Counseling - Gambling
Thinking biblically about specific issues is important since we Christians get our worldview from biblical truth, & we can not make excuses, get correct help, must take action, and conquer sin, to live right and holy lives.
Q: I have tried to stop gambling and need guidance to help conquering this sin. .
I would encourage you to gain a much deeper and clearer understanding of God's holiness so you can live and grow in righteousness and maturity in the faith. It is important to conquer our sins.
I hope this can help.
On Gambling.
This is an area of worship and reliance on God. We need to trust Him fir what is best in our lives and that he will take care of us.
Gambling worships chance and probability, and is idolatry.
It is because of the righteous nature that we no longer want to sin and do what is evil. We will have a battle between our sin nature [we still drag around here 😔] and our new nature 🙂, and through self control and applying Scripture as we mature [see armor of God in Scripture] , we then conquer sin one by one and have victory over it.
If someone was a gambler before they got saved and still did it sometimes afterwards, as a baby believer, they would grow in understanding of what Scripture teaches, not just the words that are there like "do not this or that", but would grasp "the overall teaching" and "spiritual principles" that the Word is actually saying. They would mature and come to understand problems with "discontentment" and "not trusting God to provide for them", so they then (action/obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit) put their trust in God who loves him to provide for him and [as a more mature person later on] looks (eagerly) for how God will provide (even in the 11th hour)(1) or (positive minded) is looking for what he is doing in that situation if it isnt provided [that is a longer deeper convo than space allows; yes, no, maybe, wait, later, going to do something else - ask your pastor].
But you can get the point here.
The person moves from 1. just doing what he wants to 2. having clarity in their new nature and 3. goes from knowledge to trusting to... 4. fully relying on God in all situations.
With faith comes trust, obedience/action.
Thus he has no temptation or desire towards gambling anymore. He conquered that sin 😀. He doesnt even think about that anymore, except when he's grateful God led him out of it (and when using that to witness to the lost, or counsel & encourage other believers). It has no power over him anymore.
Gambling is an issue around coveting, greed, discontentment, as well as not trusting God to provide for you, and idolatry. This is something you need to conquer because it is right to do so but also because it connects to several other areas in the Christian life.
Footnotes:
(1) example.
Ask the Holy Spirit to send you Soul Pilgrims - friends who are traveling a similar journey, alongside you.
There's a Christmas story where a famous singer recalled her grandmother. The grandmother was so poor, there was no food in the cupboards, no food stamps in her purse, no welfare programs, no neighbors for miles (possibly). But, each morning, her grandmother would set out the pots on the stove and pray, "Lord, I thank you for the abundance that you will put on our table tonight...and bless the people who will make it so.". And, guess what? The granddaughter who watched it daily unfold. People showed up...with food...on her doorstep...each day. The doorbell rang, or a knock at the door.
"We believe, Lord. Make it so..." And, they all said "Amen (so be it)."
This might not be your experience but it does happen. Even the old lady in Scripture whom God kept giving here enough day to dsy, or like Israelites in wilderness were given daily food. But God will provide for those who are His, who seek the kingdom and His righteousness and are living a Christian life.
(2) on gambling... ripple effect that even little bets have can be problematic. You need to understand that you might 😬 be encouraging others to sin by participating in or starting little bets. You might be causing problems for believers who are struggling with gambling sins or see it as sinful to participate in any way whether you do it around believers, believers hear you talk about it or hear that you participate in it.
Here are verses on that and the principles
Romans 14:21
It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles *[weak believer has sensitive conscience having come out of that]
Romans 14:20
Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
Matthew 18:6
*but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to [sin] stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:7
“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
Get rid of sin
Matthew 5:29
If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:30
If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
Matthew 18:8
“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
Related
If you are not saved, not sure you are, or were sent here by someone else and want to embrace Faith; not just so God can help you conquer these areas, but to be right with God, then review this and embrace it. God will give you a new heart, mind and desires.
God bless
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