Weed, Woes & Witchcraft

Weed

I had no plausible excuse for smoking weed. Absolutely none. I did it 'just because' and it took me a few months to realize that it was nothing but a waste of money and a temporary method of escaping 'real life'.

As believers, we can't allow circumstances in our lives to cause us to turn to anything other than God. No matter what we go through, He is right there with us. Weed is nothing but a lie. You get high, nothing in your life changes, you come down from the high and the same situation you wanted to get away from, presents itself unchanged. Weed does not solve problems, it provides an escape from reality for a short while but it solves nothing. It adds nothing to your life but a momentary high.

Everybody wants to 'live up the high life' but the highest life we can live is one which honours God. Most may say, "Well, God created weed so why can't I smoke/drink/eat it?". God also created fire but you're not going to bathe in fire, are you? Everything God created was created with a purpose in mind. Each insect was created for a specific purpose, each animal, each landform, each person, each plant. Myles Munroe said "When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable."

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 1 Peter 4:7

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. 1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT

I could go into a whole exposition on the chemical breakdown of weed and go back and forth talking about the 'benefits' and drawbacks but what we know for certain is that weed alters your state of mind. It affects your mood, sleep, memory, appetite and coordination.

Numerous times in scripture, we are told to be sober and alert. Anything that alters your state of mind, affects your sobriety and can cause you to make decisions you would not normally make. God doesn't tell us to be sober for His sake. It's for our own good, to keep us from harmful and unwise decisions. He tells us that so that we can be vigilant because our enemy, satan, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

...and we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:12-13

God has promised that He will not put more on us than we can bear so we don't need weed to numb emotional pain, calm us or make us high. Weed has no place in our lives as Christians. We have Holy Spirit and we operate in the kingdom of God. The word of God says that the kingdom consists of righteousness, joy and peace IN THE HOLY SPIRIT not in a plant.

God requires total surrender. He wants ALL that we are. When it comes to Him, we have to put all of our eggs in one basket. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us and has given us the power to overcome every sinful habit so if you do smoke, I challenge you to lay it at the foot of the cross and come up higher with God, not by smoking weed but by the Spirit

And remember... 1 Corinthians 10:23,

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.

WOES

The term 'WOE' a.k.a 'working on excellence' was coined by Drake in his song 'Know Yourself'. Your woes are your friends, your besties, your squad, your ride or dies. Let's talk about why a quality inner circle is important!

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 NLT

If your woes live in mediocrity, guess what you're going to be doing? I wish more of us would understand that we become like those we spend most of our time with! As Vladimir Lenin said, "show me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are."

Are your woes are causing you woes?

If your woes are an emotional mess and allow their emotions to lead them, guess who's gonna be slashing tires at 2 in the morning because they FEEL that their bf is cheating on them? I know that was really specific. I promise that never happened but you catch my drift right? If your friends justify and 'okay' your sin, then you'll never grow. We need truth tellers in our corner. We need friends who can check us when we're out of line and tell us when we're being led by our emotions. We need friends we can GROW with.

I'm not saying that you drop everyone because they don't have it all together but if your woes, your 'squad', your ride or dies are influencing you to do wrong, to dishonour God and live in your flesh, then you need to count the cost and determine if those friendships are worth the price. Are you willing to give up intimacy with God for an unhealthy/unequally yoked friendship?

I pray that this causes you to think and reevaluate your life and relationships. Stop going around the same mountain because you refuse to clean up your circle. I KNOW it's hard, I know that losing a friend is oftentimes harder than losing a boyfriend/girlfriend but if you know God is telling you to move on, then move on. Yes, they have had your back. Yes, it's hard to find good friends but if your friends are influencing you to do what is wrong instead of you influencing them to do what is right then something has to give...

There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NLT

Witchcraft

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the

fat of rams. For rebellion is like

the sin of divination, and

arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

1 Samuel 15:22-23

In the passage above, the prophet Samuel was speaking to King Saul after Saul disobeyed God. God told Saul to go up against the Amalekites and completely destroy them and everything that belonged to them (they had caused the Israelites much grief on their journey from Egypt). However, Saul disregarded the Lord's instruction and kept what he thought was 'good' from their spoils, not to mention the fact that he spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites.

When Samuel confronted Saul, his excuse was that he had only saved the animals to sacrifice them to the Lord. The two verses outlined was Samuel's response.

Oxford Dictionary defines rebellion as "the action or process of resisting authority or control." The Bible says that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. It's easy to see why the comparison was made. Imposing one's own will is the overarching theme of witchcraft. When you rebel against God, you're essentially saying that your way is better and that you know best. You seek to impose your will in situations. Rebellion is rooted in pride as most sins are and it might not look as abrasive as you think. We often go our own way when we feel like God's instructions don't make sense and that is rebellion.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

We go through tests so that our faith will grow. To be obedient even when things seem impossible and the instruction makes no sense, that is true TRUST. So put that horoscope down and stop trying to force your will. REST in the knowledge that you are in the palm of God's hand and He loves you more than you know. Lay your fears down and place every area of your life in His hands and TRUST Him with your life. It's in the best hands!

Our lives are not going to go perfectly. We won't have everything we want all the time. The word of God says that trials come to test our faith. If every time something goes wrong, you remove yourself from under God's mission to control, manipulate and deceive your way out of a test, then you'll keep going around the same mountain until you PASS THAT TEST by remaining submitted to God and obedient to Him. That's how patience is developed, that how perseverance is developed, that's how obedience is developed.

The same way you had to complete tests in order to go to the higher levels in school, you have to pass tests in order to be promoted in your Christian journey. Promotion is always preceded by a passed test. As far and as long as you run, you can't skip a level. When he said "The only way out is through," Robert Frost could not have been more accurate.

I'm not promising an easy life. If we take a look at the Christians in the early church, we'll see that their lives were marked by suffering. I'm not promising you a life with no battles. No. But you can rest assured that you'll have a God who stands in the fire with you. You'll have a God who shuts the mouths of lions for you. You'll have a God who went to hell and back to win your soul. If that doesn't reassure you, I don't know what will.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT

In Acts 19:19, those who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls and burned them publicly. They took all of their material and burned them because they now had something greater: the love of God. You may not have physical books or papers that you need to burn up but maybe you need the fire of God to burn up that need for control, to burn up that fear that says "maybe God won't catch me if I fall," "maybe He won't have my back when it all boils down to it."

Although, I empathize with those fears, they have no basis in the Word of God. God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what the situation, He will always be there. Let go of your fear and take a leap of faith. I promise you God won't fail You and every situation, every hardship you face, He will be right there with you, with immeasurable strength and grace to help you in your time of need. What if I told you that that need for control was rooted in fear? Fear of hurt, fear of pain, fear of being a victim, fear of being blindsided by catastrophe? This Christian walk is a walk of FAITH. You jump in with both feet because God loves you. Not like you've seen 'love' most of your life. His love does not abuse, it does not lie, it does not manipulate. His love always protects, always hopes, always trusts and most importantly, His love NEVER FAILS.

Reminders:

God is fighting for us pushing back the darkness, lighting up the kingdom that cannot be shaken.

In the name of Jesus, enemies defeated and we will shout it out shout it out!

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV

Grace and peace to you all.

Until next time...

#weed #rebellion #surrender #submission #Jesus #God #woes #friendship