Barbara Benfield Blog

As a staff writer for GotQuestions.org, I was able to submit the answer to a young man who asked the following question:

Question: Does the Holy Spirit ever help alcoholics break the addiction of alcohol?

My Response: Thank you for your question. I must admit that the answer is one I would like to proclaim to the whole world! Your question takes me to a class that I recently put together, “Setting the Record Straight.” The main point of the class was that Jesus came to set the record straight – yours and mine – and that if we are His, we too can live in the power and strength of God. By surrendering our lives to Him, we can overcome the strongholds that are keeping us in bondage. Let me emphasize, in our weakness, He is made [shown to be] strong [in us] (2 Corinthians 12:9). To overcome those strongholds, we must understand that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal in nature but mighty in God for the bringing down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and that we must renew our minds [in the Word of God, the Spirit of God, constant prayer, and practicing obedience in a heart of love] … bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ … proving God’s will (Romans 12:2), thus seeing God’s truth and power manifested in our lives through the leading and working of the Holy Spirit.

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us (Acts 1:5). Put another way, once we are empowered from on High, the very Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Yet, we can grieve the Holy Spirit, which in turn diminishes our capacity to “walk as Jesus walked” (Ephesians 4:30). In Jesus’ ministry, how do you think He (being fully God and fully man), in his “fully man” state, was able to subdue the enemy and be resurrected from the dead? How do you think Jesus was able to maintain a perfectly sinless life – even in the struggles? It was living according to God’s Word and surrendering to the will of the Father. For us, this can only be done by the leading and working of the Holy Spirit. And guess what – the Holy Spirit has no vices. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united and perfectly holy.

With that said, perfection is not something we can accomplish in this life, however, when we live in submission to Jesus Christ, our Father in heaven is glorified. What does it mean to glorify God? When the truth and power of God is revealed in our lives, God is glorified. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross made it possible for us to glorify God in our lives. The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the link to our righteousness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the link to His power in us. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, to the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent that we, too, being saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), may be conquerors, able to overcome all that keeps us in bondage. Therefore, the battle has been won, my friend! Trust Jesus, and trust that the leading and work of the Holy Spirit will help you walk as He walked.

I, and many others around me, are living proof that the battle has been won. When I was lost and walking according to the flesh, I was labeled “an alcoholic,” but that was just the world’s clinical view of me. God says we are created in His image, and His likeness (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 4:24), and there is nothing more powerful than that! Yes! If you surrender your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and repent of your sins (repentance is not something we do, but rather a state in which we live) you can, by the leading and work of the Holy Spirit, overcome addiction.

Paul, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, warns us that there is an enemy out there. He is the enemy of your soul. Your soul and mine. He despises God and wants us to fail (and fail big). We must learn to put on the full armor of God and stand against the wiles of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-18). The Word of God (our Bible) and the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) helps us do this. He leads us into all truth and gives us wisdom beyond worldly wisdom (John 16:13-15). We must understand that overcoming the enemy involves being purified in Christ. This is a continuous cleansing because as humans, we continue to struggle with sin (1 John 1:8). When we sin, we must be quick to confess our sins and turn from them, and He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We must abide in Christ (John chapter 15), for this is how we are able to overcome. The Holy Spirit maintains our unity with Jesus Christ and the Father, and in this, we move on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, thus overcoming our addiction(s) and attraction to this world, glorifying our Father in heaven, and ultimately, when we reach our true home in heaven, being glorified by Him (Philippians 3:13-20).

Sincerely praying for you and your journey into oneness with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

P.S. As a side note, I would like to recommend a couple of resources. First, stay in your Bible and pray for God to open up your understanding, always giving time to God. Second, you cannot do this alone. You might consider speaking with Bethel Colony of Mercy in Lenoir, North Carolina (https://bethelcolony.org), and reading The Steps to Freedom in Christ (The Steps to Freedom in Christ: Neil T. Anderson, Dr. Jan Stoop: 9780764219429 – Christianbook.com). There is nothing more important than learning to walk this out, which begins and ends with Christ and includes learning how to come against the enemy of our souls, ultimately defeating the enemy through victory in Christ.

By Barbara Benfield, February 28, 2023