James 2 - CEVUS06 & NBA93

Addictions come in many shapes and forms, whether it’s lust, alcohol, substances, gambling, gaming, or even excessive use of your mobile phone and social media. There is professional help to get as well as counselling from your priest or pastor.

Also, read the Bible and lay your addiction before God in prayer. Here are some passages from the Word of God to reflect upon.

James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

We all have weaknesses within us that can make us fall and lead to an addiction. Acknowledging this, and admitting that you struggle with addiction is an important step to be free from it.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

Addictions don’t come from God, but from the world and our desires, lusts and pride. We can rely on God wanting us to be free from any addiction.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

You may feel that you can’t break your addiction. But the Bible tells us that God can. God will provide the way of escape. Turn to God, turn from your addiction. Let God fill you with his presence.

1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Addiction is many times when something takes control over you. Those things that are not helpful in your life and dominate your thoughts and desires you may need to cut out of your life.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Addictions come from this world and not from God. In the end, addictions replace God as the number one in our lives. It’s not just about addictions, but also about our souls.

Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Lay your struggles before God. Ask for God’s protection and deliverance.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

This is the promise of Jesus Christ, that when he sets us free, it is real freedom.

This article is not intended as a replacement for medical or therapeutic help or treatment for addiction, but a complement and inspiration to those who battle addiction.

Warning against Having Favorites

1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 This is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.

5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord?

8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.

10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God's Law.

12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!

Faith and Works

14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!

18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”

I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” 19 You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.

20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.

24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.

26 Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!

Ǝṯeere ɔṯṯathisi-na mac.

1 Liyǝŋgǝri liinyi, Ǝṯeere ɔṯɔṯi lizi-nǝ mac, kaka mithiŋǝ-gwɔ ṯǝmminǝ ṯǝthi Kweeleny kwǝri kwǝni Yǝcu Kwɔrɔstɔ kwir Kweeleny kwǝthi ŋinith. 2 Mǝ kwɔrṯɔ iila kweere ki-lɔḏɔŋw-na laalɔ kwɔginna yaaṯima yǝthi ḏahab, nǝ yirethi yisaaw tok, mindaŋ mǝ kwɔwaay ǝnḏǝ tok kwɔginna yirethi naana yir lijǝŋgwu, 3 mindaŋ mǝ iiɽinǝ ŋgwa kwɔginna yirethi yisaaw ethǝccǝŋw, “Min fǝḏlǝk naanalɔ kwɔrsi-la-ŋgwɔ kwiccaw”, e-ta nǝccǝ kwɔwaaya-ŋw, “Rillathila kinanaŋw, ya a-naanalɔ kɔnɔŋw kwurǝyulu ki-ŋwaara-na ŋwiinyi”, 4 e-ta ŋaaŋa lǝni-pǝ limǝ kette ɔṯṯathisi-naŋw daŋgal-na, nǝ ǝṯaari haakima ǝfkǝr-yi wigii. 5 Niŋnar-ṯi liyǝŋgǝri liinyi lamɽa-nyji! Allah witi wǝṯi alla lɔwaaya-na lǝthi ṯurmun ethisi ruusi lɔrṯɔ lǝthi ṯǝmminǝ nǝ ethi mɔrthathi ki-ŋeeleny-la ŋǝccǝŋwsi-ŋi wa@ḏa kila lǝṯi amɽi ŋunduŋw mac-a? 6 Laakin ŋaaŋa lǝni-pǝ limǝ ǝrri kwɔwaaya-lɔŋw! Ǝyǝ-ŋǝ lir kila lǝṯi-ŋǝsi ǝwindi-ndi yǝy-lɔ, nǝ lǝṯi-ŋǝsi mɔmlɔttatha mahkama naana kinḏaɽ-kinḏaɽ, lɔrṯɔ liti lir-ṯǝ mac-a? 7 Ŋundu-ŋǝ liti lir-ṯǝ kila lǝṯi andisasa yiriny naana ŋiɽaŋali ŋigii kiya yisaaw yǝnyjicǝr-ŋǝsi mac-a?

8 Ŋǝsi ǝrri ŋǝni ŋɔvthanna mǝ iinyici sherii@a naana kwǝthi Ŋeeleny, ŋir kaka ŋɔlɔɔthɔna Kiṯaab-na Kirilinǝlɔ ter ŋaarɔŋw, “Ǝṯamɽi jaara kwɔɔŋa kaka nǝṯamɽi rogɽo rɔɔwa.” 9 Laakin mǝ ɔṯathisina tǝ, nǝni limǝ ǝrri ŋikiyaŋi, e-ta ǝŋǝsi Sherii@a kette kaṯṯi kaka mǝgwɔ kii-nǝ. 10 Kaka mǝ kweere mithǝ Sherii@a tatap mindaŋ mɔŋw akkɔ kwɔtɔpɔt puɽucur, ŋwɔni kwɔmǝ-ŋwɔ akkɔ tatap puɽucur. 11 Kaka nɔrɔŋw-ṯǝ ŋgwa kwette-kwette kwaarɔŋw, “Ǝṯeere ǝrri ŋiijinǝ mac.” Nǝŋwaarɔŋw kwokwony, “Ǝṯeere kette ḏimmiya mac.” Meere ǝrri ŋiijinǝ mac, laakin mŋ kette ŋundu ḏimmiya tǝ, nǝni kwǝmǝ kii Sherii@a-na. 12 Ŋwɔṯaŋw ǝṯisi andasi, na ǝṯisi ǝrri tok, kaka kila linḏirsi ethisi ǝccǝ haakima sherii@a-gi kwǝthi hɔrriiyya. 13 Kaka niti ninḏi-gwɔ Allah ethathici ŋgwa ŋimɽiyǝ-nǝ mac, kwinḏiŋw ethi ǝccǝ haakima, ŋgwa kwiti kwir kwimɽi mac, laakin ŋimɽi tǝ ǝṯir ṯiinyi hɔkwɔma.

Ṯǝmminǝ-ŋǝ ŋothɽor-ŋi.

14 Liyǝŋgǝri liinyi, faayitha kwundǝr kwǝndu mǝ kwizi kweere aarɔŋw nyii kwǝthi ṯǝmminǝ, laakin mɔŋweere akkɔ ŋothɽor ŋeere mac? Kwǝthi ŋɔma ethi ṯǝmminǝ kitha ṯɔrtɔtɔŋw kilǝthi-a? 15 Mǝ aŋgalɔ kweere kwir kwɔr alla kwɔrɔ kwaaw naani kinaŋw linaanɔ ŋwɔvdɔṯṯɔ nǝ liira ethneya-na tok, 16 ethisi-mǝ kwette kwaalɔ ǝccǝŋw, “Nḏir laami naana, fuuthur kǝniny naana a bee tok.” Liti limǝ-ŋwsi inḏǝthǝ kwomne-ŋgwa kwiiracasi mac kwǝthi yaŋna yeeŋen, e-ta faayitha kwundǝr kwǝndu? 17 Nǝr-ṯoroŋw tok ŋǝthi ṯǝmminǝ, mɔŋworo ṯiira ŋothɽor-na mac tǝ, nɔŋwɔni ṯaayɔ.

18 Laakin ya a kwizi kweere aarɔŋw, “Ŋa kwǝthi ŋa ṯǝmminǝ, nǝ nyii tǝ, ninyǝthi ŋothɽor.” E-ta nyii ǝŋnici nyǝccǝŋw, “Baaŋicany-ṯi ṯǝmminǝ ṯɔɔŋwa ṯiira ŋothɽor-na, nǝ nyii tok ŋǝ baaŋaci ŋothɽor ŋiinyi ṯǝmminǝ-thi ṯiinyi.” 19 Aw ŋa kwǝthi ṯǝmminǝ rac ethaarɔŋw, Allah wir wɔtɔpɔt; ŋisaaw-pa kǝniny beṯṯen! Nǝ shayaaṯiin tok ǝṯir ǝmmini tig-tig lɔnḏɔthɔ ŋithenya. 20 Ŋa kwir kǝɽiyǝŋ ŋgwɔ! A kwɔnaŋna ethi baaŋaci ŋaaŋwɔ ethǝccǝ ŋaaŋwɔŋw, ṯǝmminǝ ṯiira ŋothɽor-na ṯiti ṯǝthi faayitha-na mac-a? 21 Ibraahiim kwir papa kwǝri kwiti kwusuuɽunnǝ ŋothɽor-ŋi mac-a, kinaŋw mɔŋw rillici Allah tɔɔrɔ-lɔ tuuŋwun tǝni Is-haag ki-ŋwɔthgwun-lǝ? 22 Ŋaaŋa lǝthi ŋɔma etheese-pa ṯǝmminǝ ǝṯir iilathisi ŋothɽor-ŋi ŋaalɔ cerge-cergec, mindaŋ nǝ ṯǝmminǝ ṯuuŋwun oro min-min ŋothɽor-ŋi. 23 Ŋwɔṯaŋw nǝ ŋiɽaŋal ŋǝthi kiṯaab ǝthi yǝnǝ ŋaarɔŋw, “Nǝ Ibraahiim ǝmminici Allah, mindaŋ nǝ Allah ruusi ŋunduŋw kwirllalɔ ŋiɽaŋal-ŋi ŋǝthi ṯǝmminǝ ṯuuŋwun.” Mindaŋ nǝr ǝnyjici Ibraahiim-ŋwɔ yiriny yǝni methgen kwǝthi Allah-ŋa. 24 Ŋimǝsi ese-pa nǝṯi-gwɔ kwizi suuɽunni ŋothɽor-ŋi nǝreere ǝni ṯǝmminǝ-thi ṯɔɽɔk mac. 25 Nǝrṯoroŋw ŋǝthi kwiijin kwǝni Raahaab kwusuuɽǝ Allah ŋothɽor-ŋi kinaŋw mɔŋwsi aalanni kila lɔɔsarsi, mindaŋ nɔŋwsi mǝcci ethi avri nyettec ṯaay-thi ṯir ter. 26 Ŋwɔṯaŋw mǝ aŋna ere ǝthi ṯigɽimǝ-nǝ mac tǝ, nɔŋwɔni waayɔ, nǝ ŋwɔṯaŋw tok, ṯǝmminǝ ṯiira ŋothɽor-na nɔŋwɔni ṯaaya tok.