Addiction Recovery – whether it be sexual, drugs, alcohol, gambling or others – many programs encourage the addict to turn to the god of their choice to help them. But the question is, which god? And does it matter?

Tiger Woods recently cited that he was raised in Buddhism and desires to look to spiritualality to help keep his life balanced. Buddhism teaches that attachment, greed and desire are the root of all suffering, and that letting go of those things is the key to a peaceful life — and the path to ending the cycle of discomfort altogether.

Others are taught that it doesn’t matter who or what you call as your “higher power.”

But it does! Your God must have the power to do what you want Him to do for you.

Only Jehovah God of the Bible can provide you what you need to stop your addiction and get on with living an abundant life. Only God:

• Provides forgiveness for your sins (missing the mark according to God’s guidance)
• Provides a personal relationship with Himself
• Will never leave you, no matter what you do
• Gives you His unconditional love
• Showers you with so much of His love that it overflows through you to reach out to love others
• Gives you a unique purpose for your life
• Has the power to help you change – and this power is inside you if you’ve professed His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, as your savior.

Jehovah God is alive in three persons as One – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. After Jesus Christ died on the cross, three days later He rose from the grave alive, and forty days later He ascended, alive, into heaven. No other religion claims their god is still alive.

Also, all other religions (except Christianity) base their ability to go to heaven upon the “works” that a person does here on earth. They focus on progressing in life to a point of living without problems, and the holier you are, the more likely it is you’ll get to heaven.

However, letting go of bad things you do (as Buddhism teaches) will not bring you peace. Jehovah God created you for a personal, loving relationship with Him. Without this relationship, there is a hole inside that needs to be filled. Until you fill it with Jehovah God, you remain agitated and not at peace. And many fill it with all the wrong things.

In our hearts, we know that there is a God who created us and that we have sinned against Him. And only by going to Jehovah God, through accepting the “work” that Jesus Christ did by dying on the cross to redeem us from the wrath of God, will we find the peace that we seek.

Many addicts have turned their back on Jehovah God because they think, “If God is a God of love, then why did He allow this to happen in my life?” Or, “Why did God allow this [whatever “this” is] to happen?”

By question is, “who said God did it?” You’ve got to understand that there is also a real devil, and you’re also struggling with your own fleshly desires. God cannot go against the freedom He gave to man. He cannot override our decisions to do something, or the decisions of others who hurt us. But He can use bad situations to work together for His glory. He doesn’t bring the bad circumstances.

So, yes, it does matter which God you choose to help you change. Will you let God off the hook for “causing” your bad circumstances? If you would like to understand what your new identity in Christ looks like, I have a section on this in my book “Out of Recovery & Into Living Your Dreams.” I invite you to take the next step to understand how much God loves you and that only He can provide you with the peace and joy and purpose in life that you’re seeking. . Kathy Williamson, The Addictions Coach.