Drugged

There are lots of things that may drug us.

Chemicals or even natural compounds can drug our mind and our bodies, doing damage that will follow us for the rest of our lives.

Religion and ideas may also be an opiate and drug.

Vanity and pride can control our minds and our imagination.
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Majorities or 'authorities' may produce drugging effects to exclude us from the Way of God. Participation with them is like a barter. Our choice grants power to them, and by our choice they return favor, by granting us 'brownie points' (benefits).

"They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that you might affect them." Galatians 4:17

From the context of what is written before verse 17, it is clear "they" intend to turn us to toward bondage (see verse 9). But, "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" 2Corinthians 3:17, and "stand fast ... in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" Galatians 5:1. "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth ....?" Galatians 3:1.

The religious opiate influence exercises authority over our mind's ability to grasp the truth. Just as a drug is effective to block normal biochemical processes in the brain, to hinder sensual perceptions, so also a religious opiate block may block the conscience. Rather than provide the clues which lead toward doing what is right, the seared conscience (seared by the opiate) has adopted its zealot's creed to imprison our mind within a tranquil, emotionally moving and impressively sophisticated sphere of religion. The more 'super-christian' it appears, the more we become convinced of its goodness, and this stalls our mind's self-criticism.

Self-criticism is a serious examination and judgment of one's self. It includes the ability to make any choice that is necessary to make right a wrong or a fault. Having a correct understanding is an important step toward righteousness. Valuable self-criticism will take hold of what is proven to be good and right, and then it will compare self to that proven standard. The standard is Christ Jesus. How do you measure up?

If our crowd around us is satisfied with our 'brilliant creed' (but it was not tested alongside the standard of Christ) ... if we all are sleepy and contented to have worked hard and 'done a good deed' to derive our creed ... if we imagine God answers our prayers on account of our diligent efforts to defend our creed and our resultant lifestyle ... if Bible studies were included for building 'our creed', then we may easily believe our need for self-criticism is vain. Besides, modern psychology warns against the practice of self-criticism.

Ephesians 5:18 says: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

The 'wine' we drank did not come from a bottle. It came from pulpits. It came from a book we bought from the 'christian bookstore'. It came from YouTube videos produced by those who ignored righteousness. It came by our habits established in the constant barrage of unrighteous deeds continually being justified within ourselves.

Our pride may accept anger as being righteous, since it allows no one to dishonor the 'diligent efforts of our studies in God's Word", as we make it mean what we want it to mean. And if that is left unchecked, a drunken anger controls our mind to allow the shameful violence we would not have initially allowed when the anger was 'only a little bit angry at our critics'.

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, ..." Colossians 2:8

" ... they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." 1Thessalonians 5:7,8

Armor is the preventative against becoming drugged. Why not put it on daily? On which day should we climb out of bed without His armor correctly fastened to cover us?

Those who are already drugged excuse themselves, or they wonder, "Somebody is drugged. Who is it? Either I'm drugged or my critics are drugged". Pride leads the drugged to believe the critics are the ones who are drugged. Deeply entrenched pride is zealously affected in that belief.

Is there any hope for the drugged? Ephesians 6 includes the Sword of the Spirit as a tool used to "stand against the wiles of the devil". If one who is truly drugged chooses Truth and Life, then the Sword is able to answer, "Which one of us is drugged?"

For example, test the anger. Does it bear good fruit? Another example: Test the love. Does it clearly reflect Christ's suffering?

Are we drugged into thinking our religious ways are a real walk of faith? What does God's Word say about faith?

-- DAS --

Drugged

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