October-Anointed Fire Magazine-Tiffany Kameni

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Getting Clean-Spiritual RehabBy Tiffany Kameni

When you see the title, I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is drug rehabilitation or alcohol rehabilitation. But, this demonstration is going to be very similar since the process is similar and what is backing any addiction is a spirit, whether it be a chemical dependency, people dependency, etc. It all stems from a void somewhere within the victim that hasn't been filled, making them hollow in that part of their being.

Before we go into the belly of this, we must first enter the mouth. What creates an addict? What is the stuff that addictions are made of? One word: victimization. One very common trait of most addicts is they were victims of something, as we all were. For one person, it could be something as horrid as rape, while for another, a household that lacked discipline could have been the trigger.Many would probably not agree with this assessment, especially an addict who grew up in a happy, normal household who simply succumb to the peer pressures of fitting in, however, the message conveyed here is clear: Most people who became chemically dependent on something were victims at the time of their further decline into drug and/or alcohol use. And no matter what science says, there is a trigger in all of us and when someone finds themselves penetrating addictive behaviors, more than likely, they were fired off by something.

Let's take this into your walk with the LORD. Sure, you're no drug addict. Never have been. Or maybe you were, at one point in your life, but now, you're sober. You're no alcoholic. Maybe, just maybe, you took some drinks in your life, but now that you're living for the LORD, alcohol is a thing of the past. But, does this make you clean? According to the world's standards, yes. But, according to GOD's standard, no. To be clean, in relation to our soul is freedom.

To be clean, means to be rid of whatever is polluting our normal thoughts. A person in addiction is fueled by their belief that they need whatever it is or whoever it is that they are dependent on. When they become clean, by world's standards, they have moved on through the use of counseling, rehab, etc. But, according to the world, once an addict, always an addict. Why is that? The answer is in the WORD. Luke 11:24-26 reads, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Once you have been delivered from an unclean spirit, including a demonic spirit of addiction, if that spirit is allowed back in, it does not come alone. It brings seven more evil than itself! Now, with the world, when they stay in the world and deliverance does not take place, they are not at all free from that spirit. They simply begin to resist it's advances. They became of no use to that spirit because no matter how hard it tried, they were in rehab, they were in counseling, they were toughing it out. So, that spirit left. But, after leaving, when finding no where else to go, it determines that it will come back to it's host, but because that spirit knows this person has gotten stronger in resisting it, it brings back more spirits, more evil than itself. In other words, they spirits were stronger than that spirit. How did it get the chance to come back? Because, that soul has not been submitted to GOD. And before we go further, submission to GOD is not just going to church and reading the bible. Submission is full surrender of the flesh and the spirit man to GOD's will. In that, according to James 4:7, that devil will


flee from that person.

Again, let's apply this to our everyday lives. What have you been addicted to? What are you addicted to? Repetitive behaviors sometimes tell a story that we are unwilling to hear. Imagine this: Husband goes out of the door to go and play basketball with some friends. But, his wife, accustomed to having him home, believes she smells a fish. She begins to interrogate her husband about his whereabouts, motives and choice to break the norm. She's frustrated. She's angry and hurt. What's wrong? Is her husband horrible? No. When she felt in control of her life, she was fine, but her husband's break in routine behavior triggered a hurt that was already in her. Whatever lied dormant within her is no longer dormant because the plug was pulled out of her routine. She was dependent on her husband to keep whatever it was hurting her in a coma.

Another example would be a man accustomed to making a six figured salary. He was used to the nice things and depended on those things to make him happy. But, one day, Proverbs 23:5 got activated in his life. “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” The stock market crashed, his gambling debts peaked and he ended his life.

What happened here? What happened with the dependent wife? What happens with the chemical addict? It's simple. Whatever and whomever we depend on, we have made lord over our lives. And if it's lord, it is our head. And the head controls the movement of the body. Therefore, if drugs have become the head of a woman, she will move for it, in whatever direction it is. If alcohol is a man's addiction, it has become his head and he will move for it, always in the direction of it. And if anyone makes another person their head (except in cases with husband and wife, since husband is the head of the wife and CHRIST is the head of the man), they become dependent on that person. Think of a maniac spirit. You have heard the story a thousand times. A man beats and controls his wife. She finally gets up the courage to leave him and he decides to stalk her, eventually taking her life and his own. What happened? He became used to and dependent on her presence. She became his source of blame. She became his outlet. His power over her was intoxicating. He needed it. He depended on it and when she took it away, his obsession with her spilled over. She, in his life, was his lord. She was his head and because she is gone, he doesn't know any other direction to move in, except in her direction.

Any and all dependencies have a root, or several roots. And if that root is not pulled out of the soil, it will continue to sprout.

IDENTIFYING THE ROOTOf course, the next question is, “Where is the root?” Sometimes the root is easily identified and sometimes it is not. What triggers an emotional outburst in that person? Who does that person show more hostility towards? Is he or she always frustrated with his or her mother? Dad? What about women or men in general? Sometimes reviewing and paying close attention to one's behaviors and past behavioral issues will yield the answers that we are looking for. Nevertheless, the root sometimes, goes deeper than what we see. The best and only way I would suggest to find out what and where the root is, of course, is prayer. Prayer allows us to see the full depth of what we are dealing with and fasting strips the flesh of it's hiding power and reveals the hidden parts of our soul.


UPROOTING THE SOURCEJust as the world has displayed with people dependent on drugs and alcohol, the very same truth stands before us today. The addict must desire to be free. If they are still in denial, pray that the LORD opens their eyes. You may be, for example, dealing with a loved one who is full of rage and does not see their rage as anything short of other people's doings. Understand that this person is blind and cannot see the truth, no matter how you cram it in their face. Ask the LORD to open their eyes. You don't have to lay before the LORD, begging and shooting off hours of speech, that is man's religious way of believing that the LORD is a man and HE is not. You simply make your request known to HIM. HE wants your trust with it. HE will do the dealing.

Sometimes, communication is a great way to get someone to reveal what lies deep within their soul. There are times that people won't reveal their hurts to us because we try to cover our past hurts with them. Your testimony is vital. If you have been where they are, tell them! They need to hear this. You are a human GPS, telling them that you've been down that road and the direction you took to get off it. Fast for them, pray for them, but never pacify that hurt. Instead, you should encourage the victory that is within that soul to come out. It's not okay to be an enabler. It's not okay to justify evil behavior, keeping in mind that a broken spirit needs to be healed, not bandaged.

WHAT IF THE ADDICT IS YOUThe answer is simple. Your mind has to be changed. You have to learn to think differently, and redirect your energy. You can't do this if you're idle. You can't do this if you're in denial. What or who is it that you are dependent on? The first step is to recognize where the problem is and where it stems from. Is it unforgiveness. Is it abandonment? Is it rape?The second step is to repent of that and all of your sins. Please note that repent doesn't simply mean to say you are sorry. You have to turn away from the sin. That is, be thee transformed by the renewing of your mind. Change your mind about what you want for yourself. Don't entertain thoughts of that thing or person. Repent to the LORD and tell HIM how you feel. Tell HIM what you want, ask for it by name!Thirdly, get busier. If you have time to be obsessed with a thing or a person, you have too much time on your hands. Get proactive. Get up, get out and do your duties in the LORD. Make a schedule for yourself and refuse to break it. You have to tell you that you will not fail! And when those haunting thoughts plague you, cast them down and cause that devil to flee by reading your WORD, calling someone that GOD has entrusted to encourage and sharpen you, etc.Next, change your habits and routines. Sometimes those routines keep us in bondage because they bare a familiarity. Familiar behaviors trigger thoughts like: “Something missing. Normally after coffee, I talked to Barbara. And now I'm sitting here having coffee alone while she is off in Hawaii with her new beau!” That's a setup for both you and Barbara. Now, you need to stop with the morning coffee and try something healthier in a different location. That thirty minutes you used to spend with Barbara should now go to a morning jog. See yourself happy in your mind's eye. Evict all thoughts of what enslaved you. If it's a friend that is no longer in your life, try thinking of new friends. Friends after GOD's own heart. And learn to show yourself friendlier. Submit to GOD in wholeness and resist the devil in fierceness. Be determined. The minute you make up your mind, it is done for you, but the minute you allow an evil thought to play tunes in your head, you're readying yourself to dance to it's melodies. Submit even your thoughts to the LORD.


Getting clean is as simple as turning your life around and being who GOD has called you to be. Contamination is allowed in when a soul goes into a polluted way of living, one not set before them by GOD, but a journey that was taken in rebellion. But, GOD loves you still and HE's calling you out of your pain. Now, it's your turn to call HIM and say to HIM, “Here, I am, FATHER.”


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October-Anointed Fire Magazine-Tiffany Kameni