Who's Your Master?

 

Objective - Students will understand the importance of being yielded to the Spirit of God and will take steps to break the power of any addictions that they may have.

Key Scripture - 1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 

Key Thought - Whatever controls you is your master.

Lesson Summary - Tonight’s lesson was part of a four-part series called “Deal With It: A Biblical Approach to Tough Topics.” In each of the four parts of this series, we will discover the biblical approach to some rather difficult topics. In tonight’s lesson, we took the principles from Scripture and applied them to the topic of addiction. We want our students to know that whatever controls them is their master. The point of the lesson was not to deal with one specific kind of addiction but to have the students consider the question, “Is there anything that has power over me and is controlling me?” We discussed a variety of different activities and substances that students could become addicted to. We shared some warning signs that students could use to evaluate their behavior. Some common warning signs are these:

1. Obsessing about the activity

2. Loss of control

3. Inability to stay away or stop

4. Deception or hiding

5. Withdrawing from normal or expected activity

6. Being distracted during normal activities

7. Ignoring risk factors

8. Anxiety or rash behavior when you can’t participate.

If you happen to see any of these warning signs present in the life of your child, don’t be afraid to address it with them. Your child is too valuable to ignore the signs of potential addictive habits. As a way to stay on the road to recovery, we encouraged the students to... 

1. Reach Up (1 Corinthians 6:20; Matthew 11:28-30): Admit to themselves and to God that they have an addiction.

2. Reach Out (Proverbs 27:17): Get help from a trusted friend or counselor.

3. Look Inside (2 Corinthians 10:5): Take control of their thinking by yielding it to God.

4. Look Around (Romans 13:14): Get rid of anything that would tempt them to relapse.

5. Stay Tough (Ephesians 6:11-13): Be persistent and never give up.