An opioid epidemic is now sweeping our nation. Everywhere I travel, I read the horrific stories of death and destruction being caused by illegal drugs. Even as politicians and health care professionals try to find a solution, marijuana use has become generally accepted and legalized. The original drug of alcohol is being accepted now by more and more professing followers of Christ.

Addiction to prescription meds is pervasive. We are the most drugged generation in history! What used to be considered inner city drug culture has now permeated small-town America.

Drugs: A Substitute for God 

Now for the ugly truth…

We all have them. Not all are illegal, but all are sinful. They are the things or people that we turn to as an escape from reality. Indeed, many of our “drugs” are not evil in themselves, but they are good things out-of-place.

What is your drug of choice? It is the thing that you turn to for release, and it has become a substitute for God. Drugs alter the mind. Some numb…others stimulate…but none of them last! For everything they give they take much more.

Only the Lord offers real escape and lasting help. The psalmist said it best when he wrote, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). God is to be our refuge. He alone is to be the One we run to in our time of need!

The truth is that the thing which you run to for protection also exercises power over you. Soon, a dependence has been formed. Only God is worthy of such a place in your life. This is what Paul meant when he testified, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

What Has Power Over You?

Your drug of choice may not be unlawful. It may even be popularly accepted by others. But if your life begins to revolve around it instead of Christ, then you are in bondage. Whose power are you operating under?

As a child of the 80’s I remember well the “War on Drugs” and the “Just Say No!” slogan introduced by Mrs. Nancy Reagan. Perhaps we would do well to have our own war on the drugs we have allowed into our lives. Identify any thing that has become your “go to” in times of trouble. Recognize it for what it is – a cheap substitute for true refuge and release found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, by God’s grace, “Just Say No!”

God doesn’t offer a temporary escape from reality; He offers a lasting joy and strength in the midst of reality. Turn to Him alone today. Run to Jesus! “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

WATCH: Ryan’s Journey to Freedom

*In this moving interview, Scott Pauley interviews Ryan, his cousin and brother in Christ, who shares his remarkable journey from drug addiction to redemption and freedom in Christ.

About Scott Pauley