August 20, 2025 • 11 mins
Addiction wears many faces substances, habits, secret sins, even the things we convince ourselves we can’t live without. But no matter how strong the chains feel, Jesus came to set us free. In this episode, we’ll open Scripture open Scripture to see how He breaks every chain and leads us into lasting freedom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Welcome back to the Wooden
Cricket Podcast. I'm Lawrence, and every day we
open God's word together and letit speak straight to our lives.
(00:25):
Yesterday in episode 47, we talked about loneliness in a
crowded world, that hidden ache of feeling unseen even when
surrounded by people. And often, loneliness drives us
to places of escape, places of comfort, places that promise to
numb the pain but only end up enslaving us.
(00:49):
That's what addiction does. It doesn't always look like
alcohol or drugs. Sometimes it's porn, sometimes
it's money, sometimes it's approval work, or even our cell
phones. Addiction is anything we turn to
again and again for relief instead of turning to God.
And while it may start small, its chains grow heavy.
(01:13):
Addiction whispers freedom but delivers slavery.
It promises relief but leaves usempty.
But here's the truth. Jesus came to break chains, and
today we're going to hear His words, feel His heart.
Remember that no matter how strong the chains feel, they are
(01:34):
no match for the power of the cross.
So let's begin with Jesus himself.
He's speaking to religious leaders who claim that they're
already free, but he exposed A deeper slavery, one they
couldn't see. In John chapter 8 verse 34, it
(01:54):
says this. Jesus replied, I tell you the
truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son
is a part of the family forever.So if the sun sets you free, you
are truly free. Addiction is slavery.
(02:19):
It changed your mind, your habits, your desires.
You think you're in control, butreally it controls you.
Maybe for you it started as something small.
A glass of wine after a hard day, A quick scroll through your
cell phone. A purchase here and there to
feel a spark of joy. And at first it felt harmless,
(02:43):
but now you look back and it's taken root.
Jesus doesn't want her down, he says a plane.
Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
That's confronting, but it's also freeing because naming the
chain is the first step towards breaking it.
(03:04):
And then Jesus speaks. Hope.
If the sun sets you free, you are truly free.
Not maybe free, not mostly free,truly free.
That means your identity is not slave to sin.
Your identity is child of God. He doesn't just open the prison
(03:26):
door and leave you there. He calls you family.
He says you belong with me. So the first step is honesty.
Admit that shame, confess it, don't minimize it.
But then bring it to the only one strong enough to break it.
(03:46):
And that's Jesus, and you're notalone in the struggle.
Even Paul, this great apostle, confessed how addiction to sin
can feel like a never ending cycle in Romans 7 verse 18.
And I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful
(04:10):
nature. I want to do what is right, but
I can't. I want to do what is good, but I
don't. I don't want to do what is
wrong, but I do it anyway. Does that sound familiar?
The cycle of addiction. I don't want to do this anymore,
(04:31):
but I keep doing it. I promised myself this is the
last time, but I fall again. Paul doesn't hide his struggle.
He doesn't pretend he has it allput together.
He says I want to do what is right, but I can't.
And that's the live diction tells you you're the one, you're
(04:55):
the only one, you're weaker thaneveryone else.
If you were really a Christian, you wouldn't struggle.
But Paul himself, the man who wrote much of the New Testament,
admits the same battle. That means your struggle doesn't
make you less of a believer, makes you human and in desperate
(05:20):
need of grace. And Paul doesn't leave us in
despair. Just a few verses later he
shouts, Who will free me from this life dominated by sin?
Thanks be to God, the answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hear that today? The answer isn't your willpower.
(05:43):
The answer isn't the next program or the next plan.
The answer is a person and his name is Jesus.
And when you feel caught in the loop, remember, Jesus doesn't
despise you in your struggle. He meets you in it.
(06:06):
He carries you out. Paul then reminds us that
freedom is real, but it's also something we must cling to
daily. In Galatians chapter 5 verse one
it says so Christ has truly set us free.
Now make sure that you stay free.
(06:26):
Don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Freedom is both a gift and a fight.
Jesus already won it. Christ has truly set us free.
That's past tense. It's done, Paul adds.
Now make sure that you stay free.
Why? Because the old chains will call
(06:49):
your name again. Think about Israel after leaving
Egypt. God set them free from slavery,
but in the wilderness when things got hard, they said maybe
we should go back to Egypt. At least there we had some food.
(07:09):
That's what addiction does. When life gets stressful, the
old chains whisper, Come back, I'll make you feel better.
But freedom means saying no to Egypt.
It means choosing Jesus again and again.
It means reminding yourself, I am not who I was.
I am not a slave anymore. I am a son, I'm a daughter.
(07:32):
I belong to Jesus Christ. That's not easy, but it's worth
it because nothing tastes sweeter than the true freedom in
Christ Jesus. But what about temptation?
What about those moments when the pole feels too strong?
(07:53):
Paul gives us a bit of hope in Corinthians.
So in First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13, the temptations in
your life are no different from what others experience and God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation
to be more than you can stand. When you're tempted, He will
(08:15):
show you a way out so that you can endure.
Temptation always feels like it's too much.
That's what addiction is whispering to you.
This time you won't resist. You have no choice, You're too
weak. But God says something
different. I will always provide a way out.
(08:37):
The way out might be prayer, it might be calling a friend.
It might be walking away, shutting down the computer,
pouring out the drink. It's not always easy, but it's
always there. And here's the promise.
God is faithful. Not sometimes, not only.
(09:00):
When you're strong. Always.
And that means the next time temptation knocks, you don't
have to cave. The Spirit of God lives in you,
the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
He gives you the strength to endure so you don't believe the
(09:24):
lie that you're powerless. You're not powerless.
You are spirit filled and God's faithfulness is bigger than your
temptation. Addiction is heavy.
It lies. It says this is who you are.
You'll never change. You'll never be free, but Jesus
(09:45):
says you are mine, you are free.You are not defined by your
chains, but by my grass. At Calvary, every chain was
shattered. At the empty tomb every lie was
silenced, and by His Spirit every child of God can walk in
(10:08):
freedom. So today, name your chain.
Confess it, bring it into the light and laid at the feet of
Jesus, because you don't have tocarry it another step.
You are loved, you are forgiven and in Christ Jesus you are
(10:28):
free. Tomorrow, in an episode 49,
we're going to talk about another tram, the endless chase
for success. Because sometimes it's not
addiction to substances that binds us, it's the addiction to
achievement. What happens when you reach the
top and still feel empty? That's where we're going next,
(10:52):
friends. The world offers chains dressed
up as freedom. Addiction promises comfort but
leaves you broken. Success promises joy but leaves
you empty. But Jesus offers himself, and in
him you find peace this world can't give and chains this world
(11:15):
can't break. So don't carry your burden
alone. Run to Jesus.
Let him be your freedom, your strength, your joy, and tomorrow
we'll keep walking this road together as we talk about the
pursuit of success and why only Jesus can satisfy our souls.
(11:37):
This has been Lawrence with the Wooden Cricket Podcast, and
until tomorrow, I'm outie. But to you guys, I'm saying
peace.
The wooden cricket. Welcome back to the Wooden
Cricket Podcast. I'm Lawrence, and every day we
open God's word together and letit speak straight to our lives.
(00:25):
Yesterday in episode 47, we talked about loneliness in a
crowded world, that hidden ache of feeling unseen even when
surrounded by people. And often, loneliness drives us
to places of escape, places of comfort, places that promise to
numb the pain but only end up enslaving us.
(00:49):
That's what addiction does. It doesn't always look like
alcohol or drugs. Sometimes it's porn, sometimes
it's money, sometimes it's approval work, or even our cell
phones. Addiction is anything we turn to
again and again for relief instead of turning to God.
And while it may start small, its chains grow heavy.
(01:13):
Addiction whispers freedom but delivers slavery.
It promises relief but leaves usempty.
But here's the truth. Jesus came to break chains, and
today we're going to hear His words, feel His heart.
Remember that no matter how strong the chains feel, they are
(01:34):
no match for the power of the cross.
So let's begin with Jesus himself.
He's speaking to religious leaders who claim that they're
already free, but he exposed A deeper slavery, one they
couldn't see. In John chapter 8 verse 34, it
(01:54):
says this. Jesus replied, I tell you the
truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son
is a part of the family forever.So if the sun sets you free, you
are truly free. Addiction is slavery.
(02:19):
It changed your mind, your habits, your desires.
You think you're in control, butreally it controls you.
Maybe for you it started as something small.
A glass of wine after a hard day, A quick scroll through your
cell phone. A purchase here and there to
feel a spark of joy. And at first it felt harmless,
(02:43):
but now you look back and it's taken root.
Jesus doesn't want her down, he says a plane.
Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
That's confronting, but it's also freeing because naming the
chain is the first step towards breaking it.
(03:04):
And then Jesus speaks. Hope.
If the sun sets you free, you are truly free.
Not maybe free, not mostly free,truly free.
That means your identity is not slave to sin.
Your identity is child of God. He doesn't just open the prison
(03:26):
door and leave you there. He calls you family.
He says you belong with me. So the first step is honesty.
Admit that shame, confess it, don't minimize it.
But then bring it to the only one strong enough to break it.
(03:46):
And that's Jesus, and you're notalone in the struggle.
Even Paul, this great apostle, confessed how addiction to sin
can feel like a never ending cycle in Romans 7 verse 18.
And I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful
(04:10):
nature. I want to do what is right, but
I can't. I want to do what is good, but I
don't. I don't want to do what is
wrong, but I do it anyway. Does that sound familiar?
The cycle of addiction. I don't want to do this anymore,
(04:31):
but I keep doing it. I promised myself this is the
last time, but I fall again. Paul doesn't hide his struggle.
He doesn't pretend he has it allput together.
He says I want to do what is right, but I can't.
And that's the live diction tells you you're the one, you're
(04:55):
the only one, you're weaker thaneveryone else.
If you were really a Christian, you wouldn't struggle.
But Paul himself, the man who wrote much of the New Testament,
admits the same battle. That means your struggle doesn't
make you less of a believer, makes you human and in desperate
(05:20):
need of grace. And Paul doesn't leave us in
despair. Just a few verses later he
shouts, Who will free me from this life dominated by sin?
Thanks be to God, the answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hear that today? The answer isn't your willpower.
(05:43):
The answer isn't the next program or the next plan.
The answer is a person and his name is Jesus.
And when you feel caught in the loop, remember, Jesus doesn't
despise you in your struggle. He meets you in it.
(06:06):
He carries you out. Paul then reminds us that
freedom is real, but it's also something we must cling to
daily. In Galatians chapter 5 verse one
it says so Christ has truly set us free.
Now make sure that you stay free.
(06:26):
Don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Freedom is both a gift and a fight.
Jesus already won it. Christ has truly set us free.
That's past tense. It's done, Paul adds.
Now make sure that you stay free.
Why? Because the old chains will call
(06:49):
your name again. Think about Israel after leaving
Egypt. God set them free from slavery,
but in the wilderness when things got hard, they said maybe
we should go back to Egypt. At least there we had some food.
(07:09):
That's what addiction does. When life gets stressful, the
old chains whisper, Come back, I'll make you feel better.
But freedom means saying no to Egypt.
It means choosing Jesus again and again.
It means reminding yourself, I am not who I was.
I am not a slave anymore. I am a son, I'm a daughter.
(07:32):
I belong to Jesus Christ. That's not easy, but it's worth
it because nothing tastes sweeter than the true freedom in
Christ Jesus. But what about temptation?
What about those moments when the pole feels too strong?
(07:53):
Paul gives us a bit of hope in Corinthians.
So in First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13, the temptations in
your life are no different from what others experience and God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation
to be more than you can stand. When you're tempted, He will
(08:15):
show you a way out so that you can endure.
Temptation always feels like it's too much.
That's what addiction is whispering to you.
This time you won't resist. You have no choice, You're too
weak. But God says something
different. I will always provide a way out.
(08:37):
The way out might be prayer, it might be calling a friend.
It might be walking away, shutting down the computer,
pouring out the drink. It's not always easy, but it's
always there. And here's the promise.
God is faithful. Not sometimes, not only.
(09:00):
When you're strong. Always.
And that means the next time temptation knocks, you don't
have to cave. The Spirit of God lives in you,
the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
He gives you the strength to endure so you don't believe the
(09:24):
lie that you're powerless. You're not powerless.
You are spirit filled and God's faithfulness is bigger than your
temptation. Addiction is heavy.
It lies. It says this is who you are.
You'll never change. You'll never be free, but Jesus
(09:45):
says you are mine, you are free.You are not defined by your
chains, but by my grass. At Calvary, every chain was
shattered. At the empty tomb every lie was
silenced, and by His Spirit every child of God can walk in
(10:08):
freedom. So today, name your chain.
Confess it, bring it into the light and laid at the feet of
Jesus, because you don't have tocarry it another step.
You are loved, you are forgiven and in Christ Jesus you are
(10:28):
free. Tomorrow, in an episode 49,
we're going to talk about another tram, the endless chase
for success. Because sometimes it's not
addiction to substances that binds us, it's the addiction to
achievement. What happens when you reach the
top and still feel empty? That's where we're going next,
(10:52):
friends. The world offers chains dressed
up as freedom. Addiction promises comfort but
leaves you broken. Success promises joy but leaves
you empty. But Jesus offers himself, and in
him you find peace this world can't give and chains this world
(11:15):
can't break. So don't carry your burden
alone. Run to Jesus.
Let him be your freedom, your strength, your joy, and tomorrow
we'll keep walking this road together as we talk about the
pursuit of success and why only Jesus can satisfy our souls.
(11:37):
This has been Lawrence with the Wooden Cricket Podcast, and
until tomorrow, I'm outie. But to you guys, I'm saying
peace.
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