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Every hour write down 3-5 reasons why you want to quit gambling. Why? Because it will force you to think truthfully. We know we can win sooner or later. No… that was a lie, but we will keep thinking it until we start thinking about consequences and why we should stop.
Sometimes gambling involves coveting. Covet means desire, but it implies a wrong kind of desire, like greed. When you gamble, you are coveting your “neighbor’s” money. You are not earning the money or offering goods or services in exchange for his (or her) money. You want his money while offering nothing in return. Therefore, your desire for his money is coveting.
If you think your gambling includes coveting, consider praying:
“Father, take away this covetous spirit, and fill me with Your love.”
This article is based loosely on an article from STA https://stoptheaddictions.com/gambling-freedom/gambling-freedom-in-60-days-day-13/
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Hello Durr,
As a person of faith in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I can appreciate what you state yet on some levels I don’t agree. I am by nature a very generous person and have been more so when I have won. In my thinking, people may find themselves powerless in the face of gambling but it remains a choice. If I lose $1000.00 in a few hours and someone else wins that, then I don’t think that they coveted my money since I willingly played it, and vice-versa. Gambling is a losing proposition and I think that on some levels we are just a bunch of very optimistic people who believe that we will win even though we end up depressed and maybe even suicidal. I don’t envy or covet what others have, I take chances with my money that I should not take and it’s the same for others, that is my perspective.
This is not an endorsement that gambling is fine because it is not and if a person has a strong faith and it helps them to think that if they gamble they are sinning and don’t want to do that, well then bravo. I never thought of gambling as a sin, just a very poor choice of spending my time and resources. Thank you very much for your post, I look forward to getting to know you.
Hi Ellablee,
I think that God has a purpose for us, and things for us to do. I write about purpose often for the Christian group at quitgamble.com James 4 says: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
For my Christian group, I push “purpose” so that we will focus on “doing good” instead of gambling.
For me, I did covet, you probably did not. But we all will be better off if we find something “good” to do.
Hello Durr,
I hope you had a good day. Thank you for writing back! I was reading the Daily Bread today and the message was
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Psalms 23:6
It went on to explain that in Hebrew, the word follow literally means to pursue or chase. God is
chasing us. I thought about that and found it ironic that we, through gambling, are chasing blessings of money yet there is God chasing us so that He can bless us. I thought, well, how about I stay quit on gambling, stay still and let God run into me because I have stopped running fruitlessly.
The reading posed a question that is really good, it states:
Do you believe God’s goodness is actually pursuing you? If not, why not, since Scripture includes the word surely?
Something to think about, I hope this brings you hope.
Warm regards,
Ellabelle
I wrote my latest article before I read this. It says a similar thing. Good thought.