DANGEROUS RELIEF
The radical difference between taking a drug and actually getting well
Years ago, in the midst of writing a Christian book on health for the Global Pastors Association and the Billion Soul Initiative, a health-related tragedy occurred in the Christian community. It struck me extremely hard as I was literally writing the book as much for pastors as the rest of the population and it was a pastor who died.
This pastor was very young, married, and the father of a three-year old and a new baby. To help himself sleep, he began taking nonprescription, over-the-counter sleep aid. Contrary to popular belief, you can still be harmed by taking the drugs you can buy without prescription at your local pharmacy, food store, Walmart, Public, CVS, Walgreens, etc., etc. The pastor died from the side-effects of these sleeping pills. These drugs provided dangerous relief.
No one wants to go back 100 years to life where there were not medications necessary to save a life or provide relief for extreme, unmanageable pain. On the other hand, too many have chosen to believe that medications are a safe way to get well. For one, there is no such thing as a completely safe medication; just those with less risk to some more than others. For two, absolutely no drug makes you healthy. When asked the question, “Do you believe that the more medication you take the healthier you get?” very few people would answer, “Yes.”
The words “heal” or “to heal” or “healing” in the Bible are translated to English as “made whole,” “restored,” “renewed,” “re-born,” and/or “saved.” You don’t get restored, healed, whole, or saved from a drug. You may alleviate a symptom and sometimes that is absolutely necessary. Yet, there are always risks and you never solved the problem. In fact, you’ve always created the additional side-effects related to the body’s chemical reaction and altered physiology due to the drug.
When I hear of suffering, disease, or death such as the case of this young pastor, I wonder, did this person ever hear the truth about what real wellness or wholeness is? That question often keeps me up at night. I’m often asked why I keep going; writing book after book, coaching doctor after doctor, launching company after company, and teaching seminar after seminar. It’s about generating more disciples —more who will believe and pass along the message to help save lives. After all, Jesus gave me one mission, the “co-mission.” He said, “Go! – and make disciples of ALL.”
Helping someone get well without drugs is not easy. There is a commitment and often if they sense it will take work they say, “I feel fine,” “I do not have the time,” “I’m too busy,” or being really healthy is “too much money.” I’ve heard it all and learned of too many associated disasters. In the case of this young pastor, he assumed that if he took Ambien or the less expensive over-the-counter sleep aid, he was safe and his problem was taken care of or “healed.” The truth, though, is that while a medication might get you to pass out, it certainly hasn’t gotten you well. Quite the contrary, your life could be at risk from the toxic burden of the drug and the dangerous relief it provides.
Millions and millions of people—perhaps even you—are merely one or two adjustments or lifestyle steps away from a life of wholeness; from being restored and taking less or even no medications. Making some simple, positive changes could change everything for you, your family, your Christian community, and the larger body of Christ.
It is true that medicine and surgery can be effective for crisis care. They may help win a battle to keep you alive temporarily, but they cannot win the war. If you are relying on medicine or surgery to give you long-term health or pain relief, you have to ask yourself that powerful question Jesus asked the sick man, “Do you want to (actually) get well (A new beginning, restored whole)?” If your answer is, “Yes, Master, I’m committed, then it’s not what you take, it’s what new lifestyle you begin. The promises of God take the processes of God, there are no shortcuts to transformation. Instead, there is Christ who says He is willing to help you get well.
Remember with God, all things are possible
Dr. Ben
#CCCMovement