Addictions (SI17)

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

While some people turn to drugs and alcohol to get high or to relieve stress, many turn to food which can be just as dangerous an idol as substance abuse. Other people are addicted to fitness to the extent that it becomes harmful to their lives and relationships. How can we overcome temptation to make an idol out of our food and our bodies?

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Addicted to Shiny Things: Why & How to Find Freedom in the Age of the Internet

To say that we are addicted to our screens is axiomatic. As I wrote and researched this talk, I was in front of a screen. In this presentation, I will discuss a brief history of technologies, how they were received historically, how they changed the world for good and ill, and how pervasive this one is in our lives. I will talk about reasons to unplug (and levels of “unplugged-ness”) and ways to accom-plish that, all in the light of the gospel. 

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Counterfeit Heavens: How Treasuring Our Eternal Home Invalidates Addiction’s Lies

Everyone of us is homesick. We’re all longing for our true Home in heaven with all the redeemed and the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we suffer with this homesickness, we try to fill the void with fleet-ing pleasures that become habitual and turn into addictions. The way out of addiction is to wait pa-tiently for the joys that are to come, and to live in the hope of the promises of God: Jesus has gone on before us as a forerunner guaranteeing our safe arrival and complete satisfaction and joy. 

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Every Addict Lives with Shame

Listen to addicts and you will hear shame, shame that preceded the addiction and shame that resulted from the addiction. And here, in their shame, they can hear some of the most beautiful words they could possibly hear.

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Gospel Hope for Instant Gratification Junkies

Instant gratification junkies are hooked on immediate satisfaction at any cost. This trap can make you susceptible to addictions, anger, jealousy, and negative impulsive behaviors. The pursuit of instant gratification has detrimental effects on your Christian walk. When there is a problem, you want God to fix things quickly. When He does not, you take matters into your own hands making the situation ultimately worse. This seminar will expose the heart issues of instant gratification and will show how the gospel can help you escape the instant gratification trap.

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Helping Family Members

Families of addicts often need help as much as the addicts themselves. This session gives biblical passages and practical help for counseling the families of addicts. It also discusses how idolatry im-pacts the family, how enabling hurts rather than helps, and what can be seen when an addict truly repents. 

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Medicine and Biblical Sufficiency

Biblical Counseling has been shaped by the doctrine of sufficiency. We will examine how that doc-trine and the science of medicine interact when we encounter those with worry, depression, OCD, and other emotional struggles. Can the Bible help when we counsel those with medical emotional labels?  

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Overcoming Abusive Speech

The Bible teaches that words can be as destructive (or abusive) as fists. Every time we open our mouths we are either promoting God’s kingdom by building others up or we are extending the realm of the Evil One by tearing others down. How can our sinful tongues be tamed?

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Pastoral Lessons from Dealing with Addictions

During 25 years of ministry, we have seen many struggle with addiction. We have made many mistakes, we have seen people abandon the faith, but we have also seen God rescue souls. This session will focus on pastoral lessons learned and will also feature the testimonies of some who repented and were restored.

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

Self-Harm

Learn how to offer hope in your biblical counsel of self-injurers by treating it as sinful heart issue rather than mental illness.

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Addicted to Food (and/or Exercise)

The Attributes of a Christ-like Counselor

This workshop explores the attributes of Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor and the Holy Spirit, the Other Counselor. We will examine what makes them the competent counselors that they are. Also, we will examine how these attributes must be and can be in your counsel. Finally, we will learn how you can develop these attributes. 

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