Addictions - Drugs

14/04/2006
Regards to being married to a drug addict, isn’t it our responsibility to stay in those relationships and not to walk away? You can’t fix a situation by walking away, by leaving it.

Once somebody has done everything they can to stay in that relationship and get that person help, if the person refuses to want to get help, then no, there’s no responsibility on that person’s part to stay in that relationship. I think it’s cruel for somebody to have to endure the addiction of somebody else. That person wants to stay addicted to something, then that person should stay addicted by themselves. Support that person to get that person help. Separation from that person may eventually get that person to get the help that they need if they really want help.

And if they don’t want help, then there’s not much somebody can do. And why should they stay connected to a person who’s yielded themselves to the devil through drugs and through alcoholism? That’s just not something that I find. I don’t find that God is a cruel God who would require people to stay in situations like that. But first you have to do everything you can to try to work it out with that person and after you’ve exhausted every opportunity to get that person the help that they need, then you can move on from that relationship.

Addictions - Drugs

14/04/2006
Could you be married to somebody that does drugs and still remain a Christian? I feel my sister is getting off track of her faith because of the problems of being married to somebody that does drugs. It seems like he is married to the drugs and not to her because he’s never there for her. The thing is, she believes that because she is a Christian, that her job is to take upon whatever God gives to her because she’s married to him and she owes responsibility to God because she took him.

Well, certainly, she shouldn’t stay in that relationship if he’s addicted to drugs and he’s not doing anything to change it. If he really recognizes that and wants to get help, she needs to help him get well. He doesn’t even have to try to get help from God, although God is the only one that’s ultimately going to be able to help him. But there are programs in place where people can get free from drug addictions and co-dependencies on drugs and those kinds of things.

So, yes, she needs to be able to have the freedom to move on with her life if he’s more married to drugs that he is to her. She’s got to release him. You’ve got to encourage her.

She’s right that she needs to take on whatever God brings to her. But God didn’t put those drugs in that man’s life, the devil did. And therefore, she’s no longer responsible for something that he has yielded to the devil.

Drugs are dangerous. Drugs kill. Drugs destroy. What kind of environment is that to raise children in? Absolutely not. My advice to her would be move on with your life as a Christian. Let him know you love him and you’ll always be there for him and you’ll always be supportive of him, you’ll always pray for him and you’ll always welcome him back if he truly wants to get help, but if he doesn’t want to get help, she’s got to move on. She’s got to be bold.

Addictions - Drugs

09/03/2006
My ex-wife is addicted to crack cocaine, and my kids and I have been praying for her. How do I get to the root of the problem?

All addiction is rooted in a lack of fellowship and a lack of closeness to God. As soon as you are addicted to the Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t be addicted to anything else. God created every one of us to be satisfied by Him. We should not look for our satisfaction or fulfillment some other way, but we need to make Him our love, our drug – make Him our best friend.

Philip said in John 14:8 to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, then we shall be satisfied.” When you are in the right relationship with your Heavenly Father, then you will be satisfied. That will take away the desire or need for other things to satisfy you. So, I encourage you to pray for your ex-wife to open her eyes and see that and to draw nearer to the Lord.