Impulsiveness is a very powerful force that confounds all of us, especially when it is tied to addiction. Time and again the counsel given to an excessively impulsive person fails. You can lay out the irrationality of their decision to take flight and they do not have ears to hear. Sometimes the person will agree that what they are doing is not wise, but they still are determined to do what they already have decided to do. One common response for their going is; “I prayed to the Lord and it’s settled.” That is an out to escape any counsel that might be given them. It is a foolish decision that they have made. Proverbs 12:15 tells us; “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” As many of us have experienced, the end result of their decision is shattering; especially for the addictive personality. They disappear for days, causing anxiety and fear in their loved ones. Or, they make a scene in the circumstance in an attempt to salvage the situation and it becomes a whirlwind of heartache and pain.
Impulsiveness is exemplified by unwarranted haste and lack of thought or deliberation. It is characteristic of many desires, appetites, behaviors and minds. One thought, one instance of lust, one craving can set the impulsive mind on its way. Anything that is reasonable, responsible or wise is tossed aside to pursue the particular object of one’s lust. Manipulation, deceit, and/or lying may be used in order to obtain that which the mind is set on. Any attempt to stop the madness will be useless. “They have loved to wander. They have not restrained their feet.” (Jeremiah 14:10). Neither will they change their mind for it has crossed over into corruption. “… corruption of mind may walk hand in hand with stupidity, and [that] the two things are by no means incompatible.” (Francois Mauriac; “Women of The Pharisees”) It is this impulsiveness that has led so many into the jaws of bondage.
Families have suffered with their own loved ones who have this demon of impulsiveness. Thousands of dollars have been spent at clinics, rehabs, and programs of various kinds and still homes are filled with confusion, mistrust, fear and heaviness of heart. It is all rooted in the drifting of our nation from Judea-Christian values. Isaiah, the prophet, wrote about Israel’s offense against God. “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib…Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord.” (Isaiah 1: 2-5)
The perplexing phenomenon of the impulsive individual is the ransacking of the will, over-riding any hesitation of the will, into the bondage of their particular vice. “Seemingly to take pleasure in the consciousness of their imprisonment.” (Francois Mauriac) This complicates and aggravates any attempt to help the individual. An impulsive person has been overcome by “the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (II Tim. 2:26). One must repent of this sin and all the consequences of it in order to be released from its hold. Having returned to good ground, there must be a violence against the impulsiveness to bondage. “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 11:12)
Stand your ground, pray Scripture; “I submit to God, I resist the devil and command the spirit of impulsiveness with a manifestation of bondage to leave in the Name of Jesus.” (James 4:7) Press the enemy with aggressiveness. It may help to take a deep breath and blow out slowly, expelling the unclean spirit. This is spiritual warfare and you must wield ”the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God”. (Eph. 6:12, 17)
Enlist prayer warriors for your fight. Your local church is your first line of defense. Get back in the light. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)
Lastly, be encouraged. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
