Healing
The evidence continues to accumlate that we are living in an upside down world, where there is no sense of right and wrong and nothing is anyone's fault. Setting the world right side up, through God, is the calling of Christians today, as it was in the past.
Trying to deal with the opioid epidemic, which some consider a national emergency, people are blaming it all on the drug pushers and drug companies, when the real reason is that we pushed out God. Druggies are made victims.
A breath of fresh air: At an event at the Heritage Foundation Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said it’s important to “reestablish the view that people should say no to drugs.”
"Just say no to drugs" Another saying back in the day was "Why do you think they call it dope?"
You mean that humans actually have a will? A choice? What a novel idea!
"Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you." Psalm 32:9
The Pennsbury school district, in Bucks County, PA, whipped up an anti-drug abuse task force, "whose umbrella mission is to destigmatize issues surrounding mental health and addiction via a number of means", according to an article in Levittownnow.com. The task force was vague about how it would destigmatize these issues. But suffice to say, it will portray the drug abusers as victims and that their addiction is not their fault. Maybe they'll play a tape of Curly from The Three Stoogies over and over of him saying "I'm a victim of soy cum stances!"
For the Christian, when one sins, there is guilt about comitting the sin. In order to be made right, healed, one confesses the sin, God forgives us and makes us right.
Decades ago, when I worked at a methadone center as a "patient monitor" one of the counselors tried to get me interested in becoming a heroine addict counselor there and went over some materials with me. Even back in the early 70s, the philosophy was to destigmatize addiction, as stigmatizing addiction would make the druggie feel bad about him or herself, hurt self-esteem and impede healing. The reading material knocked the Christian belief that we are sinners and have no good in ourselves - that we are depraved. It certainly didn't champion the "T" in the Calvinists' TULIP - The total depravity of man.
I didn't pursue a counseling position there.
Adam and Eve were the first people to sin. They felt shame, where afraid to face God and covered up their sin, literally, with fig leaves. They were also the first blame shifters, who said that eating the forbidden fruit was not their fault.
The 411 on Adam & Eve from the book of Genesis Starting at Chapter 2 verse 25:
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame
Chapter 3 The Fall
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 2:25 - 3:13
Our first parents fell. But God sent His son Jesus, to remove our shame and redeem us.
What modern thinkers, who think people should cover up their shame for fear they will always be down in the dumps, don't see is that the only way to become whole is to admit guilt and confess their sins to Jesus, who forgives them, and gives them peace, lifting their guilt of sin.
"O Lord, You have pleaded my soul's cause; You have redeemed my life".Lamentations 3:58
In John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress", the allegory of the soul, when Christian reads the Bible, he has a great weight - the knowledge of sin - on him, so heavy that it will sink him into hell. He meets Evangelist, who directs him to the "Wicked Gate" for deliverance.
Christian cannot see the Wicked Gate, but takes Evangelist's advice and follows the shining light in the distance. Along his journey, as a result of doubts, fears, temptations, lusts, shames, guilts, and his sinful condition, Christian sinks into the "Slough of Dispair." He can't get out by himself, but is pulled out by Help.
Christian continues his journey. It has a happy ending. Christian is welcomed to the Celestial City. He didn't make it of his own accord, but by faith in Jesus.
Like Adam & Eve, our country has fallen. Drug war leaders are sending the message that druggies shouldn't admit it's not their fault and they shift the blame - to drug pushers - anyone - anyone but themselves. Drug abuse is actually a besetting sin - a habitual sin that people have trouble overcoming. The only way is through our higher power - God. Until people take this to heart, the war on drug abuse is a loosing battle.
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land". 2 Chronicles 7:14
Once you are saved, confess your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart, that's not the end. As was the case in The Pilgrim's Progress where Christian got God's help along his journey, we need to seek out God and confess our sins and nurture our relationship with God, through reading His Word, through prayer, and worship, in the congregation of saints.
"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". Philippians 1:6
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
This article has been read 550 times < Previous | Next >
Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.
It seems like accepting blame has become a game of "hot potato". People don't realize that there is freedom in accepting blame. Sounds strange, but when we accept responsibility for our actions, we can then be lead to proper ways to deal with situations we face. If there is no acceptance of blame, what keeps us, like a dog, from returning to our vomit?
Truly a good article Jeff.
Keep up your writing for the Lord.
God bless you!
Roland