Why We Medicate: Escaping Pain vs. Finding Peace

We all seek comfort. Whether it’s a warm meal, a favorite show, or a moment of distraction, comfort can feel like a refuge from the chaos of life. But what happens when comfort becomes a crutch—when it’s no longer a momentary relief, but a strategy for survival?

In Be Transformed – New Life Awaits by John Robin Murphy, John shares how his early emotional wounds led him to seek comfort in food, pornography, and achievement. These behaviors weren’t random—they were attempts to medicate the deep pain of rejection, shame, and worthlessness that had taken root in his heart.

By age 12, John weighed over 200 pounds. Food had become a way to numb the emotional torment. Later, pornography and performance-based accomplishments joined the list. Each behavior offered a temporary escape, but none brought healing. Instead, they reinforced the lie that he was unlovable and inadequate.

This is the spiritual danger of medicating pain: it replaces God’s healing with temporary relief. It’s a counterfeit comfort that never satisfies. The Bible warns us not to turn to idols, yet many of us unknowingly do so when we seek peace in things that cannot heal our hearts.

John’s breakthrough came when he recognized these behaviors as symptoms—not solutions. He began to see that his heart needed healing, not distraction. Through surrender, prayer, and counseling, he invited God into the places he had tried to hide. The result was transformation—not just of behavior, but of identity.

One of the most powerful moments in John’s journey was when he realized that even as a Christian, he had returned to old comfort-seeking patterns. Television, once a harmless pastime, had become an idol. It was a way to escape the discomfort of spiritual dryness. But instead of bringing peace, it created distance from God.

This realization led to a decision: to surrender the idol and trust God for comfort. It wasn’t easy. The temptation to return to old habits was strong. But through repentance and reliance on the Holy Spirit, John experienced freedom. He discovered that true peace doesn’t come from escape—it comes from presence. God’s presence.

If you find yourself medicating pain with comfort-seeking behaviors, ask yourself: What am I trying to avoid? What wound am I trying to soothe? God doesn’t condemn your need for comfort—He invites you to find it in Him. His peace is lasting. His healing is complete.

The Idol of Control: Surrendering to God’s Way

Control is one of the most deceptive idols in the Christian life. It often masquerades as responsibility, wisdom, or self-protection. But beneath the surface, the need to control is often rooted in fear, mistrust, and unresolved emotional pain. In Be Transformed – New Life Awaits by John Robin Murphy, John’s story reveals how even seemingly harmless behaviors—like watching television—can become spiritual strongholds when they’re used to avoid surrender.

After years of spiritual growth, John found himself in a dry season. Prayer was difficult, Scripture felt distant, and his connection with God seemed muted. In this place of spiritual frustration, he turned to television as a source of comfort and escape. What started as a way to unwind became a nightly ritual—one that dulled his spiritual sensitivity and fed old patterns of sin.

The Holy Spirit began to convict John that his dependence on TV wasn’t just a bad habit—it was an idol. It had become a substitute for God’s presence, a way to control his emotional state without trusting the Lord to meet him in his discomfort. The deeper issue wasn’t entertainment—it was control.

This realization led John to a powerful truth: idols form when we try to meet legitimate needs in illegitimate ways. His need for peace, rest, and emotional relief was real—but instead of turning to God, he turned to the screen. And like all idols, it demanded more and more of his time, attention, and heart.

Surrendering control is never easy. For John, it meant giving up something familiar and comforting. But as he repented and laid down the idol, he experienced a breakthrough. His prayer life deepened, his hunger for God’s Word returned, and his spiritual sensitivity was restored. The very thing that had blocked his connection with God became the catalyst for transformation.

This post is a call to examine your own life. What are the areas where control has taken root? Are there behaviors, habits, or dependencies that you use to manage your emotions instead of trusting God? The answer isn’t more discipline—it’s surrender.

God doesn’t ask us to give up control because He wants to take something from us. He asks us to surrender because He wants to give us something better—peace, freedom, and intimacy with Him. When we release our grip and trust His way, we open the door to healing and transformation.