In my soon to be published book Discovering Emphasis in the Bible: Hearing God's Voice through Literary Structure, I present three steps to better hear God's voice. The process is deemed DIG:
The book targets two groups of born-again believers: those that are having a difficult time hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and those that want to dig deeper into the Bible.
Hallucinogenic Drugs
While I would hope that everyone would benefit from my manuscript, there is one group that I specifically cannot target: those involved in illicit drugs. These drugs, such as marijuana, ketamine, cocaine, and heroine, distort a person's ability to think and react in both the short-term and the long-term.
Confusion is a significant tool of the enemy to distract us from understanding the biblical text. Not only does the drug's high prevent good comprehension, so there is a long-term effect that impedes wisdom in pattern recognition. The good news is that over time, continued abstinence restores this processing power that God gave us.
In our United States and throughout the world, drug abuse has become a very significant problem. So has Bible illiteracy. Is there a correlation? I suspect so.
I am not an expert on the effects of these drugs on our minds, but it makes sense to me. In my own experimentation with marijuana about 45 years ago, my ability to think through problems diminished quickly. I thought there was no difference in my cognitive skills while I was not high; once I stepped away from all substance abuse, I saw differently.
Here is some research that supports my understanding: National Institute on Drug Abuse: What are marijuana's long-term effects on the brain?. For example it states, "As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information."
Conclusion
The enemy is continually attempting to separate us from pursuing our God. His tactic of confusion through drugs seems to have worked for many people. If your state is looking to legalize marijuana, consider getting involved in defeating that effort. And if your child suddenly comes home with poor grades in a subject, be aware–there may be more to it than the pretty girl nearby.
- Discern the literary structure of a passage
- Identify the emphasis within that literary structure
- Glean God's personal message for you based on that emphasis
The book targets two groups of born-again believers: those that are having a difficult time hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and those that want to dig deeper into the Bible.
Hallucinogenic Drugs
While I would hope that everyone would benefit from my manuscript, there is one group that I specifically cannot target: those involved in illicit drugs. These drugs, such as marijuana, ketamine, cocaine, and heroine, distort a person's ability to think and react in both the short-term and the long-term.
Confusion is a significant tool of the enemy to distract us from understanding the biblical text. Not only does the drug's high prevent good comprehension, so there is a long-term effect that impedes wisdom in pattern recognition. The good news is that over time, continued abstinence restores this processing power that God gave us.
In our United States and throughout the world, drug abuse has become a very significant problem. So has Bible illiteracy. Is there a correlation? I suspect so.
I am not an expert on the effects of these drugs on our minds, but it makes sense to me. In my own experimentation with marijuana about 45 years ago, my ability to think through problems diminished quickly. I thought there was no difference in my cognitive skills while I was not high; once I stepped away from all substance abuse, I saw differently.
Here is some research that supports my understanding: National Institute on Drug Abuse: What are marijuana's long-term effects on the brain?. For example it states, "As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information."
Conclusion
The enemy is continually attempting to separate us from pursuing our God. His tactic of confusion through drugs seems to have worked for many people. If your state is looking to legalize marijuana, consider getting involved in defeating that effort. And if your child suddenly comes home with poor grades in a subject, be aware–there may be more to it than the pretty girl nearby.
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