Just Say

"NO"
to Drugs?
by George Kuhn
The Delusion of Drugs
Morning Glory, Snow White, Candy Land, Happy
Trails, they sound wonderful, don't they? When you
think of Morning Glory, don't you think of a beautiful
flower? And with Snow White; don't you think of a
wonderful fairy tale that was read to you when you
were a child? Candy Land might have been one of the
ftrst games you learned to play, and Happy Trails may
recall for you the song that Dale Evans and Roy Rogers
sang as they rode into the sunset.
Well, actually these are only a few nicknames for such
illegal drugs as heroin and cocaine; mind-altering
drugs that leave users in such a state of confusion, that
they can't even remember their own names or where
they are.
In the Gospel of John 8:44, Jesus, who is speaking to
the Pharisees, says "You are of your father the devil,
and you want to do the desires of your father. He was
a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever
he speaks a lie he speaks from his own nature;for he
is is a liar and the father of lies."
People who sell drugs and those who use them are
liars. The pusher promises a good time, and the drug
user lies to himself and to others. He tells himself that
he feels good when he use drugs, but the truth is that
he is killing himself. This is exactly what Jesus meant
when he called the Pharisees liars. They, like the self-
deceived drug pusher and user did not put their faith
and trust in the Son of God, but in themselves and their
lies. ThePharisees were of the devil just as the liar who
promotes or sells drugs. Whoever places faith in them,
instead of in the Lord, is also of the devil and outside
of the saving grace ofJesus Christ. But if trust is placed
in Jesus Christ instead, the Lord will never direct you
in the wrong path.
illegal drugs are plentiful today. Everyday we hear
and read of police arresting groups of people who are
selling and importing drugs into this country. Satan is
attempting to destroy God's work, butifwe as believers
in God band together, we can ward off the prince of
dar)cness, both in the lives of our youth and
communities. We must point people to the God who
has power to break the chains of sin and set the prisoner
free.
Case History
In 1983 I was assigned to my department's detective
bureau. One nightI happened across a young man who
I'll call Tony. Tony was trying to sell drugs to me.
Tony, who was 19 years old, had never been arrested
before and was quite scared. He wondered what was
going to happen to him and began telling me a sad story
about his history with drugs. A few weeks later, Tony
went to court and promised me that he was going to
. straighten out and no longer take drugs. But Tony was
powerless against this foe and failed.
I saw Tony again about two months later. This time he
had been arrested by another detective and was being
charged with possession and being under the influence
of drugs. I could see that Tony was on a slide. He had
lost a lot of weight and looked like he had been wearing
the same clothes since the last time I saw him. Tony
was arrested again, and this time he went to jail.
About a year later I received a call that there was a sick
man in the men's room at Penn Station in Newark.
When I responded I found Tony laying on the floor in
a bathroom stall semi-conscious. He was suffering
from a severe drug overdose. I called for an ambulance,
and while we were waiting Tony looked at me and
The Counsel of Chalcedon January 1991 Page 21
said, "I think I messed up real bad this time." This. was Lord loves us so much that He sent His Son to the cross.
the last thing Tony ever said.. Tony died in my arms He tells us not to live by the p ~ i p l e s of the world
before the ambulance arrived. He was 21 years old, because. we, as Christians, belong to Christ. If we
and later I found Tony had been suffering from AIDS.. belong to Christ, we are to say "NO" to drugs. If we
I watched Tony go from a good-looking young man to belongtoChrist, we can say "NO" to drugs because He
something that looked like a skeleton in less than 2 givesusthestrengthandguidancethatweneed,dayby
years. day, hour by hour, through the power of His indwelling
"Just Says No"?
A major govenunent advertising campaign tells us to
"Just Say No To Drugs!" For a while, every time we
turned on the television or listened to the radio, we
heard well-known athletes or actors repeating this
slogan. Even Mrs. Reagan started a national campaign
to "Just Say No To Drugs!"
As good as this appears atfirs t sight, there is something
missing in the message,justlike a crucial piece missing
from ajigsawpuzzle. The message doesn't tell us why
or how we should say "No" to drugs.
In the Bible, Genesis 4:7 tells us, "If you do well, will
not your countenance be lifted up? . And if you do not
do well, sin is crouching at the door:. and its desire is
for you, butyoumustmaster it." The only way tomaster
sin is with the aid of Christ. Man, apart from Christ, is
powerless over the tyranny of sin. Theeffectof taking
drugs is like drunkenness. When we allow a drug into
. .
the human system, the body no longerknows what it
is doing. It is confused, and we have no control over
it.
Grace--The Power to Say "No"
The power to say "NO" to sin is theworkofGod'sgrace
in us as Paul tells us in'Titus 2: 11 ff. , .. ''The grace of
God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It
teaches us to say "NO" to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, uprightandgodly
lives in this present age, while we waitfor the blessed
hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior,Iesus Christ, who gave himselfforus to redeem
us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a
people that are his Very own, eager to do what is good."
God wants to be our God. He wants to be with us. The
The Counsel of Chalcedon January 1991 Page 22
. Holy Spirit.
Paul's letter to the Roman 6:12 says: "Therefore do
not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should
obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the
members of your body to sin as instruments of
unrighteousness; but present your members as
instruments of righteousness to God."
We must be in control of our bodies-God's gift to
, . .
us-at all times. We may be tempted day by day,
perhaps hour by hour, but those who are saved by the
grace of Jesus Christ have a gallant soldier standing
over them and protecting themand therefore can say
''No'' to sin.
TlleLordhasgivenusourbodiesandalltheirwonderful
parts. Our Creator made us in His image, so we must
do everything possible to treat this gift with the respect
owed to God. Only in Christ is the power of sin broken,
and if we truly know Jesus Chris t, itis possible to truly
glorify God. Every time you have a thought, every
time you start to do something, every time you start to
say somethirtg, just stop and think, "If Jesus was
standing next to me right now, what would He think of
my thoughts and actions?" Would He be pleased or
would He be grieved? Because the Lord is the highest
authority, He has power over all, even power over sin
andSatan. Letus exalt the Lord who by His marvellous
grace gives us the power to say "No" to all types of sm.
May He also give uS opportunities to share this
wondrous truth with others. a