Posts Tagged ‘drugs’
Media Morality: Who Is Responsible?
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 Dorothy Gilliam is a liberal, feminist, syndicated columnist. Like so many of her calling, she has done much to break down the barriers of decency. In the name of “liberation,” she decried the morality that helped make this country great. Now, when it…
Read MoreMarijuana Impacts Memory
Source: Julia Milzer, “Largest Study Ever Done on Cannabis and Brain Function Finds Impact on Working Memory,” University of Colorado, 28 January 2025. “The researchers found that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users exhibited reduced brain activity during a working memory task, while 68% of recent users also demonstrated a similar impact.” “This decline in brain…
Read MoreMy husband left me, claiming I was violent
Question: Hi! Please share your wisdom with me. I am standing in need of spiritual guidance and prayer. I have been married for over a year. Half the time I was together with my husband at home and half the time we’ve been separated. My husband did the unimaginable and betrayed me. I was raised…
Read MoreLegalizing Drugs Led to Massive Increase in Drug-Related Deaths
Source: “Oregon 1st state to decriminalize possession of drugs,” AP News, 1 February 2021. “Police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other drugs as a ballot measure that decriminalized them took effect on Monday. Instead, those found in possession would face a $100 fine…
Read MoreMarijuana Use Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
Source: “Marijuana use linked to higher risk of heart attack and stroke,” American Heart Association News, 28 February 2024. “The number of people using marijuana has increased significantly in recent decades in the U.S., where its recreational use has been legalized in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In 2019, a federal survey showed more…
Read MoreComing Clean from Addictions
by Terry Wane Benton Read Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31; II Corinthians 7:7ff People mess up their lives so much with drugs and alcohol. Jesus can heal them but there has to be repentance, a full stop of all that landed them in prodigal and wasteful living. Some have gotten in so deep that…
Read MoreIs the use of a psychedelic drug a gray area?
Question: I ask this unconvinced. My father and mother, about a year ago, began using psilocybin (magic mushrooms), having not dabbled in it since they were teenagers. Both of them claim they underwent a spiritual renewal after tripping. Now they believe they are truly “saved” for the first time and that God used the shrooms…
Read MoreDid my marriage end for the right reason?
Question: Good afternoon! I recently became aware of your ministry and have been reading your articles. I immediately loved the tone and the thoroughness of the answers to questions that people asked! I have one for you that has concerned me! I am in my fifties. I accepted Christ as my Savior decades ago. I…
Read MoreCalled to Rise Above
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Called-to-Rise-Above.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:17-24 I. I found an article the other day by Ray Gonzalez, of Mexico, that started me thinking … There’s Shorty, just standing … scoping out the morning. Where will he strike today? Like a tiger, he is smelling the air to see where he may find prey.…
Read MoreDangers of Recreational Marijuana
Source: Dr. Liji Thomas, MD, “Dangers of recreational/medical cannabis use,” News Medical and Life Sciences, 26 October 2022. More people are using marijuana and starting at a younger age. “Now that many American states have legalized cannabis, the already high rate of cannabis usage is increasing from ages as young as 16 years.” Current studies on marijuana’s…
Read MoreIllogical Fixes to Problems
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Illogical-Fixes-to-Problems.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Samuel 8:1-8 I. For over 400 years, God ruled over the land of Israel. A. When the people became wicked, God sent in an enemy nation to conquer a portion of the land. B. When the people turned backed to God, he raised up a judge to lead the people…
Read MoreMarijuana’s Effects on the Brain
Source: “How Cannabis Affects Our Cognition and Psychology,” Neuroscience News, 13 May 2022. “… the main users are adolescents and young adults, whose brains are still in development. They may therefore be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabis use on the brain in the longer term.” “We showed that participants with the condition had significantly worse…
Read MoreMarijuana Produces Persistent Cognitive Loss
Source: “Cannabis Use Produces Persistent Cognitive Impairments,” Neuroscience News, 20 January 2022. “A systematic review published today in the scientific journal Addiction has found that cannabis use leads to acute cognitive impairments that may continue beyond the period of intoxication.” “The study found that cannabis intoxication leads to small to moderate cognitive impairments in areas including:…
Read MoreThank you for sharing “Searching for My Friend”
Question: Just a note of thanks for sharing this post and the notes to your friend. I pray that he is still on the right path. There was much wisdom in your notes. I have a son who is headed down the same path that your friend was on. Your approach has given me hope,…
Read MoreHow does God forgive besetting sins?
Question: Hello, I have a question on how God forgives besetting sin. I have given my life to Christ about a year ago, and it has been the best thing I could have ever done with my life. However, I’m finding myself with a pattern of committing sin. I have gone through some periods of…
Read MoreI want someone to love. Why can’t I remarry?
Question: I was married for ten years. In the last four years of marriage, my husband was a deacon at the church we attended. Throughout our entire marriage he had a lying and stealing issue, and unbeknownst to me an opioids addiction as well. Long story short the opioids took over his life. He started…
Read MoreI Quit!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/I-Quit.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 10:35-45 I. We’ve all seen people frustrated with a task. “I quit!” they yell as they storm off. A. Funny thing … Do you remember who it was? Neither does anyone else. B. However, there are times I ought to quit. 1. I can allow myself to get into a rut.…
Read MoreCan marijuana be used for legitimate medical purposes?
Question: Is using marijuana or components of marijuana for legitimate medical diagnoses biblical? Answer: While it is popular for promoters of marijuana to talk about “medical marijuana,” there currently does not exist any known medical uses for marijuana that there isn’t a superior drug already on the market that doesn’t have marijuana’s dangerous effects. CBD…
Read MoreWhy did God allow my husband to destroy my life?
Question: Hello. I came across information about separation due to drug use on your site. I am in a situation to which I am seeking Godly counsel. Currently, I am a born again believer for almost three years now. God took my husband out of my life back in 2016, just long enough for me…
Read MoreAttempts to Compensate for Damage Hides Marijuana Effects in the Short Term
Source: Alice G. Walton, “The Brain May Compensate For Heavy Pot Smoking — Until It Can’t Anymore,” Forbes, 11 Nov 2014. “The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that an area in the front of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is smaller in people who smoke three joints a day…
Read MoreAccumulative Marijuana use impacts short-term memory
Source: Christopher Ingraham, “What happens when you get stoned every single day for five years,” Washington Post, 1 Feb 2016. “If you smoke a lot of weed — like a lot of it — it can potentially do permanent damage to your short-term memory.” “The study found that people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis for…
Read MoreAlcohol Causes More Deaths than Opioids
Source: Dr. Barbara Krantz, “Behind the Numbers: Alcohol is Killing More People Than the Opioid Epidemic. Why Aren’t We Talking About It?”, Caron, 28 May 2019. “According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), over 77,000 people died of a drug overdose in 2017. Around 44,800 of those died from an opioid overdose, a nearly five-fold increase…
Read MoreMarijuana and Mental Illness
Source: Alex Berenson, “Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence,” Imprimis, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan 2019 “They’ve told you marijuana has many different medical uses. In reality marijuana and THC, its active ingredient, have been shown to work only in a few narrow conditions. They are most commonly prescribed for pain relief. But they are rarely tested…
Read MoreDo I have to support my father, who refuses to work and smokes marijuana?
Question: Hello, First of all, I love your site. I have spent many hours happily reading the archives of the questions asked, which has helped me. That’s why I’m coming to you with this. Because he doesn’t “feel like it,” my father has not worked for fifteen years; instead, relying on my mother to support…
Read MoreCar Crashes, Linked to Marijuana, Rises
Source: Paul A. Eisenstein, “Legalized marijuana linked to a sharp rise in car crashes,” NBC News, 18 Oct 2018 “There has been an increase by up to 6 percent in the number of highway crashes in four of the states where the recreational use of marijuana has been legalized, according to a pair of new…
Read MoreNot What They Told You – Opioids
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NotWhatTheyToldYouOpioids.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:1-8 I. Opioids are a class of drugs derived from opium A. They include heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many more B. These were originally developed because they attach to the opioid receptors in your brain, muffling your perception of pain and increasing your feelings of pleasure. 1. “At…
Read MoreNot What They Told You – Marijuana
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NotWhatTheyToldYouMarijuana.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 5:21-31 I. It sounds noble A. We need to legalize medical marijuana! 1. But instead of controlled studies where the effectiveness of a derivative drug is analyzed for its benefits versus its harm, the door is thrown wide open. 2. There is an oil extract from marijuana that does appear to…
Read MoreNot What They Told You
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Society often justifies sin by not portraying the complete facts and, thus, making dangerous things appear to be minorly harmful or even beneficial. Not What They Told You – Alcohol Not What They Told You – Marijuana Not What They Told You – Opioids Not What They Told You – Pornography
Read MoreI got myself into a mess and I’m not sure how to handle it
Question: I’ve been married for less than ten years. She left me a few years ago for the guy that took her virginity. I never divorced her, hoping she would come back. I honestly didn’t know where she was or if she was alive or anything. She called my mom over a year later to…
Read MoreA Christian dying of an overdose does not send him to hell!
Question: A Christian dying of an overdose does not send him to hell. He was saved by faith in Christ not his works. All of us Christians sin. You sin, and I sin. If a drug user was never saved that is up to God. Answer: You are correct that the conditions of salvation are determined and set…
Read MoreI got into pot and sex when I was young and messed up my life
Question: I messed up my life when I was young with pot and sexual promiscuity. My life was trash and destroyed. I kept going as I felt I had gone too far — to the point of being put in a mental institution and attempted suicide — the point of no return. It was a…
Read MoreI don’t understand, our granddaughter is absolutely defiant of authority, even as a small child
Question: Hello, Thank you for the time you take to answer so many questions. My story is long and my questions are many being new to the church of Christ, so I will ask for insight into just one specific situation that is leaving my husband and me not really having accurate knowledge in this…
Read MoreHow close of a friend can I be to someone who uses drugs?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I hope you are doing well today. I have a question that I’ve always wondered about but never really been able to settle in my mind. Should a Christian hang out with an unbeliever? Obviously, Christians are not completely separate from unbelievers, but where is the line drawn? I have an old…
Read MoreI found out my cousin is sometimes putting marijuana in our food
Question: Mr. Jeffrey, sir, Your response to me years back made a terrific impact on my life, and I don’t know what I would have done without you coming into the situation and easing my anxiety. May God continue to bless souls through your vast wealth of knowledge. Sir, last year I took marijuana for…
Read MoreConsequences of Marijuana Legalization
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette Opinion, “Five years later, Colorado sees toll of pot legalization”, The Oklahoman, 14 November 2017. “Five years of retail pot coincide with five years of a homelessness growth rate that ranks among the highest rates in the country. Directors of homeless shelters, and people who live on the streets, tell us homeless…
Read MoreCan you sell drugs and be a Christian?
Question: Hello Jeff, I just wanted to follow up with you on the conversation I had with my friend tonight. First, there’s someone he wants input on helping. He has a friend — let’s call this friend Bob — who owes him money (possibly from past drug deals, but I’m not sure). My friend has…
Read MoreWhen a Christian dies due to an overdose of drugs, do they enter heaven?
Question: When a Christian dies due to an overdose of drugs, do they enter heaven? Answer: That would be a judgment that God makes. We know that using drugs recreationally is wrong because it clouds our thinking. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you…
Read MoreHow does a former drug dealer become a Christian?
Question: Hello Jeff, I had an awesome meeting with a guy who’s a little older than I am. He came to services on Sunday, and I talked briefly with him. He said that the class and sermon really spoke to him. We met tonight for dinner, and he revealed that he just quit his side…
Read MoreMy cousin repented just before he died of a drug overdose. Is he in heaven?
Question: My cousin recently committed suicide by drug overdose but by the time we got to him, he was lying on the floor still conscious. He repented then died a few minutes later. Is he in heaven? Please help. Answer: “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord…
Read MoreWhy doesn’t God deliver the addicts in our congregation after all our prayers?
Question: There are many things I notice in our church, which I feel propelled to address, but I am not sure what to say, or how to approach my pastor. I really don’t want him to think I’m forward. I just need to get your take on the situation before I approach him. There’s this…
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