“For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
—Hebrews 2:18
While September is National Recovery Month, addiction is a year-round struggle faced by one in seven Americans. Cissie Graham Lynch recently shared her battle with addiction on her podcast, “Fearless with Cissie Graham Lynch.”
For three years Lynch wrestled with her weight, which resulted in an addiction to pills.
“I became a prisoner in my own skin. I hated myself,” Franklin Graham’s daughter said. “[I knew] Satan had bondage in my life and had these chains wrapped around me.”
>> Listen to the “Fearless with Cissie Graham Lynch” podcast through the BGEA app or Cissie Graham Lynch’s website.
Recognizing she couldn’t face this battle alone, Lynch prayed for God to take away her addiction constantly. In this podcast episode, Lynch shared the story of how she found victory over her struggles, along with five tips she learned along the way:
1. Have hope in the Gospel.
“We have to address our sin and we have to know that we were good enough, we had worth enough, that God loved us enough that He died publicly before the whole world on that cross for you and for me. And that three days later, He rose again from the dead. … He promises us that same power.”
2. Anchor yourself in God’s Word.
“[So much] temptation comes in the darkness of the night, but God tells us what the light is—and the light in the darkness is His Word and His Word only.”
3. Avoid temptation.
“You can’t put yourself in situations where Satan’s gonna think, ‘Yes, I have a little leeway.’ Satan is coming after you and he’s gonna fight hard for you.”
4. Don’t face this battle alone.
“You don’t have to have a big group. You don’t have to tell everybody in the world what happened to you or what you’re struggling with, but you gotta tell somebody … you need help.”
5. Serve others.
“Addiction is all about you. You’re self-serving, you’re self-seeking, you’re not thinking about anybody else. [But Jesus] ransomed you and me. He can ransom you from the addiction you are facing, and I believe it’s so important to follow what He did—and that’s to serve others, not to be served.”
