Addictions, Dysfunctions, and a Simple Solution – Luke 8:28
Jack Klumpenhower
9/1/2010

We all have spiritual problems. We still sin against God. And many of us have big problems, patterns of sin so engrained we’ve given up even trying to fight them. Instead of fully loving God, we’re addicted to the lesser charms of sex or wealth or comfort, or to thrills and substances that help us escape. Or we have dysfunctional ways of relating to family, work, or friends.

We’d rather call these “issues,” but let’s be honest. They’re big spiritual problems. They stand in the way of how life should be for God’s children. And we may feel hopeless about ever fixing them.

A man with a big problem

As I consider my own spiritual problems, I’m reminded of the demon-possessed man known as “Legion.” Talk about a spiritual problem! The Bible tells us this guy was not just influenced but “filled with many demons.” They took total control of him. He lived naked, spending his nights in tombs near the Sea of Galilee. The nearby townspeople tried to shackle him, but he broke their chains. No one could bring his spiritual problem under control.

Then Jesus arrived in a boat. He’d just finished showing his absolute power over the physical world by calming a deadly storm with a few words. Now it was time to confront the spiritual world. As Jesus went ashore, the possessed man ran up to him under control of the demons: “As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!’” (Luke 8:28, NLT).

There you have it. In an instant, the demons went from unbeatable bullies to sniveling beggars. They actually ending up pleading for the embarrassing right to enter some nearby pigs, which Jesus allowed, killing the pigs. For the demons, it was utter humiliation. For the man, total release. The townspeople found him sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and perfectly sane.

All it took was Jesus. A simple solution.

The man who fixes problems

The lesson here is that none of our spiritual problems, no matter how firmly set they appear, can withstand the power of Jesus. His timing may not be a quick as we’d like, but he brings all our dysfunctions and addictions to their knees. If we belong to Jesus, he will defeat them. Never think otherwise. Never stop fighting them. Jesus is on your side.

Lest I make this seem too easy, let me say that the progress on my own sinful addictions is painfully slow. These are hard, raw issues. They usually require struggle.

But I do know there’s no sure place to turn but to Jesus. There’s no other power like our Savior’s power, no love like his sacrifice for our sins. We don’t need to hunt for answers. In that sense, the solution really is very simple.

The man I want

Given what those townspeople saw of Jesus, we might expect they’d beg him to stay forever. But no, they pleaded for him to leave. Luke says they were scared. Perhaps they understood how he supplants everything else—how, like an addiction, he takes over too.

Do you and I dare to draw near? Will we give our lives to the one man who’ll flush away all we are and start over? Well, I’m a bit scared too. But yes, I will.
I need the man who makes demons tremble. I want the one who’s freed me from their terror by taking my place at the cross. I’m determined to seek him daily in the Bible. I will hound him in prayer. I will submit to the support and—if necessary—the rebuke of his Church. As Paul put it, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death” (Philippians 3:10, NLT).

That’s right. In many ways this will feel like death. But I need this. I need my spiritual problems to shrivel up and rot in the aftertaste of Jesus’ heady wine. I want a new addiction.

Jack Klumpenhower is a writer and communications consultant living in Colorado. He has authored Bible study lessons and a family devotional guide.