Abundant Life – Page 33 – Write From Karen

Teaching: Looking for Happiness?

October 9, 2011August 14, 2011 Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

If you took a poll of everyone on earth and asked them what they want out of life, a large percentage would say, “I just want to be happy.” That is not astounding in itself, but what is astounding is that only a small percentage of them are happy. You would think that with so many people seeking a specific goal, a large percentage of them would achieve it, but that is not the case with happiness.

Before we go further, we must note that “happiness” is different than “joy.” Biblically, there are two primary ways “joy” is used. It is used in the sense of the fruit of the spirit “joy,” the joy inside us from which we draw strength to continue. This joy is rooted in the knowledge that everything will be wonderful in the end: goodness will prevail; hunger, war, sickness, crime, and injustice will all come to an end; evil people will get the justice they deserve, and the saved will live in everlasting bliss. That good ending is guaranteed, so God commands us to rejoice, which comes from looking away from this life and mentally focusing on our glorious future. [1] The Bible records many instances of people rejoicing in difficult circumstances. Paul rejoiced in the midst of his affliction (2 Cor. 7:4) and Jesus drew strength from joy to endure the shame and pain of being crucified (Heb. 12:2). However, the Bible never says either of them was “happy” about what they were going through.

We need to know that biblically, “joy” can also refer to a feeling, an emotion that wells up within us when something wonderful happens to us. The Bible has many examples of that “feeling of joy,” the emotion that can accompany something good happening to us. [2] In this fallen world, however, it is not always possible to have such feelings of joy or happiness. For many people in difficult circumstances, inner joy derived from the hope of a better future is the best they can do. Thus, while God commands us to be joyful, as we saw above, there is no verse that commands us to be happy.

In spite of the fact that many people are living in dire circumstances in which it is unreasonable to expect them to be happy, many others could easily be happy (or certainly happier) if they did not do so much to make themselves miserable. Many people are neither sick nor in pain, persecuted nor enslaved, financially nor materially destitute, and in fact have many advantages in life, but are still unhappy.

Satan, the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4 KJV), is an expert in stealing the value from people’s lives so that they are unhappy. He does it in so many ways that the fields of self-help, psychology, and counseling are in large part dedicated to helping people help themselves to live life more graciously and positively. It is outside the scope of this short article to deal with the different problems people cause themselves that keep them from being happy in their day-to-day life, such as the hurt caused by alcohol or drug abuse, the pain caused by an uncontrolled temper, or the misery of living a life with no boundaries.

What I do want to cover in this article is the unhappiness people cause themselves by trying to be happy. Despite what the world around us propounds, God never designed happiness as a goal that we set out to achieve, like losing 20 pounds [9 kilograms], adding monthly to a retirement account, or learning more about computers. When we examine the Bible and ponder its teachings, we find no verse saying that happiness is a goal we should seek. What we learn from both the Bible and life is that happiness is a bi-product, the result of a godly life that is focused on obeying the Word of God and making wise decisions.

Happiness is like a house cat (I learned this from a book I read, but it was long ago and I cannot remember the title or author). If you make it your goal to have the cat sit on your lap when it is unwilling, you only end up frustrated, because it will run from you, hide from you, and even scratch you if you grab it and try to hold it. However, if you stop worrying about the cat and get about productive life in the house, then the cat shows up, rubs itself against your leg, and jumps up on your lap when you sit down for a break.

If we try to design our lives to be happy, it seems that no matter what we do we are not happy. We get upset when life makes demands on our time; we are discontented with what we own, and want newer or better stuff; we become overly concerned or even worried about our image, finances, or interpersonal relations. Even if we go on vacation, we cannot seem to relax (or the opposite happens, we get bored because we are not “having fun”). On the other hand, if we forget about our happiness and focus on God and His will for our lives, such as loving and serving others, we may notice at some point that we are not unhappy. In fact, we may notice that we are very content with our lives and are actually happy.

We cannot just “be happy” because God did not design us to just “be happy.” God designed us to be content in our godly work, not just content, period. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden, He designed them for meaningful activity, and told them to “…work it and take care of it” (Gen. 2:15). That productive work would fill their lives (which were supposed to last a looooooong time, as in forever), and keep them content and blessed. Think about it. If anyone could have been “just happy” anywhere, it would have been in the Garden of Eden. But God did not say to Adam and Eve, “OK, you’re in Eden, now go and be happy.” No, He told them to go work, knowing that if they did they would be happy.

Because God designed us to get enjoyment out of productive work, it is no wonder the Devil has mounted such an aggressive campaign against work (when is the last time you heard a positive comment about work on a television sitcom?) and instead promotes “just having fun,” “chilling out,” “kicking back,” etc. Abandoning the wisdom of godly work and service is a sure-fire recipe for unhappiness. Of course, if a person has never learned to work, it may not be enjoyable at first, but since God designed us to do godly work and service, even those who never have learned how to enjoy it will quickly find themselves being content, yes, even happy and fulfilled, in godly work and service to others.

Ecclesiastes 3:22a
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot….

Ecclesiastes 5:19
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

Even the New Testament tells us that we were created “to do good works” (Eph. 2:10), and when we focus on that, we will find that we are indeed happy.

We live in a time and culture that has placed a special emphasis on being happy and enjoying life. But the Devil subtly promotes the lie that no matter how much one does, or has, it is never quite enough to be truly happy. Multitudes of corporations spend billions of dollars on advertising to call our attention to what we lack—and they are effective. So now we are unhappy or uncomfortable when our clothes, though certainly adequate for what clothing is supposed to do, are a little worn, have a small spot on them, or are “out of style.” Though our car runs well, if it is somewhat rusty, or lacks new conveniences that supposedly make our lives easier and “more fun,” we are dissatisfied with it. We are not content with the furniture in our house, even though it is comfortable and safe, because of the way it looks. And so our lives go, until in general we are unhappy and discontented.

The Satanic system in which we live changes styles, models, and colors every year, even if they do not need to be changed. But that is not the worst part. The worst part is that the system then works very hard to make us feel inadequate if we do not keep up. Eventually people “buy in” to the pressure, and then it’s not just the television or magazine ads that create a feeling of discontent, but family members, friends, and neighbors who make comments about how we look, what we drive, etc. The Satanic vice squeezes us from both ends: we are tricked into thinking happiness is a proper goal, and yet what we have is never good enough to make us happy. Then we make unwise decisions, like spending money we do not have (usually via credit cards), supposedly so that our lives will be easier and we will be happier. But that backfires too, and people soon find that debt creates its own pressures and unhappiness.

Is there a way out of the cycle of unhappiness and discontentment? Sure there is, but not in “the system.” The Bible tells us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world…” (Rom. 12:2). In The Message, [3] Eugene Peterson renders it as, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture….” While it may not be practical to completely divorce ourselves from the cultural system we live in, we actually can do so to a large extent.

A lot of people’s unhappiness and discontent is due to not using wisdom in their decisions, as Scripture repeatedly exhorts us to do.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

We Christians need to use wisdom in all aspects of our lives, starting with what we hold in our minds and think about, and then how we spend our lives and our money. Often we make unwise choices that land us in unhappy circumstances or unhappiness in general, when we should have taken God’s advice and used wisdom. Part of wisdom is realizing that the Devil is creating a system that fosters covetousness, i.e., passionately wanting things we do not have. Both the Devil and God know that coveting is a formula for unhappiness and even a first step to crime, so the Devil promotes it, while God gave one of the Ten Commandments to help us avoid it, summarized as “You shall not covet” (Exod. 20:17; Deut. 5:21). Much of the advertising we see is specifically designed to make us dissatisfied with what we have and to covet what we do not have. Jesus reminded us to guard ourselves against covetousness, because contentment in life does not depend on what we own.

Luke 12:15 (ESV) [4]
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Actually, having a lot of “stuff” to take care of can hurt us. It can complicate our lives, rob us of valuable time, and distract us from God and service to others.

Ecclesiastes 5:13
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

Some people would find themselves much happier if they would simplify their lives. Others need to learn to stop coveting. Some need to learn to make wise choices with their time and money, and still others need to learn the joy of service rather than the heartache and unhappiness of self-service. The book of Timothy contains a simple truth:

1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Godliness with contentment is great gain, great profit, and we will achieve it when we live God’s way. Let’s not be fooled into thinking that happiness is a viable goal in life, and that having “better stuff” will actually get us there. If we follow God’s way, living a disciplined life based on wisdom and serving others before ourselves, we will find that, if we ever get around to thinking about it, that we are indeed happy.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

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Audio Teaching: Our Guarantee of Salvation

October 5, 2011September 16, 2011 Karen

by John Schoenheit
For centuries, a debate has raged in Christendom as to whether or not a Christian can lose his salvation. In this teaching, John Schoenheit examines scriptures from the Old Testament, Gospels, and the Epistles to the Christian Church, showing that from the moment one is born again of God’s spirit, he has the absolute guarantee of salvation. There is no way a Christian can become “unsaved.” John thoroughly covers the subject by examining verses concerning such things as the new birth, spiritual seed, the new nature, being a new creation, being sealed by God, being a citizen of heaven, being a part of the Body of Christ, and more.

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Teaching: Facing Trials with Joy

October 2, 2011August 14, 2011 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Do you have a serious problem? Is there a difficult circumstance in your life that is causing you to lose sleep? If so, take a moment to smile and be glad about it. Okay, so you think that’s weird. Well, take a look at this:

James 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

I just said, “smile and be glad”! God says to “consider it pure joy”!!!!

Over the years and many trials of many kinds, I’ve realized that the “worry myself sick” approach or the “if I would have…,” beat myself up approach are both fruitless. Actually, the word “torture” best describes them. On the other hand, I have found that asking “why” can be beneficial to a certain degree, usually to learn from a mistake. But to stay in the “whys,” spending hours thinking and rethinking why you are experiencing this trial can also waste precious time and be, well, more torture. Besides, a good portion of our trials are due to the fact that we are in a spiritual battle and we have an Adversary who wants to see a big “L” looming over us, “L for Loser”!

Here’s a thought. If you’re the analyzing type (or even if you’re not), think about why we should “count it pure joy.” In 2 Corinthians 12:10a, Paul said: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties….” By the way, do any of those words describe your problem? It’s obvious that there is a reason why we should and can “delight” or “consider it pure joy” when we face a trial.

So let’s start in James 1:3, which begins with the word that usually starts off the answer for all “why” questions: “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” The next verse tells us why it is so important to persevere during a trial: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Surely you do not want to be immature, incomplete, and always lacking something, so consider it pure joy when you face difficult circumstances, because persevering through them is causing you to become the person you truly want to be! Perseverance, doing what is right even when it’s hard, produces character (Rom. 5:3 and 4.) Every person of great character persevered! The opposite of perseverance is to give in and well, sin (lie, cheat, rage, slander, stay bitter, sulk… I could go on and on!).

The next verse is extremely helpful.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Trials come in many shapes and sizes, and wisdom is a key ingredient for standing strong in your tribulation. Much of what we are to do during a trial is clearly written in the pages of God’s Word. Sometimes, though, we need specific instructions, so ask God, and He will tell you “without finding fault,” even if our foolishness got us in the predicament we are in! Isn’t that wonderful?

There is another reason to delight while in a trial.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Who would not want to see Jesus Christ help them take care of their problem? Our Lord’s grace is sufficient for us, no matter how difficult our situation is. His help is always enough to get us through. The best part is watching him do it!

A couple of years ago I started a journal called, “Grace Abounds,” which is a record of events that took place because of God’s grace, such as answers to prayers and the unusual ways they came to pass. Besides delighting in seeing what He does in circumstances that I am powerless to make right, I love recording the praise report! As I write, I usually notice even more details that could have been only through divine intervention. This has helped me “…boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses….” Now when a challenge comes my way, I think about the joy I will have recording how the grace of my Lord got me through.

So when difficulties come your way, smile, be glad, count it pure joy, and be determined to persevere, to do what’s right. Remember you are not alone, for Jesus Christ’s power is available to you. Ask for help; his grace is sufficient to get you through. You can rejoice because as you persevere, you are preparing for a great praise report

Thanks for reading.

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Audio Teaching: Stand, Even When You Do Not Understand

September 28, 2011April 27, 2011 Karen

by Joshua Anderson
Life often brings trials and tragedies that we just do not understand. Too often, Christians facing such adversity lose their excitement for God, and their commitment to Christianity weakens. Many stop going to church or fellowship, stop praying, stop reading the Bible, and become negative about God and life in general.

The Bible is clear that things will happen that we do not understand, but we never abandon what we do understand in the face of what we don’t understand. God’s Word directs us to stand on what we know, no matter what is going on around us. Joshua Anderson takes us into the lives of some of the great people in the Bible who lived through difficult times, showing that despite great trials, we can stand for God, even when we do not understand everything about the situation.

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Abundant Life

Teaching: Feeling Anxious? God Can Help

September 25, 2011August 14, 2011 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Stress, tension, anxiety and worry are pretty much household words. In fact, there are over-the-counter drugs sold just to treat stress-related symptoms (i.e., Excedrin for that tension headache; Alka-Seltzer for indigestion due to aggravation, etc.). Medicines might be able to treat symptoms, but, as always, God has the solution to the problem.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him (God) because He cares for you

“Anxiety” is the Greek word merimna, which means a dividing or distracting of the mind. It’s mental overload. Have you ever been there–when the cares of this world just consume your thinking? From bills to test scores to regrets to being offended to health issues to time schedules–the list goes on and on.

Now, God’s Word says to cast those thoughts that are causing us to become distracted over to Him. You fishermen types know what it means to cast. For the rest of us, it means to fling, to throw with a sudden motion. The idea is to get rid of the distractions quickly. Let God take care of what distracts us so we can focus on living His Word.

Unfruitful thinking

The gospel of Matthew emphasizes the reason we should fling over our worries to God.

Matthew 13:22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the Word, but the worries (merimna) of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Take note of the words “worries,” “choke,” and “unfruitful.” When we spend our time worrying or distracted over life’s “issues,” we allow these thoughts to crowd out and choke God’s Word from our minds. The end result—no fruit.

In Luke 10 there is an example of one woman who was pretty stressed out, and how Jesus responded to her. Verses 38-40 paint the picture of Martha, a woman who opened her home to Jesus and his disciples (a pretty good size crowd). As she is busy preparing for her guests, her sister, Mary, is sitting at our Lord’s feet, listening to Him. This catches Martha’s attention, giving her one more thing to fuss over. She is aggravated to the point that as far as I can tell she interrupted Jesus to complain, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me” (Yikes—she’s telling Jesus what to do!).

I can just hear the tenderness in Jesus’ voice as He responded: “Martha, Martha, you are worried (merimna) and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (vv. 41 and 42).

It is significant that the word “better” can literally be translated, “the good part,” and “part” is the root word for merimna. When the mind is distracted, it’s divided into “parts.” Mary chose the one thing to set her mind to that was good, that was needed. Now this is kind of hard for some of us women. It’s pretty normal for us to think that the food preparations and other comforts of home for our guests are more needed, but that’s not what Jesus was saying. At that moment in time, sitting at his is feet and listening was the one good choice, and Martha could have had that pleasure also.

Fruitful thinking

When I am in the process of mentally torturing myself with worry, regrets, and complaints, I have found that it is hard to just stop. I can fling my “issues” over to my Father all day long, but unless I replace the “bare spots” with other thoughts, “weeds” keep springing up. It is interesting to note that in Philippians 4:6-9 we are told to not be anxious about anything, but to pray. Then we are told what to think: thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable, whatever is excellent and praiseworthy. Verse 9 takes it a step further. We are not only to think, but to act on what we think.

To become an expert in thinking wholesome, fruitful thoughts takes practice, practice, practice. It’s just like disciplining ourselves to learn a dance routine, a musical instrument, or a program on the computer. To become adept at thinking godly thoughts takes noticing your thought processes and comparing them to The Truth, God’s Word. For example, when I start to get concerned about our finances, I can request help in prayer and then not allow my thoughts to continue to hash over our finances and the “what ifs.” Instead, I can rehearse (remember it takes practice) how God promises to care for me. I also can look for something noble to do, like encourage someone else, or use my mental capacities to pray for others. How about sinking my heart into praising God and my Lord Jesus Christ? Actually there is so much more to think about then just our problems!

So when you find yourself thinking and rethinking thoughts that distract you from what’s true, stop. Cast them over to your heavenly Father. Replace those thoughts with the “excellent and praiseworthy.” This takes some real conscious effort, but the end result is peace. When you give your distractions to God, you will experience the peace He has promised. It is peace that stands guard over your heart and mind, peace that allows for good fruit to flourish in your life.

Thanks for reading.

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Audio Teaching: Our Guarantee of Salvation

September 21, 2011April 27, 2011 Karen

by John Schoenheit
For centuries, a debate has raged in Christendom as to whether or not a Christian can lose his salvation. In this teaching, John Schoenheit examines scriptures from the Old Testament, Gospels, and the Epistles to the Christian Church, showing that from the moment one is born again of God’s spirit, he has the absolute guarantee of salvation. There is no way a Christian can become “unsaved.” John thoroughly covers the subject by examining verses concerning such things as the new birth, spiritual seed, the new nature, being a new creation, being sealed by God, being a citizen of heaven, being a part of the Body of Christ, and more.

Click the arrow to listen.

Teaching: What Does the Bible Say about Drugs and Drinking Alcohol?

September 18, 2011August 14, 2011 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

FAQ: What does the Bible say about using drugs and alcohol, other than for diseases and cooking?

In English translations, there is no verse of Scripture that clearly and specifically addresses the use of recreational or hallucinogenic drugs, but we will see that the Greek word pharmakeia does refer to this. There are, however, quite a few verses that speak to the wrong use of alcoholic beverages, which produces a similarly altered mental state. Let us look at a few of them to give us a framework to examine this topic.

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJ)
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation [the Greek word for “dissipation” means “an abandoned, dissolute life; profligacy; prodigality”].

Proverbs 23:21a (NKJ)
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty.

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

Despite what some Christians teach, there is no prohibition in God’s Word against drinking alcoholic beverages. It is not a sin to drink beer, or even whiskey. There is, however, a clear prohibition against getting drunk. A Christian might then conclude that drinking no alcohol at all would surely eliminate the possibility of abusing it, and choose never to partake. Each of us must choose for ourselves how we relate to “booze,” but we have no biblical basis to think less of our brethren in Christ who enjoy a drink once in a while, but do not get drunk.

Why does God tell us not to get drunk? Because life is a spiritual battle, and we must be self-controlled and alert (1 Thess. 5:6). First, we need to be alert in order to serve God. God wants us constantly tuned into Him, and people have needs at very unexpected times. The servant of God is always “on call,” and must be ready and willing to serve. Second, our enemy, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan’s evil spirits usually infiltrate people through their minds, and Scripture is replete with instructions about properly managing our minds by controlling our thoughts and making them godly thoughts. For example:

1 Peter 1:13 (NKJ)
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober [self-controlled], and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8
(6) So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled [KJV=sober].
(7) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
(8) But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled [KJV=sober], putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) says that as one thinks, so he is. That is because thoughts are the seeds of our words and deeds. The way we “renew our minds,” and “be sober” is by choosing to think what the Word of God tells us to think. 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls this “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” That is how we steel our minds against our enemy, Satan, who is constantly bombarding us with stimuli designed to hijack our thoughts in an ungodly direction, cause us to act in an ungodly fashion, and eventually open our minds to evil spirit influence.

In Scripture, God uses the word “heart” to refer to the inner core of one’s being, the depths of the mind where either true faith or unbelief resides. He admonishes believers to guard our hearts so that we allow no evil influences to come in, because if they do get in, they may have devastating consequences.

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

When one is drunk, he is, in reality, out of his mind. He cannot guard his heart, and it is difficult or impossible for him to serve God or God’s people in an effective way. A person who is drunk is not effective in praying for, or ministering to, others. Furthermore, a drunk opens himself up to the possibility of evil spirits entering his mind and causing confusion or harm to himself or others.

The Bible puts using drugs in the same category as getting drunk (Gal. 5:19-21): both are forbidden by God because of what they do to the individual personally, and how they make him unfit to minister to others. However, before we go into the specific verses that mention drugs, we need to understand something about God’s Word. The Bible is written in such a way that people who are seeking God’s will are able to find it. It is impossible for God to write a book that covers every sin—we can sin in ways today that no one in the biblical world would have even conceived of, such as child pornography on the Internet. The Word of God is “instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16 KJV), general instruction that can be applied by wise people. LSD, crystal meth, crack, crank, etc., did not exist in biblical times, so God did not mention them in the Bible. What God does say, in many different ways, is that the Christian is a minister of God to His people, and should be alert and prepared to serve at all times, even if that is just being alone praying for people. Being drunk or high on drugs renders one incapable of being effective for God.

Drugs used to alter one’s mental state and thus “escape reality” do the same thing that excess alcohol does, that is, they render a person “out of control” of his mind. As with alcohol, the individual who is “high” on drugs is in no position to fulfill the command to “be alert and self-controlled.” Many drugs are hallucinogenic, and a hallucination is “a false notion, belief, or impression; illusion; or delusion.” In the Bible, the Greek word for “truth” means “reality.” Satan’s goal is to get people to act upon a false reality.

Scripture does indirectly address the illicit use of drugs, and connects it to drunkenness, as per the following verses, where the Greek word for “witchcraft” is pharmakeia, which includes “the use or the administering of drugs,” “poisoning [by drugs]” (Thayer’s Lexicon), and the variant, pharmakon, in Revelation 9:21 focuses upon “the use of certain potions or drugs” and the casting of spells (Louw Nida Greek Lexicon).This same root word is also translated as “sorcerer” and “sorceries” (see Rev. 9:21, 18:23, 21:8, 22:15). The translation “witchcraft” is used in most English versions because pharmakeia also referred to the witchcraft or sorcery in which drugs were used for potions, spells, etc. Understanding that pharmakeia is related to the use of drugs, notice how it appears, along with drunkenness, in the list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians.

Galatians 5:19-21
(19) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
(20) idolatry and witchcraft [pharmakeia]; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
(21) and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Recreational and hallucinogenic drugs were not invented in Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s. They have been weapons in Satan’s arsenal for thousands of years, and they have contributed significantly to the destruction of millions of people’s lives, as both Scripture and history confirm.

There are other biblical truths that make it clear that the use of recreational and hallucinogenic drugs is harmful. We are to take care of our bodies so as to be able to serve God for many years, and drugs are physically debilitating. Also, we are to steward the financial resources that God gives us, and using our money to buy such drugs is hardly good stewardship. Beyond that, many drug users turn to crime to support their habit, and those crimes range from stealing from other addicts to murdering innocent people to get their “fix.” Thus, beyond the sin of the drunkenness or drug use itself are the sins of lying, stealing, and murder to which such a lifestyle leads. In short, using drugs robs us of “the life that is truly life.”

Many users say they are looking for peace, joy, and the “high” that such drugs give them. How sad. Anything someone categorizes as something good that a drug does for him is something only God, our heavenly Father, can give us through Jesus Christ. God designed us to enjoy life and be engaged in it, and the so-called benefits of drugs and alcohol are a counterfeit at best. Recreational drug use and getting drunk is selfish and dangerous, and addiction is not an escape from pain; it is pain in the worst way, as countless thousands of ex-addicts sadly testify. In contrast, an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus brings us all those things, and more. Thus we need not despair and grope for artificial means of altering our mental state. We will be so full of joy and peace that anything that alters it would be “a downer.”