Pharmakia: The Biblical View of Drug Use

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About The Author: Robert Orem, Jr.

As a former addict, Orem knows the spiritual dangers of drug use firsthand. He was repeatedly attacked by demons during his using years, and shares several of his terrifying experiences in this book. He also knows God’s deliverance firsthand and has been drug-free for more than 27 years.

Like so many addicts, I started with pot. I first got high during my junior year of high school and I absolutely loved it. I thought weed was the answer – the way to live life to the fullest. I had more fun, made more friends, and felt more confident than I ever had before. By the end of my senior year I was smoking pot every day, and using cocaine, magic mushrooms, and pharmaceuticals on the weekends. The other drugs were fun, but weed was my drug of choice.

For two years my beloved worked its magic, but everything changed once I was addicted. Instead of feeling confident, I started to have panic attacks and often felt paranoid. Instead of being happy and having fun, I became deeply depressed and started having fits of rage. My moods would suddenly swing from one extreme to the other and I started to alienate my friends and family. My life was so centered around getting high that I couldn’t handle the few responsibilities I had as a student, and by the end of my freshman year of college I had dropped out, was unemployed, and was living at the beach in my van. I thought that was the bottom, but the hell had only begun, and things steadily got worse until I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

Jesus set me free of a lot of things, including my addiction to drugs. He healed me of my depression, anger, and shame and gave me a whole new heart – a whole new life. He then led me to research what the Bible says about drug use. I guarantee you, once you understand what God has to say about drugs, you’ll never look at them the same way again.

There’s a spiritual side to using that we don’t understand, and it’s demonic. It’s evil. I meet a lot of users and addicts who know they have encountered evil spirits, but they don’t understand why. The reason is … drug use is a type of witchcraft that opens people up to evil spirits! The Bible makes this clear once you understand its references to the sin of “pharmakia.”

The proof of the Bible’s teaching is everywhere. It can be seen in the lives of users. Panic attacks, paranoia, fits of rage, hallucinations, superhuman strength, out-of-body experiences, blackouts, mood swings, violence, and suicide are common symptoms of drug use, and they have all been associated with demonic influence. Demons also play a role in keeping people enslaved to drugs.

The sin of pharmakia affects us on every level of our being – body, soul, and spirit. Thankfully, Jesus heals us on every level when we come to faith in him. The fact that the Bible says drug use is a sin is good news! It means that every user and addict can quit using, by faith. Jesus sets us free from sin-all sin. Therefore, every user and addict can find freedom in Christ!

Everyday we read headlines that confirm the Bible’s warnings that drug use will be a global epidemic in the last days. (Revelation 18:23) Millions of people are practicing a dangerous form of witchcraft without knowing it, and exposing themselves to demonic influence, torment, and bondage. At the same time, Jesus is setting users and addicts completely free everyday.

What future do you choose?