VERSES ABOUT VICES AND ADDICTIONS

Addiction and bad habits can be so destructive. Think about it, addiction is clinging to something—a behavior, a substance, an activity, even a person—that's actually harming you. So many of us struggle with these things, feeling trapped by a vice or an addiction. Sometimes, we feel like it's because of our past.

But here's the truth: in God, we're free. Christ set us free from all of that and forgave our sins. If you keep dwelling on the past, those chains can really hold you back. Sometimes, these struggles can even stem from negative spiritual influences, finding a foothold and coming to light when we unknowingly open a door, giving the enemy a legal right to step in.

You have the power to let go of what's binding you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of bondage you need to address. Receive God's forgiveness and His healing. He's there for you.

I pray that we all find freedom from anything that's hurting us and holding us back. Just like it says in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

When that time comes, I will free you from the power of Assyria, and their yoke will no longer be a burden on your shoulders.”

Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

Someone will say, “I am allowed to do anything.” Yes; but not everything is good for you. I could say that I am allowed to do anything, but I am not going to let anything make me its slave.

So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.

Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.

If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.

Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.

Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised.Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me.

Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world.

Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.

I cried to you for help, O Lord my God, and you healed me;

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears.

Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you;

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens; he rescues them from all their troubles.The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all who pray to you.

Do not be afraid—I am with you! I am your God—let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,and so no disaster will strike you, no violence will come near your home.God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go.They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.You will trample down lions and snakes, fierce lions and poisonous snakes.God says, “I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them. I will rescue them and honor them.I will reward them with long life; I will save them.”can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.”

Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget how kind he is.Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels, who obey his commands, who listen to what he says.Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers, you servants of his, who do his will!Praise the Lord, all his creatures in all the places he rules. Praise the Lord, my soul!He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy.

Then in their trouble they called to the Lord, and he saved them from their distress.He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains in pieces.

I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you.

He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Can you carry fire against your chest without burning your clothes?Can you walk on hot coals without burning your feet?

Drinking too much makes you loud and foolish. It's stupid to get drunk.

Listen, my child, be wise and give serious thought to the way you live.If you have a big appetite, restrain yourself.Don't associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food.Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.

Show me people who drink too much, who have to try out fancy drinks, and I will show you people who are miserable and sorry for themselves, always causing trouble and always complaining. Their eyes are bloodshot, and they have bruises that could have been avoided.Don't be greedy for the fine food he serves; he may be trying to trick you.Don't let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, and it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly.The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake.

If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.

You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.Trust in the Lord forever; he will always protect us.

He strengthens those who are weak and tired.A voice cries out, “Prepare in the wilderness a road for the Lord! Clear the way in the desert for our God!Even those who are young grow weak; young people can fall exhausted.But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.

I am the Lord your God; I strengthen you and tell you, ‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’”

Israel, the Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine.“People of Israel, you are my witnesses; I chose you to be my servant, so that you would know me and believe in me and understand that I am the only God. Besides me there is no other god; there never was and never will be.“I alone am the Lord, the only one who can save you.I predicted what would happen, and then I came to your aid. No foreign god has ever done this; you are my witnesses.I am God and always will be. No one can escape from my power; no one can change what I do.”Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says, “To save you, I will send an army against Babylon; I will break down the city gates, and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.I am the Lord, your holy God. I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”Long ago the Lord made a road through the sea, a path through the swirling waters.He led a mighty army to destruction, an army of chariots and horses. Down they fell, never to rise, snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!But the Lord says, “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already—you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.

I have swept your sins away like a cloud. Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”

But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.

“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.

Lord, heal me and I will be completely well; rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. You are the one I praise!

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart.I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you.

Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light.

Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.’

Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest.“Tell us,” they asked Jesus, “are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?”For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”

Jesus said to her, “My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your trouble.”

For there is nothing that God cannot do.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed

Jesus answered, “What is humanly impossible is possible for God.”

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”

you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.

I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his cross, in order that the power of the sinful self might be destroyed, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin.

Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies, so that you obey the desires of your natural self.Nor must you surrender any part of yourselves to sin to be used for wicked purposes. Instead, give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.

Surely you know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to obey someone, you are in fact the slaves of the master you obey—either of sin, which results in death, or of obedience, which results in being put right with God.But thanks be to God! For though at one time you were slaves to sin, you have obeyed with all your heart the truths found in the teaching you received.You were set free from sin and became the slaves of righteousness.

There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.But if Christ lives in you, the Spirit is life for you because you have been put right with God, even though your bodies are going to die because of sin.If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you. So then, my friends, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to.For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live.Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's children.For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!”God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children.Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children.For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.

To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.

If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.Ask God to bless those who persecute you—yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise. If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good.Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.”Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light.Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day—no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy.But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God;Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? Well, then, if you are to judge the world, aren't you capable of judging small matters?he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.

Do not be fooled. “Bad companions ruin good character.”

How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said, “I will make my home with my people and live among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”And so the Lord says, “You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives.The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments;we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.

so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.

What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.

What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions;Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, it means that Christ is of no use to you at all.in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups;they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.

So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires.Your hearts and minds must be made completely new,and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.

You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light,

Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power.Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.

And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.

because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.

I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.

He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son,by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.

You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry).

God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality.Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way,

So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober.It is at night when people sleep; it is at night when they get drunk.But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet.

and avoid every kind of evil.May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, religion does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have.

For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.

Avoid the passions of youth, and strive for righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who with a pure heart call out to the Lord for help.

That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world,

And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise.

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.Our human fathers punished us for a short time, as it seemed right to them; but God does it for our own good, so that we may share his holiness.When we are punished, it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life.Lift up your tired hands, then, and strengthen your trembling knees!Keep walking on straight paths, so that the lame foot may not be disabled, but instead be healed. Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it.Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison.Let no one become immoral or unspiritual like Esau, who for a single meal sold his rights as the older son.Afterward, you know, he wanted to receive his father's blessing; but he was turned back, because he could not find any way to change what he had done, even though in tears he looked for it. You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm,the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word,Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.

But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.

Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.”

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that other believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings.

But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

Prayer