Addicted for Purpose!: He Set Me Free!

By Charmaine Bennett

If you’ve ever asked the question, “How will I know when, where and what area, and/or population I’m supposed to impact (i.e. youth, seniors, medical, counseling, business, education, cosmetology, construction, etc.)?” Well, get ready because you gain keen insight as to how it’s been with you and WITHIN you. We’ll look at preparation for one’s purpose beyond education. Your awareness will be raised to differentiate traps v. treasures that either hinder or help and how to avoid them or embrace them.

This book’s audience is for all who desire deeper and greater intimacy with Christ! And for those who want to live out their God-predestined purpose and impact this world; as well as those of us who no longer want church as the norm or tradition, but yearns and hungers for deeper spiritual growth and are ready to do kingdom work as Jesus did – advancing the Kingdom of God in the earth! As He is so are we in this earth! (1John4:17) This book is a must read!! It is my prayer and hope that your spirit be enriched and your soul prosper in the name of Yeshua Hamashiach!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669806332

Charmaine Bennett

Charmaine is a visionary and an ambassador for Christ to the nations; preaching, teaching and advancing God’s kingdom. Training for reigning the body of Christ to make a stand and take their rightful places in this earth, subduing territories for the Kingdom of God and bringing communities under Kingdom jurisdiction. She answered the call to ministry over 30 years ago and has been involved in social entrepreneurship, planting faith-based Kingdom initiatives in the Central Valley such as recovery ministries. She has served as Pastor and overseer of recovery ministries in and outside the prison system. She has served on several platforms such as: Court Mediation San Joaquin County, San Joaquin Parent Project, New Beginnings Recovery Ministries and Worship Center; and is the founder of Royal Kingdom Ministries. She resides in Tracy, California.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by Charmaine Bennett.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King

James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used

by permission. All rights reserved.

Rev. date: 06/14/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

834783

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Pleasure!

The Struggle: Anger and Pain of Dependence Was Real!

The Denial-Admitting There’s a Problem/Dependence

Deliverance – Where to Go? Oh, How Sweet!

Chapter 2 Purpose

Chapter 3 Preparation (cont’d.)—Cost of the Anointing!

Chapter 4 Population

Chapter 5 Understanding the Addictive Cycle

The Brain

Chapter 6 P. R. O. C. E. S. S.

Chapter 7 His Glory!

Notes:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I give thanks to the One and Only Lord of my life, Jesus Christ, and God my Father, and the Holy Ghost my Strength for making this even possible and planting in me the seed to produce this book!

My dear sister and friend, Glenda, thank you so very much for your support and inspiration in getting this book completed. Your calls, prayers, and resourcefulness are so appreciated beyond this project and always!

My dear sister and friend, Enedina, thank you so very much for your support in getting this book completed. I appreciate so much you taking time out of your busy schedule to participate in the book review and your feedback; I so appreciate you beyond these words.

My dear sister and friend, Edna, thank you as well so very much for your support in getting this book to its final stage. I appreciate your sacrifice to drive from another city to be part of the book review and your comments, so appreciate your input. Thank my friend!

INTRODUCTION

Come with me on a personal journey through my idiosyncratic addictive behavior while in ministry, which turns into a platform; thus, unfolding my purpose for which I was created. Had I quit, I would have missed my purpose and settled, though already saved, and serving as a leader in church. You will glean insights as to how we as Christians can miss out on their God-given purpose and settle instead of seizing their purpose for which they were created. You will also learn how to keep from losing sight of the promise not getting lost amidst opposition;as well as to recognize and discover how your purpose unfolds right before your eyes.

If you’ve ever asked the question, How will I know when, where, and what area, and/or population I’m supposed to impact (i.e., youth, seniors, medical, counseling, business, education, government, cosmetology, construction, etc.)? Well, get ready because you will gain keen insight as to how it has always been with you and within you. We’ll look at the preparations for one’s purpose beyond education. Your awareness will be raised to differentiate traps versus treasures that either hinder or help and how to avoid them or embrace them.

You’ll understand that call, purpose, and cause are all different but intertwine. Come and gain with me greater insight on the process of maturation. Your gifting is not yours, and your purpose is bigger than you! I share with you prophetic insights drawn from the lives of Joseph, the Israelites’ journey, the disciples as well as the life of Jesus’s life while on earth. You will gather several spiritual nuggets that will exhort, build, and encourage your spiritual hunger for more, as well as challenge you to embrace your purpose (if you haven’t already), and to clutch those pivotal defining moments when they come. You will see that every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise that God has allowed to come your way for greater measure and capacity.

This book’s audience is for all who desire a deeper and greater intimacy with Christ! And for those who want to live out their God-predestined purpose and impact this world, as well as those of us who no longer want church as the norm or tradition, but yearns and hungers for deeper spiritual growth and are ready to do kingdom work as Jesus did—advancing the Kingdom of God on earth! As He is so are we in this earth! (1 John 4:17, NKJV) This book is a must read! It is my prayer and hope that your spirit be enriched and your soul prosper in the name of Yeshua Hamashiach!

CHAPTER 1

The Pleasure!

The pleasure was all mine! Please do not try to make sense out of this statement if you do not understand addiction. The substance of the thing or an object in and of itself doesn’t make sense logically. It’s about the emotional and physical stimulation of pleasure, comfort, soothing, satisfying, and non-threatening (at least in the beginning). I craved it after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would feel certain textures of it, and I knew that that was the one for me. I would chew it until it crumbled to pieces in my mouth and then spit it out (again, in the beginning). My thinking was I’m not doing anything wrong, maybe a little weird, okay, but so, I’m not hurting anyone or myself or sinning—which was more important to me.

Addiction definitely didn’t cross my mind at that point. However, because it was weird, I dare not disclose to anyone what I was doing. However, over the weeks, the desire for it increased and intensified. On one occasion, I happened to be out on a dinner date and the feel of the napkin began to cause my mouth to water and all I could think about was how I was going to get this napkin into my mouth without this brother seeing me. So I bent down to get something out of my purse and came back up with it in my mouth and pretended as though I was chewing gum. Although he stared at me, he couldn’t figure it out and didn’t want to embarrass himself by continuing to stare at me.

It started to increase to where I wasn’t only chewing wtp (white toilet paper-as I call it) after I ate. I became more clever and started slipping away from my desk at work to the ladies’ bathroom only to sit in the stall and chew. However, I couldn’t stay in the stall long, so I began to shove it in my mouth and I’d go back to my desk and acted as though I were chewing gum.

After some time, I started getting weird looks from co-workers when they would stop by my desk and chat with me. I’d forget it was paper until I would get a glaring idiotic stare every now and then a bold question, like Is that gum you’re chewing? Or What’s that in your mouth? I thought, Okay, why am I doing this? When I was younger, I chewed on plastic straws after a meal from McDonald’s or toothpicks after eating sometimes, but I grew