for all eternity—not our own good works. As long as you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for your sins, and have accepted him as your Savior, you will never be lost nor will you go to hell.

Second, you can never go it alone to rescue yourself from your addiction. You need to continue in a good recovery program for support and to help you get and stay off drugs. And I urge you to find a good Christian counselor who specializes in helping people overcome addictive behaviors.

Third, only God and your unconscious mind know the root cause/s of your addiction. So I urge you to earnestly seek God to reveal to you the truth; that is, the root cause of your problem. You will need to be willing to face this truth with all your heart because in reality you may not want to do this because it is too painful. Tell God that you are willing to be made willing to see this truth no matter how much it hurts. Also ask God to help you find the help you need to resolve your problem.

Fourth, you may also need some medical care to help you overcome the addictive side of drugs.

Fifth, it is highly unlikely that a demon is the cause of your drug addiction. True, Satan is the ultimate cause of all our failures, but when we fail to deal with and resolve them, we give him a foothold. But when we bring our problems “into the light” and resolve them, the enemy loses his foothold.

Finally, a reminder to always pray for the truth as today’s Scripture says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” So again, ask God to confront you with the truth behind your addictive behavior; that is, help you to see the root cause of your addiction—and never give up until you see it. And remember that God loves you and is with you no matter what. He loves you with an everlasting love and wants to help you overcome your problem.

Here’s a suggested prayer you could pray: “Dear God, I admit that I am a drug addict and am asking you to help me. Have mercy on me a sinner. I beg you to show me the truth of the cause behind my addiction. Please do this for me no matter how much it hurts, and please help me to find the help I need to overcome. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Note: For further help read “Overcoming Drug Dependency,” at:

http://tinyurl.com/drug-dependency.

For counseling resources see https://learning.actsweb.org/counseling_resources.php

1. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).