By Joab Cano
Have you seen the light? The Light of the World Church continues to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the globe. During these past few weeks, several topics have been given to motivate the youth to search for God and for families to be united during these challenging times. In the Church of the Lord, the Spirit of God always directs the message that is needed for spiritual growth. This week’s topic has not been the exception: The harmful effects of alcoholism and drug addiction.
According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, an addiction is a chronic medical condition that needs continuous intervention. Intervention is a process that requires time and patience to overcome the addictions. This has become a social problem not only in the state, but in many households around the world. Furthermore, the younger the person starts to use a substance, the harder the consequences will be on the person. Under the recommendation of several agencies of the state of Alaska presented in the document, “Alaska’s Strategies to Prevent Underage Drinking,” research shows that young people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and 2.5 times more likely to become alcohol abusers.
For this reason, the doctrine of The Light of the World teaches to abstain from substances that may lead us to addictions. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 :“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Here we are taught that our body is the temple of God, therefore we should take care of it. In addition, the doctrine teaches us that our temple is holy and we should not destroy it. As we all know, alcoholism and drug addictions bring harmful effects to our body and slowly deteriorate it. The consequences can be irreparable to the person who becomes dependent on any given substance. One of the harmful effects of addiction is the lack of self-control. The person begins to lose self-control and may begin to take part in other illicit behavior, such as theft, in order to purchase the substance that has become a need for them.
As you may know, self-control is a fruit of the spirit, according to Galatians 5:22-23, so it is evident that a person who demonstrates a lack of self-control is not under the guidance of the spirit. Thus, the doctrine recommends cleansing ourselves from anything that contaminates our spirit, according to 2 Corinthians 7:1. We are taught to stay away from those substances that will contaminate both our body and our spirit. Having said that, I want to emphasize that in the Church of the Lord there are no prohibitions, there is prevention.
As the Apostle Naason Joaquin Garcia mentioned in his apostolic address in Milwaukee, on Oct. 16, 2016: “We are taught and warned that it is better to abstain from that drink so that it doesn’t become an addiction and leads us to offend our God. That is why your brother said in the Church of the Lord there are no prohibitions, there is prevention.”
In conclusion, the doctrine teaches us to protect and care for our bodies and not cause any harm to them, for they are the temple of God. Addictions have become a social problem that have affected many people regardless of age, race, gender, socioeconomic status and religious affiliation. Addictions have broken apart many families in the globe and have caused detrimental consequences for generations to come. However, the key to fixing all social problems in the world is simple: apply the doctrine of Christ in our life. I would like to end by extending an invitation to join us at any of the daily online services to hear that doctrine of Christ. Links are available at TLOTW.org or The Light of the World facebook page. Feel free to send an email to lldm.juneauak@gmail.com for more information.
God bless you all.
• Joab Cano is a missionary for the Light of the World Church. “Living & Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Friday on the Faith page.
