Choices

 

We love our free will.  This is a gift from God. Yet we don't always choose wisely, do we.  I would say we all have made bad choices we regret somewhere in our past.  We cannot let those failures defeat our future. We can learn from mistakes of the past, entangled sins, and messes we've made, and build on that.  God our Heavenly Father also has a way of making beauty out of our ashes.  He can make a symphony out of our clanging cymbals. 

Jesus is the Hope of the world. Why? Because He made a way for our sins to be truly forgiven by God, so that we can be reconciled with our Heavenly Father, be freed from the chains of darkness and evil, and be liberated to live the life we were meant to live.  That is a life of fulfillment, joy, and peace - spiritual peace in our souls, which is a very REAL peace.  Nothing can match it, and nothing can take it away unless you give it away.  Salvation is eternal, but sin can hurt your relationship with God, not to mention people you love.

Here is the truth - people will sell you something that will make them money that they think you will buy.  Supply and demand...the more the demand, the more the supply, and then the more the profit for the seller.  Marketing will manipulate you and entice you to buy their product, making promises and telling you what you want to hear.  It's a business transaction.  If you choose to buy it, and you are harmed as a result, they will justify it's not their fault.  They didn't addict you.  You made your own choices; it's on you if you implode because of it. 

Why do people turn to addictive substances when they're pretty sure they are playing with fire? Pride is probably at the root of it. Wanting to be popular with their peers, wanting instant gratification, wanting to look good, feel good, fit in. They may view it as a medical remedy, or a means to an end such as sleep.  Alcohol and drugs mock you, because they fool you into thinking they are helpful when in fact they are poisonous, open doorways for demonic oppression, and have a very strong addictive property that will keep you coming back for more, even when you know in the end it's making things worse.

They age you, cause you to act like a fool, or like a criminal, and can even make you abusive to those you love.  They will shorten your life, destroy your mind, and in the end, lose confidence in yourself and lose popularity.  It may cause you to lose a good job, a good relationship, and even a good future. 

If you are considering taking this poison, please don't.  Seek counseling, get to a good church, and talk to someone you trust and respect to work out your problems.  There is likely something underlying that is drawing you to start taking drugs or alcohol as a beverage.  Carry yourself with confidence that you are an individual who thinks for herself or himself, that chooses to do right and to make the world a better place, rather than being a menace to society.  Others will follow if you set the example, but even if you stand alone, you are never really alone when you have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  When you keep yourself healthy, you will be there to help others rather than being a burden. 

If you have already become an addict, take one step in the right direction.  The way to a goal is to start with one single step.  There are many resources.  Please reach out to us if you need help finding them.  Remember that your sins have been paid for by Jesus.  Salvation is a repentance and change of heart from who you were to who you can become - a new creature with a new master in your life: Jesus Christ.  I assure you He is a good master, and loves you and cares for you because He gave His life for you.  That is a true friend, a brother, an advocate.  And He conquered death and the grave - I want to be on His team!

You can make choices - please choose wisely.

Merry Christmas from Healthy Minds for Better Lives, Inc.!

This is such a special time of year! I love all the festivities, community involvement, church programs, caroling, decorations, and yes, even the gift giving and feasting! It's a lot of fun. People seem a little more cheerful this time of year. We are a little more likely to smile at someone or do something generous. 

I love our community here in Blairsville, GA and Murphy, NC! People have a great spirit, and from those I've come in contact with, it seems that most love Jesus here in the mountains.  We have learned that the great outdoors, fresh air, and the beautiful mountains are something to not take for granted. They are gifts from the Lord. 

However, this time of year can be very sad for some, and another reason to disappoint the ones they love the most. It may be due to not being able to afford presents, having to live on a very tight budget, health concerns, addictions, or depression, perhaps from losing loved ones to death or illness.

We at Healthy Minds for Better Lives, Inc. have a passion for preventing addictions that impair the mind. Alcohol as a beverage and illicit drugs, as well as fantasy games, pornography, gambling, etc., destroy lives and families. We have pondered on a few questions this year, and perhaps you can mull them around in your mind as well, and help us come up with some great community, family and personal solutions.

1. What makes someone go back to a habit that they know harms them and the ones they love? 

2. Why do so many released from jail go back into a life of crime and end up back in prison?

3. What solutions are there for those who drink due to loneliness and depression?

4. How can someone have the fortitude to resist temptation and make healthy choices, even during peer pressure?

I'd like to answer these to the best of my knowledge so far.

1. Alcohol and drugs and addictive habits have a physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual pull that is hard to resist. I believe that the Holy Spirit can help people through this, as well as doctors, family, loved ones, support systems, but it will ALWAYS be there, and will require a daily dying to self, a transformation, not a reformation, of the soul. This can only be done with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, humbling one self and repenting of sin, and asking Jesus to save him/her. Each day will require saying the Lord's Prayer and putting on the spiritual armor, knowing that a doorway has been created for Satan by participating in these things, and while the doorway can be shut, it can also open again. An open doorway gives Satan legal ground into your life, to destroy you and those you love. That's why you have to be vigilant and sober (1 Peter 5:8). You can't sleep on the job. None of us can! We have to live life intentionally, purposeful, not laying down our guard for a minute.

2. People go back to what they know, what makes them comfortable, or what they think they need to do to survive. Many have good intentions, but get in the wrong crowds, listening to their peers. Some may lack true skills, and turn to what they were "good" at. They know drugs and alcohol will make their pain and malaise better, for at least a little while, and help them to just live life normally. Unfortunately, these substances impair the mind of good judgement and inhibitions, making them more likely to do something they know they shouldn't. They become more and more dependent on it, and it destroys the architecture of sleep, making them more irritable, and hurting their liver. It damages the brain. Of course Satan would use these substances to control someone, and to ultimately destroy someone! 

3. I think the idea of bars is a great one! There are many who do not have a family around, including a church family (which I highly recommend!), or they don't have family they like, and look to go somewhere to hang out. They can't very well continually bother their friend or neighbor, as they will wear out their welcome, especially if their friend has a family. So they either go to a bar, where people voluntarily come and expect to hang out with others, or they drink their sorrows away alone at home. They don't feel like getting involved in a sport or family-oriented community event. They just want someone cool they can trust to talk to, without it being a formal counseling session, something that may or may not be expensive. They want to watch the game with some guys, or play trivia, but be able to leave whenever they want. They want to horse around with other people, just for fun, and forget about their troubles for a while,  or they may want to sit alone somewhere that is not home with all the troubles. A bar offers this. Think of the days when guys hunted together, and women quilted together on the front porch. We were made for true friendship, not gossip parties, but loving people who will be a true friend and make memories with.

I wish people would stop serving alcohol, but have bars that sell nonalcoholic beverages! Alcohol is a temporary fix that takes something from you, more than it gives (kind of like a loan shark). Drugs do the same, and may seem to offer a good feeling for a while, and may help you connect with others who are doing the same, giving you that feeling of belonging, but these are not the right kind of friends, who will give or sell you something so harmful to you and your family. I'm not just talking physically, but spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and psychologically as well.

4. Some people think that those who get drunk ruin it for those who feel they can just tamper with drinking for social relaxation and fun. No one, as far as I know, intentionally tries to become a drunk. Most people are comfortable "playing with fire" and feel they are in control.  They can drink a few drinks, and then leave it alone for long periods of time. The truth is, it may take 2 years or 20 years, but it will addict you. It's like playing with a viper. You may seem to be doing all right, but it will bite you eventually in some way. And if you are fortunate enough to keep it under control, those in your family may look to you as an example, and drink themselves, and may not have the same outcome as you did. In one night someone can do something they will regret forever, and may not even remember doing it while under the influence. 

People have to get to the point that they are going to choose wisely, regardless of what others think or in spite of pressures to conform, and be their own selves, realizing the value and worth they have in God's sight. This is true worth that no one can take away. One almost has to get the attitude, "Hey, do what you want, but I'm not touching the stuff! Talk to the hand! I can find pleasure in sipping coffee or hot chocolate, or drinking a smoothie. I know my worth in Christ, Whose I am, and this is not for me. I have my eye on my future, even the next 5 yrs., and alcohol is not in that picture. I intend to bring my troubles to Someone who can actually do something about it - God - and pour my heart out to Him daily. I will put on my armor daily to fight the temptation and spiritual battles, and because I am not alone, the victory is mine and I claim it!" Or something like that - you get what I mean!

How did I do? I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts as well. Let's get the discussion started!

Last thing: we have a tree in the Tour of Trees in Blairsville. Please come check it out! Here are some pictures, and the ornaments I made to help with our mission of educating and bringing awareness about avoiding substances and habits that impair the mind. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

 

 

On November 4, Healthy Minds for Better Lives, Inc. launched with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 92 Ox Bow Lane in Blairsville. Members from the community, including the Blairsville Chamber of Commerce and its Ambassadors, joined in the celebration. 

 

Greg and Dawn Elliott want to help our community by bringing education and awareness of the harms of alcohol, drugs, Rx abuse, and habits such as pornography, which impair the mind. 

 

Dawn’s stepfather was an alcoholic, and one day he squatted down as she sat in a chair as a young lady, and looked her face to face, and said gently, “When you drink [alcohol], you hurt the people you love the most.” He was right! He quit cold turkey, and started drinking sweet tea instead from that day forward. He had been a harsh drunk, would black out, would go out of his way to punch someone out when he was drunk. One morning he had to walk around town because he couldn’t remember where he left his bike the night before when drunk. 

 

He came to know Jesus personally as his Savior, who doesn’t reform a person, but transforms people by the renewing of their minds, by forgiving their sins (Jesus is the only One who can!), and reconciling them to God the Father. There is HOPE! It’s not through trying to be a better person. It is through transformation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is through understanding the deceptiveness of these types of poisons that impair the mind and hurt the body, destroy restful sleep, and negatively impact relationships. Alcohol truly is a mocker, as Proverbs 20:1 says. It lies when it promises happiness, and when it makes you think it is all you need to feel better. We need skills, we need strategies, we need a plan to make our lives better, and that will take a healthy mind to accomplish. It will take relationships with good people to help along the journey.

 

Greg and Dawn would love to hear your story, and to encourage you on your journey. They would love to help prevent harm through education. Write to them at healthymindsforbetterlives@yahoo.com. See their blog at https://healthymindsforbetterlives.blogspot.com. See their website at https://healthymindsamerica.wixsite.com/healthy-minds. They can’t afford to put many articles in the paper, so consider this an open invitation! If you would like to support this nonprofit tax exempt organization, please see https://link.clover.com/urlshortener/9rFsTT. God bless you!

Deception Beware!

“Be Sober, Be Vigilant” 1 Peter 5:8

 

As we look at our society, especially as the election is coming up, we can see deceit all around us. I hear so many say they don’t know who to believe. There are those who are trying to confuse our young people into not knowing who or whose they are. We see videos of famous people who then take off the mask and it was just a prop. We know that AI easily deceives us, and I recently saw a commercial that gave this warning, as they too revealed they weren’t who they appeared to be for most of the commercial, as they warned that false information may be given prior to the election about voting locations being shut down, for example. Identities can be stolen fairly easily, it seems. Who do we trust?

 

The Bible says in John 8:44 that the devil “is a liar, and the father of it.” Titus 1:2 says that God “cannot lie.” 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” We are the prey, and the devil is the hunter. Revelation 12:9 says, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world…”

 

We need to keep our minds clear so we can critically think. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” What better way for the devil to deceive us than to impair our minds? There are many physical reasons why alcohol as a beverage and abusive, addictive drugs and habits such as pornography hurt us, but many don’t realize there is a spiritual curse that is put upon us if we partake. These are doorways that give Satan legal ground into your life. Not only that, but did you know the Bible says in Habakkuk 2:15, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also”? If you are selling it in your stores or restaurants, you are guilty and a woe is upon you by the LORD!

 

We do not need alcohol or abusive drugs to relax or have a good time. There are plenty of other comfort foods and drinks that do not put a curse upon your life, that do not impair your mind or make you an easy prey for the devil. Understanding how he works helps us to not be manipulated or deceived. Stand strong! See your healthcare provider, pastor, rehab center, or a trusted friend for help. Pray to the Lord for help and strength as He will give it if you repent and come humbly before Him. Let’s work hard to be a community that spends our money on things that promote health and safety, not wickedness, deceit, and trouble. Trust me: Satan does not have your best interest at heart. God does.

 

https://healthymindsamerica.wixsite.com/healthy-minds

What Can We Learn From History?

I've been reading a great book called, Alcohol Friend or Foe? by Dr. James Jones, Jr.  I highly recommend the book. The author talks about his hometown of Harriman, TN, a little over 2 hrs. from where I live. Interestingly, the author heard from a long time resident that the man that gave the acreage for their town gave it with the stipulation that they would not sell alcohol. It became known as "the town that temperance built," and was founded by a group of temperance advocates in the late 19th century. This phrase was (and perhaps still is) on a historical marker in front of what used to be the city hall. They even had a university called American Temperance University, which opened in 1893. 

Several years back (around 1992), the city council was voting on whether or not to allow citizens of Harriman to change the city charter to make selling beer in city limits legal. Several pastors of the city formed the Committee For Preservation of the City Charter, to preserve the charter and keep their promise that the town was built upon. However, the city council decided that selling beer would generate a lot of revenue. They felt it would cause many businesses to come into the town because they could sell beer. They assumed people didn't want to build businesses due to the restrictions of temperance. They threatened that taxes would increase and they would lose their city schools if they didn't make this change. So it was passed, and their utility bills went up. They lost their city schools to the county, as they could no longer finance them. The pastor who took a strong stand against it and encouraged the other pastors to form the committee to save the city charter was pressured by the church officers to resign, and he did. Their church covenant read: "...to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drinks as a beverage..." At that time there were 28 Baptist churches in Harriman, TN. Why weren't they taking a stronger stand? 

Now they have Tri-Dog Brewing Company. There are at least three package stores in the town, which I found in a search this morning. They have a Bar and Grille. Wed., Feb. 1, 2023 there is an article on the internet entitled, "The Temperance Town Brewhouse Coming to Harriman." The article reads, "I am pleased and proud to announce to you that something great is coming to Harriman! A 20,000 square foot brewhouse in the former location of Rock Top General Store in beautiful downtown South Harriman! You will also be amazed and proud to have this establishment in our community. Look for Temperance Town Brewhouse to open sometime around late spring to early summer 2023...A love for these kinds of places prompted Tri Dog Brewery Company to join in this effort..." They kept "Temperance Town" in their title.  What a mockery of a town that had promised to never sell alcohol! Notice the word, "proud." 

The residents in Harriman were told that "great revenue comes through the sale of alcohol. The fact is, for every dollar of tax revenue, the tax payer's cost is more than $4.00; actually, it is closer to $5.00. Of course, this takes into consideration, rehabilitation of the drinker, rebuilding of health, property loss due to accidents, added police workers, loss of down time due to absenteeism from drunkenness, workman's compensation from injury due to alcohol, crime, prisons, increase on insurance rates, etc...I have read an article proclaiming that ninety percent of all crimes are alcohol related" (Alcohol Friend or Foe, p. 35). I met with our sheriff here in Blairsville a few weeks ago, and while statistics have not been kept, he did say that "most crimes are [related to alcohol]," or particularly in our area, drugs.

Let's consider Murphy, NC, a little closer to home. They voted in alcohol to be sold within city limits, but didn't include the county, only those living in city limits in 2008. It passed, but many citizens in Murphy speculate that had they allowed the entire county (Murphy is a large area, and the city limits is much smaller) to vote, it would not have passed.

Let's bring it right to home: Blairsville, GA, the next town south of Murphy, NC. Blairsville is part of Union County, and it used to be a dry county. A vote was taken a few years ago on whether or not to allow the sale of alcohol, and they voted no. However, I’m told a second vote was taken when several people were away, and it passed. It is very difficult to take something like that away once it passes. Now we have breweries, distilleries, restaurants that serve alcohol, bars (Grandpappy Mims), Blairsville Social, etc., and even Walmart has a large section of alcohol in it. Across our nation the alcohol industry is booming! Even during COVID, when the government wanted churches closed, bars could stay open. I've been out West for vacation the past two years and I can testify to the large presence of alcohol, and even gambling, across our nation. Even Cracker Barrel is selling alcohol now! And closer to home, Comfort Grub in Murphy, NC.

Alcohol brings with it a curse. It allows legal ground for the devil in your life. And if you sell it, or offer it to someone else, a curse is put on you also. I only recently became aware of this powerful verse: Habakkuk 2:15: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him..." 

Proverbs 20:1: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." James 1:15: "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Sin brings death. Oh, how many regret having fallen into its trap.

Drinking alcohol as a beverage works just like sin, which works to deceive the person into thinking they are in control, when really the sin controls the person. It is addictive and has ruined many lives. This is not new; we have seen this countless times, so why are we not learning from history? Why are we not learning from our own mistakes?

The good news is this: Jesus Christ has overcome the world. In John 16:33, Jesus said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." He broke the chains of sin and death, and He is the Hope of the world. Trust in Jesus as your Savior, and He will break your chains of sin and darkness. He is the only One who can because of His authority and payment He made with His own blood on the cross, taking your punishment and offering you for free this highly valuable gift of salvation and forgiveness of your sin. With the Holy Spirit indwelling you after you accept Jesus as your Savior, you will then have the power to overcome the addiction of alcohol. 

The best way to not become ensnared in alcohol is to never start drinking it as a beverage. Let's work on PREVENTION!

Churches, I know the church covenant is on many of your church walls. It is on ours. Please take a stand in our community if you are not already. We need you. Let's not be like Harriman. Establishments can sell addicting substances, but we don't have to buy them. They will continue to sell when there is a demand, and from a purely business standpoint, who could blame them. The addictive nature of the alcohol keeps you coming for more, which means more profits. The lie is that you have to have alcohol to have a good time. No, Blairsville has known how to have good family fun time without alcohol for years. Let's not be deceived, whether you live in Blairsville or anywhere else on the face of the earth. 

Let's be the city on the hill that stands for righteousness. God will be honored, and we will keep sin at bay.

Temperance Hall

The former American Temperance University, Harriman, TN

What's the Problem with Alcohol?

If you have read my first two blog posts, "Culture Shock" and "Doorways," you will understand why I have decided to step forth out of my comfort zone to speak out against alcohol, among other doorways, in Union County. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that so many people are still promoting alcohol. It's a great money-maker, and it is a way people self-medicate for mental health illness. It also promotes social gatherings. Some like the taste of it, and like how they feel while they are drinking (maybe not so much once it wears off). Some drink a little wine for medicinal purposes. It may be stylish, depending on who you hang around. It shuts down inhibitions, so people sometimes feel they have a better sense of humor while drinking, and loosen up to have more fun. I think also some may feel like they fit in better with their friends when they drink alcohol.

What about the down sides? Have you known anyone whose life has been damaged or destroyed from the effects of alcohol? How many families has it broken? How many jobs have been lost due to this addiction? How many have been killed from drunk drivers? How many wish they could stop drinking but the addiction has them in its clutch? How many have ended up with cirrhosis of the liver? 

When did we think we needed alcoholic beverages to be sociable? Why not drink lemonade, soda, water, coffee, or sweet tea? Have you tried counseling, church, prayer, finding good friends, or a good healthcare provider to help? Have you considered the amount of money you could save if you didn't purchase addictive substances? Have you ever mixed alcohol with your prescription meds and put yourself at risk for an interaction?

Did you know this? "According to a U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, more than twenty million Americans aged twelve or older suffered from an addiction in 2015. That number included millions of teens and young adults. Studies have shown that 40 percent of twelfth-graders, 30 percent of tenth-graders, and 13 percent of eighth-graders have used a drug in the past year.

"Three addictive substances top the list of drugs favored by young abusers: alcohol, marijuana, and opioids. Teens and young adults misuse alcohol more than any other substance.

"Studies also show that in 30 to 50 percent of teen suicide cases, substance abuse is actually a part of the event itself; a large number of teens who take their own lives do so not only while they’re intoxicated but because they’re intoxicated. Intoxicating substances tend to worsen any mental or emotional problems an adolescent may already have. At the same time, they remove any inhibitions that may keep a teen from carrying out his desperate plan. No wonder the result is often tragic." https://www.safamily.co.za/alcohol-and-other-drug-use/

What amazes me is that we know better! Alcohol has been around for a very long time, and we have seen over and over the harm that it does. And yes, people who want to get it will get it, whether legally or illegally. Sin is in the heart of each of us, and that corruption is what is behind wrong choices we make in any area of our lives. This applies to obesity when it's cause is the sin of gluttony, drug addiction, sexual immorality, domestic abuse, crimes against humanity, etc. But if law enforcement, our local government, parents, teachers and principals, churches, and others in authority embrace corruption, then what will be the end result? How far will it go? 

Leaders in authority need to be moral and frown on the use of destructive substances. It should be discouraged, not encouraged. The reason that open carry of alcohol, while shut down this time, will keep coming to the ballot is that evil will never stop trying to overcome good. But we are commanded in Scripture, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). What will Blairsville, GA's leadership do to discourage the use of harmful drugs and alcohol? I encourage discussion for ideas to protect the citizens of this town and county, to promote a culture of safety and health. 

I for one am stepping forward to take a stand for our children and our community to place a focus on Healthy Minds for Better Lives. We need clarity of thought to fight evil temptations and promote good in our families and communities. This starts with me. It starts with you. Each of our hearts needs repentance of our sin before a holy God, trust in Jesus Christ to save us from our corruption and sin, and walk in newness of life. Find a good church. Simplify life as much as you can. I am committed to continue to encourage you to stand for what is right.

Doorways

It's probably been around 3 years or so ago that I embarked on a study about spiritual warfare from a woman who was an emergency room doctor who was a Christian, and lived out West. She has passed away fairly recently, but she has written four books, all of which I have read cover to cover. She had a deliverance ministry, which is when a Christian leads people in the occult to Jesus Christ. The term "deliverance" describes being delivered from the chains of darkness and bondage that the people were in before they came to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Only Jesus Christ can break those chains! There is nothing in and of ourselves that can do that because it is only Jesus who has the authority over Satan and his kingdom. We are wise to tread carefully because Satan is described in the Bible as not only a liar, but the Father of lies. He is a deceiver, an accuser, a roaring lion who seeks to devour us, an angel of light who deceives entire nations, the destroyer, a murderer, etc. He is not our friend, but he has dangled shiny things before our eyes and lulled us to sleep so he can essentially harm us! He is more powerful than we are, but God is more powerful than he is. Satan cannot work outside God's permission, but if you understand the spirit world, you will understand that Satan has legal ground to do certain things because we give him that liberty in our lives when we sin.

After many months of study, I came to realize this one critical thought: there is a reason why God has commanded us to do and not do certain things. There are laws and rules in the spiritual world that must be abided by. There are reasons why He has so carefully laid out in Scripture warnings and instructions to keep us from sin. That is why Jesus came to this earth clothed in human form so He could sacrificially die in our places to free us from the bondage of our own sin to reconcile us to God our Heavenly Father. He paid our debt, and died so we can live. Because He resurrected, so can we! When we live in disobedience to God and sin against Him, we essentially give Satan legal ground to possess us if unsaved, or to oppress us if saved. Our safeguard against the devil is to resist him and he will flee from us (James 4:7: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"). If we resist sin and keep our hearts and minds clean, then we protect ourselves from harm spiritually. 

There are doorways that allow Satan and his demons to entangle themselves in our lives legally. Some examples are the occult, including games that use witchcraft like Dungeons and Dragons, role playing fantasy games, etc.; rock music; drugs; alcohol; movies and entertainment that use witchcraft like Harry Potter; toys that use witchcraft like ouiga boards; biofeedback; yoga; sexual sins like adultery, sex outside of marriage, gay lifestyles, transgender lifestyles; abuse, including rape, sex trafficking, domestic abuse, crimes against humanity, etc. Once you become aware of these links to witchcraft, you can better pray and confess your sins, put them under the blood of Jesus, and flee from all appearance of evil.

Take heed to this truth that alcohol is not just another drink. There is a reason why we are to be abstain from it. It is a spiritual doorway that gives Satan legal ground to your life. You might like the taste, you might like how you feel, it might make you some friends, but there is a price to pay for it. The only way to live a holy life before God is to keep from sin. We cannot do it except by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by Him (see John 14:6).