Why is smoking marijuana wrong? It is a plant that God gave to us. Didn’t God say,
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth…it shall be good for you.”
Genesis 1:29
Yes, indeed. God gave the plants to men, but He did not give the men to plants. The truth about Marijuana, Kava, Kratom, and any addiction is that the plant owns the man.
The Corinthian Church had many members who wished to justify behaviors that some would classify as “grey areas.” “All things are lawful for me,” they argued because they weren’t under the Torah. But Paul countered that argument, saying, “But I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 KJV
Paul also promised the Church in Rome victory over her enemy, saying,
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 NASB
And Jesus said, “Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19 NASB
God created us with dominion over creation. If we find ourselves in addiction to anything, we have come under the domination of an evil power that has usurped our God-given authority through some form of deception.
God made man to “rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26
But man makes an image of a beast and worships it: dragons, bulls, lions, which he sees in the horoscopes, tattoos on his body, or in some way hopes their image will bring him luck. Man makes a god of his pets, where he offers endless sacrifices in the hope of receiving love. He tattoos himself with images of mighty and terrifying beasts whose power he hopes to attain by identifying himself with them, not knowing they are stealing his image and his power! He doesn’t need the dragon! He doesn’t need the serpent! He doesn’t need the wolf! The wolf needs him! They belong to him! They are underneath his feet, but he doesn’t know it! The prophet Hosea said,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 NASB
Thinking we need the power of the wolf, the comfort of nicotine, the cleansing of sage, the power of crystals, the peace of yoga, etc. We have submitted ourselves to things that are not God and have become enslaved to what God puts underneath our feet!
“I will not be mastered by anything,” says Paul. Because God has made us the masters of everything! Stop making that which God gave you your master. Stop worshiping the gift and not the giver, which is idolatry, the original and most devastating sin. Surrender your life to Christ, and “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 NASB