Making 4/20 a day of prayer for deliverance

[BorisTheSpider]

Christians may or may not know that 420 is frequently used as a discreet code indicating the use of marijuana. Many marijuana users will make a point of smoking it at 4:20 p.m., and the date 4/20 (April 20th) has become a “smoke out” day to celebrate the use of this drug.

As April 20th approaches, I am moved to ask for April 20th to become a different kind of rallying point, one the comes in the opposite spirit of drug use. This will become an excellent day to commemorate God’s deliverance of millions of people from drug and alcohol dependency, and to become a world-wide day of prayer against drug and alcohol addiction.

As a teen, I was a daily marijuana user. I smoked as many as six or seven times each day. Over time, due to the nature of diminishing returns with any drug use, I no longer drew much pleasure from the use of pot, but had found that I loathed being sober. Each day’s energy was spent seeking the next way to buy pot. I even began to sell pot in small quantities to maintain my own “high”.

I asked Jesus Christ into my heart in 1987. As a new Christian, I still was hanging out with my non-christian friends, and frequently still smoked pot with them. I was uncomfortable in both worlds: not succeeding as I thought I should as a Christian, and no longer fitting in with my atheistic buddies. I asked God to show me the truth about pot. His answer was simple and succinct: marijuana confuses the mind and makes thought on godly matters difficult. While it was easy to follow lustful chains of thought while high, it was difficult to pray or meditate on God’s word. I asked Him for deliverance, and He gave it to me.

To be completely honest, marijuana still beckons to me, even 21 years later. There is a certain seductiveness to the lazy feelings and hypnotic thoughts. But the harsher realities are not so memorable: the terrible coughs, the grey phlegm, the blistered throat, the broken friendships when deals went poorly, the loss of my family’s trust, the degradation of my memory and thought processes.

This is not a note based on any particular political agenda. This is a call to prayer, for any Christian who believes that Jesus Christ still delivers humans from terrible addictions. If you know a Christian or non-christian who uses marijuana, please make a concerted effort to pray for them this coming April 20th, and as often as Jesus lays them on your heart. I am including a suggested prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I lift up ________ to You. Set ________ free from all that hides your grace. Deliver ________ from the seductive and confusing power of marijuana. Let ________ know Your truth about this drug. Give ________ real peace and real contentedness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Let ________ come to the saving knowledge of Your grace, by Your blood. I trust that You love ________ - show him/her the depth of Your love. Heal all the hurts that have resulted from this drug use, and show ­________ the Father. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Please pray, and please feel free to forward this request to your friends and family who would prayer as well.

 

[Zyphyr]

First off Marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is a plant of healing and peace. Study up. Pot is not physically addicting. There are alot worse things to talk to yourself about than people smoking weed.
As a daily smoker I can not tell you the many ways that pot has made my life better.
I was born with a chemical imbalance in my brain that made me angry most of the time.
After going to doctor after doctor for psychotropic drugs to help my condition...nothing worked and I ended up in jails and prisons.
Marijuana is the only thing that has helped me.
And it has the potential to help so many others if only the stigma of it being a bad drug would disappear.
I know people who smoke weed that you would never ever suspect. I know a school teacher who uses it for pain. I know a doctor who told my grandpa when he was dieing of cancer that he knew one drug that would help his pain and mental state but he would go to prison for giving him some.
Luckily the time is coming when pot will be legalized and all this talk will go away.

 

[bsd13]

I have to agree with Zyphyr on this one. If it's not your thing then by all means don't use it because as Paul warned not all things are profitable for us. Some people it helps, but like all other things if you're a glutton about using it then it won't help it will only destroy.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]THC is a drug.
Marijuana smoke is more harmful than cigarette smoke.
If any lawful authority - be it a parent (Ephesians 6:1, Colossians 3:20) or government (Romans 13:1-5, Titus 3:1) - says that a drug cannot be used by any person, that authority is to be honored. [/FONT]

 

[bsd13]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,New York]THC is a drug.
Marijuana smoke is more harmful than cigarette smoke.
If any lawful authority - be it a parent (Ephesians 6:1, Colossians 3:20) or government (Romans 13:1-5, Titus 3:1) - says that a drug cannot be used by any person, that authority is to be honored. [/FONT]

And if I were to go somewhere that it is legal then you don't see a problem with it, right? So for instance if I go to a state that has legalized it for the sick and am able to get a prescription for it since I'm obeying the law of the government then I am perfectly within my God given rights to use it, correct?

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

And if I were to go somewhere that it is legal then you don't see a problem with it, right? So for instance if I go to a state that has legalized it for the sick and am able to get a prescription for it since I'm obeying the law of the government then I am perfectly within my God given rights to use it, correct?

There are other alternatives. You should always look to Scripture for the answers you seek, as well as consult your pastor. In cases of health concerns you should consult your doctor as well.

 

[bsd13]

There are other alternatives. You should always look to Scripture for the answers you seek, as well as consult your pastor. In cases of health concerns you should consult your doctor as well.

With all due respect I didn't ask about alternatives. We're talking about one specific substance. If we are to look at scripture the pattern is clear

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses - 1 Timothy 5:23

While the passage doesn't specifically say marijuana in it the truth that it establishes is very clear. Before anyone jumps in and starts talking about our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit allow me to cut you off with this. Wine is not good for the body either, yet God has told us to use wine because of our stomach and frequent illnesses. So why would he tell us to put a harmful substance in our bodies?

 

[Zyphyr]

I can't really come onto the argument from the bible concept. I mean I consider the Bible to be no more than an ancient book of Jewish folklore. Nothing worth basing your life on. But since I have alot of experience in trying to explain things to believers who use the Bible to prove their own points, I do have a few comments.
First off read this from Web MD.:
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People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.
While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.
Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.
The findings surprised the study’s researchers, who expected to see an increase in cancer among people who smoked marijuana regularly in their youth.
“We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes,” researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD. “But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.” Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer.
Tashkin presented the findings today at The American Thoracic Society’s 102nd International Conference, held in San Diego..
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Kinda busted your point out of the water there with that one didn't I?
Oh and a few more things....even if pot was more harmful than tobacco, most people smoke more tobacco in a day than they do marijuana in a day. I smoke a pack a day of cigs. but could not see smoking 20 joints in one day.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

I can't really come onto the argument from the bible concept. I mean I consider the Bible to be no more than an ancient book of Jewish folklore. Nothing worth basing your life on. But since I have alot of experience in trying to explain things to believers who use the Bible to prove their own points, I do have a few comments.
First off read this from Web MD.:

Some day you might be willing to believe, please remember we told you so. I love you and want you to experience Jesus Christ.
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People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.
While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.
Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.
The findings surprised the study’s researchers, who expected to see an increase in cancer among people who smoked marijuana regularly in their youth.
“We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes,” researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD. “But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.” Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer.
Tashkin presented the findings today at The American Thoracic Society’s 102nd International Conference, held in San Diego..
.....................................................................................................................
Kinda busted your point out of the water there with that one didn't I?

5 years from now there will be another study that reveals the opposite. It does not negate the fact that marijuana is a mind and mood altering drug, and Scripture says that we should refrain from their use. You are looking for someone to sign off on marijuana, so you can justify it's use. It ain't gonna happen with me, because I know first hand what it can do to folks.

Oh and a few more things....even if pot was more harmful than tobacco, most people smoke more tobacco in a day than they do marijuana in a day. I smoke a pack a day of cigs. but could not see smoking 20 joints in one day.

Most people I knew would smoke that many in one sitting, you are preaching to the choir. I will pray for you to find God.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

With all due respect I didn't ask about alternatives. We're talking about one specific substance. If we are to look at scripture the pattern is clear

Clear to who? Not clear to you, you keep trying to justify the use of marijuana. Read Ecclesiastes 7

While the passage doesn't specifically say marijuana in it the truth that it establishes is very clear. Before anyone jumps in and starts talking about our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit allow me to cut you off with this. Wine is not good for the body either, yet God has told us to use wine because of our stomach and frequent illnesses. So why would he tell us to put a harmful substance in our bodies?

If you need marijuana for health issues you may be correct, if you do not you are mistaken. Medically necessary in a state that allows it. Recreational marijuana use is not justifiable.

 

[Zyphyr]

Lord save me from your followers.
Marijuana heals.
If you believe in God you have to believe that a plant of this nature must have been put here for a reason.

The hemp plant (scientific name: cannabis, nickname: marijuana) is one of the many useful herbs "yielding seed after its kind" (Genesis 1:12) blessed on the third day of creation and presented to people for use in conjunction with our free will.​

God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth....to you it will be for meat.... And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:29-31)

The Lord said ..Afore harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches. (Isaiah 18:4-5)
​

HOW WAS THE MARIJUANA PLANT USED DURING BIBLICAL TIMES?​

Cannabis was used 12 ways: as clothing, paper, cord, sails, fishnet, oil, sealant, incense, food, and in ceremony, relaxation and medicine.
"Cana" got its name from the same root word as "cannabis," indicating that hemp was grown there.​

The Three Wise Men who came to witness the birth of Christ are believed to be Zoroastrians, who regarded hemp as a special gift of God.
That thou shalt not hold it as a false god, "not lie" about it, "not steal" it and "not covet" it (Ex. 20:1-17). Nowhere in the Bible does it say people cannot grow, possess or smoke cannabis hemp.

HOW DID JESUS SPEAK OF MARIJUANA?​

Although He lived among marijuana smokers, He said not to criticize a for their habits.​

"Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; that which cometh out of the mouth defileth a man." (Mat. 15:11)
​

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." (John 8:7)
​

I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of Itself: but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Paul: Romans 14:2,3,13,14,17)

WHAT DID HE SAY ABOUT GOVERNMENT?​

He said to keep church and state separate.​

render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's and unto God the things which be Gods." (Luke 20 25)
​

As we have already seen, it was God, not government, who gave man the seed bearing herbs to use.


Sorry for the long post. I am not trying to get you to enable me to justify recreational use of Marijuana. I already do that, but thanks.

All I am trying to get you to do is to study your own sacred book a little more. Don't recite to me Sunday school verses. Read your book with an open mind, study your book and if you are going to base your life on it's contents then by all means know what it written within it.
​

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: (Prov 1:5)​

 

[bsd13]

Clear to who? Not clear to you, you keep trying to justify the use of marijuana. Read Ecclesiastes 7

I don't even use it so what's the use or point of me trying to justify it? I don't need to justify it because it has never been condemned either directly or by proxy implication in the Bible.

Where it has been condemned, just like drinking any kind of alcohol is in the modern American church system. Unfortunately it's not limited to just American churches anymore because we've planted so many out among the rest of the world.

For you I just read Ecclesiastes 7 twice and it speaks of wisdom. What does that have to do with the issue at hand?

If you need marijuana for health issues you may be correct, if you do not you are mistaken. Medically necessary in a state that allows it. Recreational marijuana use is not justifiable.

Not justifiable and not condemned. It's an issue of your heart.

Are you using it for a reason or are you using it for an effect?

Do you give thanks to God for your meal because he deserves thanks and respect or do you give thanks because it is expected of you?

Do you put in your 10% because it is holy unto the Lord or do you put it in because that's what you're supposed to do?

Everything that we do is an issue of our heart. The motive behind why we do things is what matters.

Using marijuana is no different

 

[Zyphyr]

I agree completly. I look at it like this. Take me for example here. If someone could convince me or disprove some of my points or even so much as answer just one of my myriad of questions with something other than "you have to have faith" or "human minds cannot comprehend the things of God" then I could be a believer again.
But as I was saying...take my case then for example. I am a daily Marijuana smoker. I use it because all my life I have had problems with my anger. I have been diagnosed as bi-polar and anti-social. Of all the mad made meds. I have been on before, none worked. Pot helps. It makes me in a better mood and all around make my life more manageable. And to a point where if I were to want to become a christian again I don't think I could give up pot. What would be worse?
Being as I am now, or being a believer who smokes a plant?
IMO people just get the wrong idea about pot because they go by what they hear and see and not by personal experience.

 

[TheMainException]

I tend to agree with Zyphyr and bsd13. It can be abused like anything...like food or sex can be abused. Is it evil in itself? Never. Is it wrong? For some people it is wrong. But not everyone.

I agree with the OP in this thing tho: We should pray for deliverance from the mental addiction of pot that people are dealing with to this day. Simply because they are physically not addicted does not mean that mentally they do not crave that mind alteration and seek to escape from life rather than live it better.

Pot helped me to see life in a new way. I did not use it more than once a day and often I would only use it on weekends...sometimes I'd go two weeks without using it and other times I might use it three days in a row. It created a peace and sense of calm and happiness and was like having a good time with friends and laughing a lot when there was no one to hang out with. It was simply a good time like having a few beers with friends at a pub while discussing life. But it did more than that because it got me thinking in ways I wouldn't usually think. In many ways, it helped me get through depression and out of that cloud. (It isn't the only thing, but it was a stepping stone as I still had to quit because God told me he wanted my attention focused more on him than what pot was doing for me...it did take up pretty big swaths of time since I could generally feel the major effects for up to 3 hours and have a happy, numbed hangover of the effects for the rest of the day). It can be good for some people and it can be bad for some people and I think we need to admit to that at least.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

You guys are pretty convincing with that nonsense. I have seen many more lives ruined by it than I have seen healed by it.
You can keep your world view. The use of drugs and alcohol cause thousands of deaths in this world every year. Not just from it's use but from it distribution. There is no solution to this problem other than God. It is all sin. If it causes just one person to lose their life, it is not Biblical. Spin it however you want.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

BTW. You are on a substance abuse thread. Please be mindful of the thousands of folks that this affects.
God created the marijuana plant before man sinned. Prior to sin the plant would not have been abused. Can man do anything without sinning?

Ecclesiastes 7:4 They are wise sayings.

 

[Zyphyr]

There have been ZERO deaths due to Marijuana use. I know they say a high number of auto accidents are caused by Marijuana impairment. But you have to remember, pot stays in your system for a min. of 30 days for a frequent user. I could smoke today, drive a week from now sober and still fail a urine test for THC.
And you mentioned the deaths due to the distribution. Why is that? Are there anymore deaths due to alcohol distribution?
Figure that out on your own.
And yes I know I am on a substance abuse section.
I do not condone the use of any drugs.
I do condone the use of the Cannibus Sativa plant as well as Psilocybin mushrooms.

 

[MyHeroIsJesus]

There have been ZERO deaths due to Marijuana use. I know they say a high number of auto accidents are caused by Marijuana impairment. But you have to remember, pot stays in your system for a min. of 30 days for a frequent user. I could smoke today, drive a week from now sober and still fail a urine test for THC.

Dude, those statistics are not just based on test's, they collect evidence at the scenes. Zero deaths is incorrect. Oh, you probably think the cops are stupid. Even, if it is 1 death a year God's not gonna like it.

And you mentioned the deaths due to the distribution. Why is that? Are there anymore deaths due to alcohol distribution?
Figure that out on your own.

What difference does that make, alcohol kills thousands each year.

And yes I know I am on a substance abuse section.
I do not condone the use of any drugs.
I do condone the use of the Cannibus Sativa plant as well as Psilocybin mushrooms.

Wow, your willpower is amazing Keep on fooling yourself, but please stop trying to make fools out of others.

 

[Zyphyr]

 

[bsd13]

You guys are pretty convincing with that nonsense. I have seen many more lives ruined by it than I have seen healed by it.
You can keep your world view. The use of drugs and alcohol cause thousands of deaths in this world every year. Not just from it's use but from it distribution. There is no solution to this problem other than God. It is all sin. If it causes just one person to lose their life, it is not Biblical. Spin it however you want.

I spent a few years in emergency services. Saw many people killed in automobile accidents, families destroyed because of them. So then by applying your logic, if even ONE person loses their life not only is it not Biblical it is a sin. Which means we as a church body should stand against it.

Right?

Yeah no, that's going a bit too far isn't it. After all you like your car and you sure the hell wouldn't want to have to walk EVERYWHERE you went. The point being that cars cause thousands of deaths of year and since that is (one of) your litmus tests that makes pot problematic for you then obviously anything that causes thousands of deaths a year is sinful.

Tell me, staying on with the subject of death do you believe that manufacturing weapons of war which cause many times over the number of deaths that pot does is sinful?

You see I can pull out anything that causes death, since again that's the litmus test you presented, and make it sinful. I can also cite a great deal more Biblical teachings and passages condemning harming another person than you'll ever pull out about using marijuana (or anything akin to it).

No one disagrees that marijuana has the potential to ruin lives, but so does chocolate candy but we'll never see the church rally against that now will we. I wonder why that is?

As far as seeing "many lives ruined" we could spend all day trading stories about various things that have ruined many lives. So are all of those sinful or are they just "bad ideas"?