The Worst Addiction

Among the many forms of addiction, one addiction stands out as the worst of all. It’s more habit-forming than heroin or crack, more widely used than alcohol and nicotine, and more compulsive than any gambling addiction could ever be. All of us live under its addictive influence.

What is this severe addiction that plagues us? It is performance, the drive we all possess to make ourselves worthy and significant in the eyes of others. When I say “performance” addiction, I am not referring to the desire to do our personal best because of the satisfaction it gives us. What I am talking about is our need to “do something” to ensure our acceptance, approval and appreciation from others. We sense that in and of ourselves, “we” are not enough. We must enhance ourselves to cover our inadequacy and increase our desirability to others.

Performance addiction carries many telltale signs. Many of us own status symbols just to let others know how successful we are. Our clothes, jewelry, cars, tech toys, big screen TVs, and even the community we live in and the school our children attend are often indicators that we’re performing well, that we have arrived.

Many of us are married to our jobs, putting in excessive time just to be employee of the month, make the highest commissions for the quarter or curry favor with our superiors in anticipation of a lucrative raise. When we’re with our friends, we may often adopt their viewpoints just to fit in and belong to the group, even when our convictions differ from theirs.

Typically, we are not fully comfortable when someone is generous with us for no reason. We feel an obligation to “pay them back” when the appropriate situation presents itself. In fact, one definition of performance is “doing something as fulfillment of an obligation.” We constantly feel obligated to prove ourselves to others. Without performance, we often feel “less than” or undeserving.

Where did performance addiction originate? I believe it began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were originally created to be loved and blessed by Abba God and to live their lives in His grace, His divine favor. The basis for His grace was the sheer pleasure it gave Him to care for Adam and Eve and to continually bless them. Initially, Adam and Eve accepted God's goodness without questioning it. They lived in a paradise where all their needs and desires were met, and they walked and talked with God daily.

But when they fell, they didn't go running to Abba God, saying, “Help! We've made a dreadful mistake and can't fix it by ourselves.” They discovered that without God they were naked and vulnerable, and immediately they began to perform, to add something to themselves to make them more presentable. They covered their sense of unworthiness with fig leaves. They opened the door for performance addiction to enter human consciousness, and we have all been under its bondage of endless self-improvement efforts since then.

Abba God continually invites us to return to a life of blessings that flow from His grace—His divine favor, not our self-effort. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:2, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

Blessings are not rewards handed out for our good performance. Blessings are the gifts of love that flow from God’s heart because He delights to give us good things and fill our lives with joy. Stop performing and start enjoying the love that Abba God has for you!

I am beginning a new series this Sunday, “Prosperity God's Way.” Please join us at 9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. when I will be speaking on “My Paradigm Shift Concerning Tithing.”