How To Pray For An Addict

For someone who is going through addiction, professional help is indeed imperative. However, while the need for and importance of professional help cannot be understated, we should also emphasize that addiction is more than just a mental or physical matter; it goes deep down to our spiritual being. Hence, one of the ways to address addiction is prayer, which has power. That does not mean professional help is not needed anymore; it only means that there is a different frontline when battling addiction: the spiritual front.

Heavenly Father, I thank You because Your power transcends our spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Any power of sin is unbound through the work of Christ. Thank You because there is freedom from addiction in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What Does the Bible Say About Addiction?

Addiction is not just a mental or physical matter; it is also a spiritual one. It is more than just a person craving certain feelings. Rather, a person has already made an idol from which he or she gets the satisfaction he or she is longing for. Anything that replaces God is an idol. We should only receive what we need from God, and if we receive it from something else, that thing is an idol. That is why if a person always runs to alcohol for comfort, alcohol has become an idol for that person because he or she should run to God instead. The same can be said regarding sexual, drug, gambling, or other addictions. They always get something from it when they should have gotten it from God.

In 1 Corinthians 10:14, the apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth to flee from idolatry. Of course, in the Old Testament, we can see God’s commands not to have other gods but only Him, as seen in Exodus 20:3-5 and Deuteronomy 4:15-16. Those commandments are very serious. God is the only One true God. He does not give His glory to any other person or false god (Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.). He alone deserves all the glory, for there is none like Him (2 Samuel 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.). No other being has the same glory, holiness, power, splendor, and majesty as our God Almighty.

 

 

That is why the Gospel is so powerful. Addiction, rooted in sin, which is idolatry, can be overcome through the chain-breaking power of the Gospel of Christ. Christ has redeemed us with His blood. If one believes that Christ has died for their sins on the cross and that in Him is eternal life and repents from their life of sin, not only are they forgiven and have eternal life, but also they become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.). Being a new creation means they now have a new heart that longs to honor God. That also means they are now part of God’s family, bought from being slaves of sin to become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18), all because a dead or hardened heart has now been regenerated in Christ.

We get to be in a relationship with God, from whom all goodness comes. Whatever people seek in things they are addicted to, they can find it infinitely better in God, who is the very source of goodness itself (Psalm 16:2).

How Can I Pray for Someone Who Is Struggling With Addiction?

If the person struggling with addiction is not yet a believer, then you can pray for them to hear the good news of the Gospel, believe it, and repent. That is the most important way to pray for them because, as mentioned, only the Gospel can bring freedom from sin, including addiction, to a person’s life. Through the power of the Gospel, their heart of stone that is dead due to sin is revived and becomes a beating heart that beats for God (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Father in heaven, I pray for [name of the person] that he would get the opportunity to hear the Gospel. If it takes me preaching it to him, so be it, Father. Give me the grace, and empower me to preach the Gospel that will revive his heart. Work in his heart, Holy Spirit, and open his spiritual eyes that his heart of stone will become heart of flesh and that the chains of sin shall become unbound in him, for there is freedom in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If the person struggling with addiction is a believer, what you pray for them is not to accept and believe the Gospel since it is assumed they already did. Even if a person is a believer, he or she may still struggle with addiction. However, there is incremental progress or growth. Different people have different paces in their growth and recovery. Some overcome it fast, and some do it slow, but it does not change the truth that the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives.

Even for us Christians who are not struggling with addiction, we may also struggle with other sins. There is always a war between the flesh and the spirit (Galatians 5:17). That is a good sign because, as new creations, we now hate sin, which is the fruit of a changed heart. If we were still dead to our sins, we wouldn’t care if we have sinned. Therefore, for our brothers and sisters who are slowly but surely overcoming their addiction, we pray for grace, strength, and continuous growth in overcoming addiction and becoming more like Jesus (2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.).

Heavenly Father, I pray for my brother [name of the person], who is pursuing a holy life by battling and overcoming addiction. Give him the grace and strength that he needs as he battles it. Remind him that battle is not ultimately his but Yours. You are the one who is at work in his life, making him more and more like Your Son day by day and growing in grace. Give him the grace never to give up but to keep persevering. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Praying for other people who are struggling with addiction would mean a lot. Always remember that your prayers make an impact in their battle against addiction. In James 5:16, it is written that the prayer of a righteous person has power and is working. Those prayers you pray for others are not for nothing. God uses the prayers you pray to bring about His sovereign will.