To admit powerlessness is not to admit defeat; it is to recognize the true nature of the struggle. For the Christian, this powerlessness is rooted in the biblical reality of the sinful nature (the flesh). Key Scripture: "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18, NIV) The Apostle Paul articulates the internal conflict that defines addiction and compulsion: knowing what is right, desiring to do it, yet repeatedly failing to carry it out. This verse speaks directly to the cycle of striving and relapse. Step 1 is the declaration that our willpower is insufficient to conquer the spiritual and physical grip of the addiction.

Discussion on Condemnation vs. Conviction: The focus of the current teaching was Romans 8, emphasizing that "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus". Condemnation is defined as the legal voice of "guilt and shame," which makes individuals feel inadequate or defined forever by their mistakes, often resulting in them feeling "labeled". Conviction: In contrast, conviction is described as a that feeling of conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit, which gently encourages correction and restoration after a person slips into sin. The enemy's design is condemnation, aiming to "crush and isolate," while God's conviction is rooted in loving kindness and intended to pick a person up and restore them. Question: Which of these dominate your life? Condemnation or Conviction? Write in the comments below your personal experience with each and why you feel that the dominate forces is active more than the other. This exercise will help you be thinking about the dominate force active in you daily, weekly and so on.

Overcoming Condemnation!