"A man who used to be involved in our ministry met me after church. He has been on and off drugs for months. Mostly on. He was wearing a tattered shirt and he was very thin. He said hello and tried not to cuss. Eventually he did while he was talking about things he was seeing because of the drugs. I asked him if he was staying clean and he said no. He told me that God told him to smoke dope. I told him that God would never violate his Word and smoking dope was against the law and against the Word so God would not have told him to smoke dope. He kind of clammed up after that but he did ask why he was seeing things coming out of his hands and stuff written on them. I told him that the drugs had opened his eyes to the spirit realm and that he needed to get clean. He expressed his love and shook my hand. I saw him out by the burned down meth lab house by the entrance to the church sitting by the gutter drain. My heart broke for him. I recalled another drugged out guy who was standing in the lawn there staring off in to the distance. He probably had no idea I was driving by. I went into prayer and intercession for him."
I hate this post. I hate it because one of our people who had victory over drugs went back to it. I hate the devil and I hate evil. I hate the fact that this man's life and family and future have been ruined.
This man isn't the only one. I know many who have went back to the things they left to follow Christ. We cannot afford to play with sin and evil. The old saying that he who plays near the mud hole will eventually fall in is true. If you play with fire you will get burned.
We have to watch what we are watching, guard our hearts and make sure that we have godly relationships. Accountability, disciplines of church attendance, prayer and the Word of God are all so important. Not just going through the motions of dead religion but a personal and passionate relationship with the Living God.
I am still praying for that man to return and the he be saved. I pray for you. I pray for myself.
How can we guard against slipping back into old ways? What has kept you strong in your relationship with the Lord?
Amen pastor. I was reading this blog I had tears in my eyes. I feel bad for people who do drugs my heart breaks for them. I don't judge them but I see them through the eyes of Jesus! I know God still loves them. my sister has a boyfriend who she lives with and he has been doing drugs for years. but before he did drugs he used to go to church with my sister every Friday and Saturday. they were involved with the church. they volunteer doing the things of God but when his father passed away, he went back to doing drugs. he wasn't talking to his father so I think he may feel guilty about it and numb his pain by doing drugs. please pray for him his name is jesse. when he first did drugs he was 14 yrs old it started with weed. then he went on to do other drugs like crystal. my sister just recently went back to reading her bible. she calls me every week and I tell her about Jesus. she asks me questions and I will answer her. the only way we keep strong with God is reading His Word everyday, communicating with Him throughout the day (prayer), and talking to someone who can hold us accountable like our pastors or friends who are believers. pray for Jesse that he stops doing drugs. thank you and God bless you pastor. I love all your blogs and will try to answer each and everyone one of them they have blessed me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann, I pray that Jesse returns to the Lord soon and that God protects him through it all. Those are some great suggestions how to stay with the Lord.
Delete"How can we guard against slipping back into old ways? What has kept you strong in your relationship with the Lord?"
ReplyDeleteI can only speak from my own experience. Staying connected with our Lord is a must. We must continue to rely and trust Him in all things. Lean not on our own understanding. This has been one of my biggest down falls. Life has a way of giving us baggage and issues. When they are not dealt with Gods ways, they become stumbling blocks and we deal with them our ways. Drugs were always a way for me to deal with things. I was conditioned and taught that it was an acceptable way of life. Even after being saved and having a relrelationship with God I still went back. It was the ministry of restoration, the Breaking Free ministry at church that has helped me understand thIs.
I believe that those of us who have had addictions to things should take this class. We do things to deal with issues and don't even know thats why we are doing them.
James, I appreciate your honesty and what you shared. The verse you mentioned in Proverbs 3:5-6 is such a powerful reminder to lean of His understanding and God will work out the paths. Breaking Free has helped thousands at our church over the years and I also encourage people to get the tools that they teach at the class.
Delete