John Mark Comer wrote, in Live No Lies, “Addiction is a kind of prolonged suicide by pleasure.”
Let that sink in – prolonged suicide by pleasure. Another way to say it is that addiction will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.
Paul summarized, “The penalty for sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
With addiction, that is a slow death from a self-inflicted wound.
So why do we do it? For one thing, until the price we pay is greater than the pleasure we attain, we keep the behavior going. And until we decide to trade what we want now for what we want most, we will never get well.
Recovery Step: Your addiction is a prolonged suicide by pleasure. But it doesn’t have to end that way. Get help now.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
