You're listening to the Course Young Adults podcast. The course is a weekly Bible study for young adults at Calvary Chapel, miami. Here's our workshop on overcoming addiction by Pastor Travis Carey from our South Florida Young Adults conference.
Travis:Let's listen. Good morning guys, glad you're here. How to overcome addiction. Most of you are aware of my pastor, pastor Ken Graves. Is that true? Does anyone here not know who Ken Graves is? Throw your hand up. This is what I. We have just shy of 35, 40 minutes. So just so you guys know, my hope is to be interactive. I will share a brief testimony. I will share some very important truths of God's Word. I do want to hear whether we do question answer and then we'll finish with my wife doing a song that she wrote concerning Jesus Christ being the cure. Let me just begin with with you know how I'm connected with you all, which includes Pastor Ken Graves, the Calvary Chapel movement. Ken has been the senior pastor of a church there in central Maine for about 35 years.
Travis:Ken is a bit of an anomaly in the sense that he's never done a drug or drink in his life. But as a young man, his testimony is his life was ravaged by addiction. His dad abandoned his mom and his siblings. He, because of such, in his own words, he had a very miserable, white trash childhood. That's the words he used. Just no running water, cockroaches and rats. I mean just a miserable existence that God used, where when he came into public school he noticed his fifth grade science teacher had a Bible on the desk and this began in a conversation and interaction. So by 12 years old Pastor Ken is reading through the Bible. By 13 years old he believed God is calling him into the ministry. He doesn't recommend this. But he dropped out of high school getting his GED, dropped out his junior year and says I want to do ministry training. Where does a 16 year old kid from rural Maine do ministry training? He made a bunch of phone calls and found Teen Challenge. Teen Challenge birth of the 1950s with Pastor David Wilkerson going into the heart of New York rescuing with the gospel heron addicts. Teen Challenge has exploded. They're all over the nation. And Teen Challenge in Alabama received teenage Ken Graves phone call back in the 70s and said hey, come on down and we'll train you and ministry. So Ken spent one year as a 16 year old boy from Maine living with hardened convicts and prison and drug addicts from all over the country in this one year program. After the one year program he was asked to do an internship. Ken was then on staff and his ministry training was dealing with men and women with life controlling issues, went back to Maine at 21 years old, planted a church, married a California coverage chapel girl. That's how we got connected, got affiliated and for 35 years has been doing ministry at coverage, apple, bangor and Central Maine For 25 of those years. Because of his experience and his training, he has housed men and women on the church campus for a one year discipleship program.
Travis:We are intentional we don't use the word a rehab, because how can you rehab something that was never halved? If you know what I'm saying, and one of the things that we're going to talk about in our time together is, I think there's an important Christians, those who believe the Bible. Pastor David Guzik did such a great job talking about the integrity and the authority of God's word. If we are those who follow Jesus Christ and the precepts of the Bible, we have to be careful that we don't adopt the language of the world. And I'm not just saying semantics like tomato, tomato. No, I'm saying recovery. I don't believe recovery is a proper term.
Travis:There's a rebirth when the Son of God, through the ministry of his earthly three and a half years, in the four gospels, as well as the apostles that wrote the epistles of the New Testament. Think about all the times that we are told to repent from sexual immorality. We are told to the scriptures to repent from fornication, from pharma, kia, from witchcraft, from drunkenness, but the Bible never calls someone to repent from their kidney failure, diabetes, cancer. The world has tried to brand a moral issue as a disease and it has been one of the biggest and most devastating lies perpetrated on our modern culture, because it has really cultivated this victim mentality, once an addict, always an addict. Well, the Bible says that you are a new creation in Christ. He said to Jesus, said to Nicodemus unless you were born again, you cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So one of the things that's important, one of the things that's been taught to me and my wife and our team through Pastor Ken's ministry and the teaching of God's word, is that there is one hope in Christ, there is complete and utter freedom in Christ, and there's so much that the Bible addresses concerning addiction. So anyways, briefly, I just want to share with you.
Travis:Ken was my neighbor as a seventh grader. I remember when Viking big Ken Graves moved on the hill that I was living in and if you've seen Ken Graves you understand. He's just, he looks like a Viking, like a lumberjack Viking, with his really deep voice and I remember as a seventh grade kid him and his family moved on the hill. His daughter was the same age as my brothers and Pastor Ken years later told me that he warned his daughter to stay away from those heathen carry boys, because at the time we were. But I got connected with Ken when I was kicked out of the Marine Corps at 22 for heroin addiction I had actually overdosed on Black Tar heroin and Camp Pendleton, san Diego and face separation was after one year of service was kicked out. I went through this gamut of trying to find freedom, 27, I was arrested for a robbery in my hometown. I attempted robbery for trying to steal a purse of an elderly lady at a Walmart and at the time in jail, came out of jail, went into Pastor Ken's discipleship program and have been walking completely free, clean us over, for nine years serving in the ministry.
Travis:So this is a very near and dear subject to my heart, to our church family's heart, and I have tried to sound the alarm in any way that I can in our culture there in Portland, and I'll do the same with you all here today of making a clear delineation from what the Bible says versus what the world says, because they cannot be in harmony. Remember what James tells us in James, chapter 4, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Right, so I think that's really important. So let's look at a portion of Bible quickly together. Turn, if you would, to John, chapter 5. We're going to begin in verse 1, the Gospel of John, chapter 5.
Travis:Lord, I pray you bless our time together. We're so grateful, grateful for Pastor Zach and Amanda, the pastoral staff, the elders and all the servants here at Caravagia Chapel, miami, who have just been doing that. They've been serving us, providing space that we could hear your word. I pray for this breakout session. I pray for every individual who's here, who's gathered. Lord, I pray that you would minister in and through your word, by your spirit, by our fellowship together. Lord, we want wisdom from you. I pray that freedom and hope would be clearly communicated and the means to attain them. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Travis:John 5, verse 1, it says after this there was a feast of the Jews. Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a pool which is called in Hebrew, bethsaida, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. Then, whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time, he said to him do you want to be made well? The sick man answered him, said, sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. But while I am coming, another steps down before me, jesus said to him rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked, and that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured. It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. He answered them. He who made me well said to me take up your bed and walk. And then they asked him who is the man who said to you, take up your bed and walk? But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place, and afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him see, you have been made well, sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Travis:We'll end in verse 16. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus, sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. Think about that response. Here's a man who gets healed. The Jews say nope, you did it on the wrong day, we got to kill him. And thus begins the plotting and the conspiring of the Jews that eventually get their will in their way.
Travis:Talk about a recovery community, this pool of Bethesda. Think about this right Five porches. So there was probably the drug addicts anonymous and the alcoholics anonymous, and then there was the porn anonymous, and then there's like five porches around this pool and this is their recovery community. And you think about the hopelessness. Maybe every once in a while, maybe one person out of the multitude will have some sort of miracle and if someone notice, walks them down the steps into the pool. Maybe they can find freedom. You know the 12 step mentality which I believe is robbed so many people.
Travis:The Son of God comes on the scene and again, as is so much of his ministry, why did he just deal with this one man? Charles Spurgeon makes a point. Probably this man was looking to Jesus and Jesus looking to him, while the rest were just waiting around. There was one man looking. Jesus makes eye contact with this one and says do you want to be made? Well, it's a legitimate question. He says rise and notice. He tells him to take up your mat. Don't leave a reservation, don't, don't come back here, don't come back to this recovery community, don't come back to this place that has taken 38 years of your life. You want to be made? Well, get up, follow me. It is no cliche, it is a one step relationship with Jesus Christ.
Travis:But then the big question. Most of you guys probably realize that you're Christians, you're at a Christian conference, you're in this room because you were born again, believers. Now the nuts and bolts Okay, when we at least can say okay, this isn't a 12, stop there. This isn't some philosophy there's. There's not some curriculum I need to add in my life. It's a one step of coming to Christ. That's great, thank you, travis. But but then what, what? What are the nuts and bolts? What do we? Uh, what do? How do I find freedom? What does God's word say?
Travis:If you would turn with me in 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, here in John five, as we looked at this recovery community and I hope we can agree, there seems to be a lot of hopelessness there and it almost seems like there's some superstition. It is important to note that we have no actual proof that an angel was doing what we read there and that would seem to be more like a folklore, a legend, a lot of superstition. We've looked at this community and Jesus kind of eradicates the steps and says no, just get up, follow me, don't leave a reservation, don't come back. As we look here 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, I want to point out to just a very important word that is used as Paul is signing off this letter. Look at verse 15 at the close of this book. 1 Corinthians 16, verse 15. Now I'm first going to read it out of the new King James. I'll show you why as I change in just a moment. 1 Corinthians 16, verse 15, paul says I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stefanus, that it is the first fruits of a KI and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Does anyone here have a King James Bible in front of them? You guys notice a different word. Let me read it out of the King James. It says in verse 15 in the old English I beseech you, brethren, you know the house of Stefanus, that it is the first fruits of a KI, that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.
Travis:In all of human history, up until very recently, the word addict was and has been a verb, as it is here. This man, stefanus, is doing something right. Verb, it's an action word. Remember our grammar classroom. It's an action word. They are doing something. In recent history, in our modern culture, it has become not a verb but a noun. Now someone is an addict, but that's not what the word is. You and I, all of us, are made in the image of God. We know that and, according to the scriptures, we have this remarkable ability to get good at things right. Anyone here play guitar, those who are athletes, the list goes on. What is your hobby? What is your passion?
Travis:There are certain things that we just you know, some say and they've studied that it takes about six weeks to form a habit. I have had a pastor, pastor Ken, who in a classroom setting, if someone is sitting there fighting their nails, I'll call you out hey, fighting your nails. And he's not trying to be mean, he's trying to point out you got a habit there. You got to break that right Now. A lot of times, especially dealing with addicts, they smoke a lot of cigarettes. You come into the program you can't smoke cigarettes and people are doing the thing. But he's gently trying to say we're going to break this habit in your life. We're going to break this habit and it's amazing how you just find yourself being aware of it, yielding yourself to not doing it, and all of a sudden these habits can break.
Travis:The point is, the King James says they addicted themselves. The new King James says they devoted themselves. Guys, who we devote ourselves to, and what we devote ourselves to will depend on who it is we're addicted to, stefanus, addicted himself to the ministry, to the service of God. Turn over, and this is really the nitty gritty of it. Turn over to now, romans, chapter six. Romans six, verse 12,.
Travis:Paul says therefore, in the new King James therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust. Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin right. Don't devote your members. What's your members? Your mind, your hands, your feet, your body? Don't present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but devote or present or addict yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? In verse 15, shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not. This is the key verse in verse 16. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey? You were that one's slaves, whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness.
Travis:There are some here this morning who maybe it is drugs and alcohol that you've either had a struggle with, or maybe you're on behalf of someone that you love that struggles with that. But there's also a reality that maybe the vast majority of you it's not something as outward or as obvious as drugs and alcohol. Maybe it's something a little bit more hidden. Maybe it's a pornography addiction. Maybe it's some sort of sexual addiction, maybe it's a food thing. The same biblical truth is applied in this manner who we present ourselves to obey. I was talking to Zach's wife, amanda and Maddie earlier.
Travis:In our culture, in the generation of the smartphone, funny things are happening with people. You can tell that a lot of our young generation that we belong to. It's become such a habit that they don't realize People are walking down a hallway and there's people everywhere and yet they're doing the Snapchat like no one's watching. I've sat in circles with young people and we're all like in a circle. There's virtual reality, then there's reality. We're all in reality and people will do the same thing in a circle. They'll start doing their little snaps and it's like, to some degree, they're yielding themselves. There's a habit that has formed. Okay, but how devastating is that? Well, it's awkward, maybe not overly devastating, as pornography.
Travis:Think about for a moment if you growing up and you're a teenage boy or girl and in your bedroom you had this tiny little hole in the wall. It was a people that went into the neighbor's house you with me for a moment and maybe you knew that that people went into a private part of the neighbor's house and that person is the opposite sex. Maybe it was calling you to. Just everyone wants to want to look. You're like I know I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't invade that privacy and I know what's on the other side of that wall. That person doesn't belong to me.
Travis:You give what I'm saying and maybe 29 out of 30 days you'd have success, and then a moment of weakness and our flesh and the enemy no doubt, is making it up. I mean the battle that we're in. Eventually, maybe we'd give way. How much worse the people that a smartphone offers us. You and I can look into any dark corner of the world, any flavor at just one people, right, I mean these things. Yes, they have an opportunity to be effective, but man, don't they get people in so much trouble, especially God's people, and I don't have to tell any one of you guys. I know personally, I've so experienced it and I bet you have too.
Travis:The problem is, when we start letting compromise and failure into our life, does it not rob our victory, our confidence in Christ? You know too many people. They're laying down on the battlefield, and it's usually the hidden sins, and so there's men and women who are not walking in the victory of God. They're not walking in the obedience, the joy, the peace. They're not serving the Lord, because they know that inwardly, deep down, hidden behind closed doors, they have this major issue. So what do we do with it? You know, is there wisdom of accountability? Absolutely, you know, make no provisions of the flesh, paul writes in the Romans 13,. Right, there is wisdom that there are certain things we should try and refrain from. You know, pastor Ken has always said a great example. I'm sure the men on staff here have done this. I know, at our church in Portland Maine, me and the pastors, we all have accountability on our phones. This is, you know, if I were to get into a site that I shouldn't, people would know about it. My wife has a password and she can see all that. That's wonderful.
Travis:At the same time, you guys remember the very thing in Genesis, chapter 2 and 3, that was forbidden to Adam and Eve. Right, you shall have all this, but you shall not partake of the tree of knowledge At one tree, good and evil. Where was that tree? You guys remember what it says? Where In the center, right in the midst, isn't that unique? God is saying I want you Adam and Eve and Travis and Christian. I want you to love me supremely that even that, that is in the midst, that is forbidden Because, brothers and sisters, the world we're living in, that that is forbidden, isn't it everywhere?
Travis:Maine, because of the cold weather and I can speak with my wife's permission and authority on this, luckily, because it's so cold, people bundle themselves, they cover themselves a lot. We landed Miami airport and all of a sudden, whoa, you just got to be careful what you're looking, because it's all out there, men and women and I've noticed that this is weird trends, right, it seems like the 1960s basketball NBA shorts are coming back with me. Guys, what is forbidden? We can't live like the bubble boy. We can't cover ourselves in such a way that we're no longer in the world. We're in the world. We're the salt and light of the world. That which is forbidden, as it was way back in the Garden of Eden, so it is in 2023. So what do we do with it? I believe we have to fight desire with desire. We don't yield ourselves to that which is unrighteous, to sin. We yield ourselves to righteousness.
Travis:Stefanus addicted himself. Now, I'm not saying it's some weird legalistic, dead religion type of mentality am I? Because what is the really key factor that we've not yet talked about? It's the Holy Spirit. Right, it's the Holy Spirit.
Travis:The problem with the terminology of the world today, as we started this session, this idea of recovery, this idea that you know, oh well, you know, I see I was born with this gene of addiction. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10, no temptation has overtaken you. That is not common to who, all of us right, but God is faithful. In other words, we're all made by God's design with an ability to get good at things. In other words, here's something. If you don't take anything else from the session, we, all of us, have an addicted gene within us. It's God-given. Now, I agree, some people are more, you know, prone to this form or that form. But the point is, in God's image, in his design, we were made to devote ourselves, we were made to worship. We were made to addict, to devote, to get good at things. Sin and the world and the devil has hijacked that. But the answer is a right-standing relationship, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the yielding ourselves under the power and control of the Holy Spirit and, all of a sudden, those things that were once life-controlling, we begin to find out there is utter freedom available. You understand how contrary that is to the world I had and I want to open up in just a moment to some questions, but this is a good story to paint a picture. I believe In Maine, with the overdoses that has happened in the last five years and it's just skyrocketing fentanyl and we had a period of time where pharmacy robberies were happening every week and it was so incredible.
Travis:This is how bad and powerful addiction is. People are going into the pharmacy not with a gun, just with a sticky note saying I have a gun, give me all your OxyCotin. They're so rabid. They would then get the pills from the pharmacist, they wouldn't even leave, they'd go into the bathroom of the pharmacy. By the time they got high they'd come out and the police were there. This stuff was happening in Maine, rabid.
Travis:So the governor at the time was making these round table discussions and trying to with all the good intentions we got to get control of this opioid problem. Roundtable discussions and every town would have one and you can invite, you know, the people from the community and there'd be a panel of experts. And and I say that because they asked me and my wife to be on the, on the panel of one of these things. So I'm thinking, all right, well, we'll come, we'll share. And it was a room maybe Twice the size of this, was a couple, maybe a hundred hundred fifty people from this little fishing community and it was like doctor so-and-so and chief of psychology so-and-so and the guy from the methadone clinic and Travis and Maddie on this panel, and they wanted us to introduce ourselves. And so I got the mic and said hi, my name is Travis.
Travis:I serve at the time as an assistant pastor of this church, 10 years heroin addiction. And before I passed on, before I passed on, I said, hey, and, by the way, you're going to hear some things that are probably very they contradict one another, but if you have any questions, stick around, just come talk to us, we'll be happy to answer them. I hand it off. When I got to doctor MD, psychology so-and-so, he said what my friend meant to say is You're gonna hear some different approaches, right? So that's what he meant to say. When the mic eventually came back to me, what my friend tried to correct me on, and and I said I said no, we actually believe, according to the authority of God's word that addiction is not a disease. You could hear a pin drop like no one had ever heard that. They're like I Mean they couldn't they couldn't believe it.
Travis:I said no, we actually believe it's a moral issue. Again, the son of God isn't telling people to repent from their diet, a diabetes or their cancer, their congestive heart failure. He's telling people to repent from their moral issue. This is a moral issue that can only be fixed for the right-handed relationship with Jesus Christ. So this is the world we're living in. It is a secular Goliath. The money, the resources, the education that is being pumped into this idea that a Addiction is a disease and people are being treated like they're on hospice care. We just would just give you suboxone and methanol to the right. We'll just give you this anti-depressant, this anti-anxiety We'll give I mean my wife's test. The morning when she came in at 19 years old to the program in Maine, she was on eight different meds. They were told. She was told she was bipolar, medically depressed anxiety. No, she was a heroin addict. When, all of a sudden, the heroin addiction didn't, you know, ravage her life. All those things went away. So we live in a culture that's so over medicated, so over diagnosed and you come to the truth of God's word and there's something radically different Now, truly, I'm just kind of scratching the surface on some things, but you know, between John 5, 1st Corinthians 16 and Romans 6, the brief areas of Bible that we looked at, hoping, I can, at least you know, kind of begin a thought process that maybe there's some questions. Maybe you have a personal experience. I mean we don't have much time, but I do want to let people share some things before we we move on with the 12 or 15 minutes we have left. Sure the hands, anyone have a question that they'd like to ask, is there? So the question was why do I make the statement? Why do I think that it's not a disease One? The overarching one is what I made mention of, of what the Son of God and what the New Testament tells us to repent from a knot and what we are always told to repent from our decisions, of our free, free moral agency. And again, there are things, because of the curse of sin, that we all struggle with Physically. Again, I use some examples. I mean, whether it's high blood pressure or whether it's diabetes or cancer, there are things that, to a certain degree, are beyond our control. God isn't telling people you need to repent from this. He's telling people to repent from decisions that are made with our free moral agency. So that's that's. That's a big one to.
Travis:As you look at the history of the pharmaceutical industry and you look at the change and I wish I had a little bit more Specifics, but there's a wealth of knowledge on it you begin to see that when the pharmaceutical, when the CDC, when the American Health Association decided to classify the issue of addiction as a medical condition, and you saw the billions and tens of billions of dollars that have been accumulated and profited from it and the state of Maine alone, that there are so many hurting souls, that they are truly, I believe they are being Exploited because of this medical idea and industry, that you have this disease. So I think the scriptures make it clear that this is not something that is Is a disease. However, and this is important, we all agree I would be fine with talking about the idea of the concept of sin being a disease. We've all been bit, so to speak, right? I mean, adam took that Forbidden fruit and and and pulled the trigger for the rest of our human race, right? So the I I agree that. You know, when you look at the 12 steps and it's like the first steps is coming to, you know, I agree, that there was a, an addiction that was. I was powerless to it. It was too powerful for me, right? That you got to come to that first step and that this wisdom, okay, I got to agree that this is stronger than me. But that thus is sin, right? I mean, that's why the Old Testament was the Old Covenant, it was pointing us, I mean, the Son of God on the Sermon on the Mount is point, you have heard it said, you know you shall not murder. I say to you the Son of God raises the standard. You have murder in your heart. You're guilty Like, oh great, right, that's what the whole Sermon on the Mount is. He raises the standard.
Travis:The Bible says that the law of God in Galatians 324 was a school master. It was an x-ray machine, it was a tutor to show we're broken. It was never meant to fix us, to lead us to Christ. So we've all been bit by sin. I can say, okay, the disease of sin plagues.
Travis:But the good news with coming to that conclusion is then we know what is the answer the one who was without sin, who took on the penalty of sin. So you understand, that makes sense, good question. So the question was you know medical marijuana. And you know people say well, it's an herb, it's natural. So is the cocoa plant right, so is opium. So you know.
Travis:You look at Proverbs 31 when it talks about there is a reality. Give strong drink to him who is perishing. Proverbs 31, verse 6 you know what, guys? There is a. There's a use for an anesthetic, isn't there? We've seen some of our loved ones pass on. You've seen some, maybe someone at the end of life, for those who are perishing, hey guys, we're born again, believers, we were once dead and now we were made alive. We're not pay, we're in the land of the living.
Travis:The psalmist said. So there is an anesthetic. And Listen, someone, how can you not say that marijuana is an anesthetic? It numbs you, it changes your brain function and so and this is just a new concept that is recently again been kind of adopted by our community, I mean for the longest time. I mean, if you ever seen some of those old movies in the 1960s and 70s and 80s I'm a reefer madness, I mean, I don't know if you ever seen these movies, but there was a. It was a collective embracing over culture that marijuana truly is a gateway drug, and any drug addict myself and Matt included, would say you know where it all began.
Travis:Marijuana. It goes from alcohol, marijuana to then cocaine, little pill next thing, you know your IV. So it is no doubt an anesthetic. And again, proverbs 31, verse six give strong drink, give the anesthetic to him who was perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. But that's not what God calls us to. God doesn't call us to that. So I think there's an abundant.
Travis:I've had dumb questions. I've had people try and connect Revelation 22, the tree of life right and the leaves are the healing of the nation. Ah, see, there it is. No one is a better father, a better mother, a better husband, a better child of God, high on marijuana. They're not. And it's kind of what Pastor David Goozix said. We can take this big Bible, the 66 books of the scripture, and we can. We can justify any sin if we want, but, just as he said, not rightly dividing the word of truth. That's a good question. Anyone else have a question? No, I appreciate it.
Travis:You know, we just were part of a very secular summit. We were invited. Some of the faith leaders and I say faith leaders because they want to, just the terminology they'll say okay, where of the science world, we'll bring some of the faith leaders in, as if we're not the, we don't serve the God of science, right? So they always they try and pit it. So we'll bring some of the faith leaders in and we and we accept the invitation.
Travis:So there was this massive it was the fifth annual opioid governor's banquet we just were invited to and again, that's why I use the term a secular Goliath. I mean you're looking at this room of 1500 people. The governor was there and it's like a gala or a ball. I mean it's like an award ceremony. At the same time they're showing statistics where overdose deaths are higher, petty crime is higher, fetinol is coming in higher. There's like no victory, but we're going to give an award because we have been trying hard and it's like this is crazy. Well then, they gave the, the faith based community, an opportunity to share and a lot of what we talked about was was talked about.
Travis:But I will say the one thing that I did receive from that secular Goliath of a summit was a doctor who just gave some honest statistics, scientifically, about the release of dopamine, and he he was talking about a sexual experience, drinking of your favorite coffee drink, you know a sneeze releases dope. You know there's actually there's dopamine release again. So yeah, it is. It is the design of God. God desires that we would work hard. You guys work really hard, and then at the end of the day, you actually like I mean, you know what that? That feels good. I had a hard days of work. I did something that was honorable and commendable. Guys, have you not had a dopamine release in the, in the worship sessions of this conference? And it's a. So God designs that for us.
Travis:But it's been hijacked and you know what it is instant gratification. That's what's killing our culture right now. Right, we don't want to wait to have sex when I'm married. I want it now. But any godly guy or or gal that gets married and has robbed themselves of that experience for the one person God created them for, they would be honest and say you know what I wish? I'm not going to live in this regret and God is good and faithful, but I wish I had. I had kept myself for this moment. So it's the same thing.
Travis:Dopamine is it released from heaven? Is it released from heroin and cocaine and fentanyl marijuana? Certainly, is it instant gratification that only leads us to bondage Absolutely, but there is wisdom to it. And one of the things that that chart did, it talked about all the drugs and this you know. However they measured the metric, you know methamphetamine was like the highest, below that was was crack, cocaine, and so I had this list of what gets poured out at that instant gratification.
Travis:But what happens is this is your normal dopamine. Uh, you know, day to day life, monday, tuesday, wednesday, living in Miami, right, main's like down here, but you're, you're kind of your dopamine, you, you, you get this instant shot of a drug but then you kind of go a little bit lower, instant shot of a drug, a little bit lower, and next thing, you know, you're way down here and that shot that once took you way high. You're just trying to get back to what it was like to work hard and have a cup of coffee. It robs you. That was the experience that we've, we've, we've gone through. Sure. The first question again, you were asking what?
Travis:medication especially mental illness. Thank you, it's a good question. So, and that's something that I've I try and be careful of I made the statement at the beginning about we're overdiagnosed as a nation and I don't think anyone would disagree with that. But it doesn't nullify or or take away from some legitimate experiences. Um, amanda, you remember Pastor Lloyd Pulley's son and he's gone home to be with the Lord.
Travis:Pastor Lloyd Pulley, cabrera Chapel, old Bridge. His son, jeremy, was in the discipleship program in Bangalore, maine, the same time. I was there and, uh, I would say, and I think Pastor Ken, I know Lloyd came to the conclusion there was a legitimate, um, uh, diagnosis that Jeremy had. He was a such a wonderful young man, so incredibly gifted, that had some sort of form of bipolar I mean it was, it was legitimate and and they I mean the elders got together often and prayed over him. Is this a spiritual issue? Uh, anointed him with oil and the reality is, uh, reality is of all Jeremy's life. It was just proven there were two personalities and, uh, there was a little so and he seemed to do much better on a medication. But there's also the vast majority of stories similar to what Maddie and myself have experienced, where a doctor takes one, look at you, finds out you're doing this, this and this and says, yep, you're. You know, you're depressed and what it really is our lifestyle. If we change our lifestyle, it's amazing how the mood changes. So is there some legitimacy? Yes. Is it widely exasperated and, I think, abused? Yes.
Travis:The second, about the demon, slang and the supernatural uh, you know, the Bible warns us of being careful of not falling or taking heat to every wind of doctrine. In fact it says every strange wind of doctrine that blows through the church. And even in our Calvary movement for the last 50 years there have been these, you know, strange winds of doctrine that usually take a few out. By the grace of God, calvary has really maintained her integrity of just being biblical in their exposition and in their philosophy of ministry. But there are these strange doctrines that come in when we look at Jesus and we look at the Apostle, especially through the book of Acts. The supernatural was always in support of the word and what happens is so often they put too much focus on the supernatural and then things get weird. At Calvary Chapel we are a Pentecostal movement. You could say this we are a charismatic movement. We're not a charismatic movement. There are charismatic movements where the emphasis is on the supernatural all the time that things get weird. I bet many of you have experienced that and you know striking the balance that Pastor Chuck and the and the board of the Calvary Chapel elders have always biblically pulled out. We of course believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the need for the Holy Spirit in our life, but it will never contradict God's word, will it? The it says the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet and 1 Corinthians 14.
Travis:My wife and I were at a conference a few years ago in San Jose, california, and there was a small group of young adults and there was this one lady in the back that she kept having the worship flags and she ooh. Well, I had found out from a guy who invited us, the young adult pastor. She had been talked to three or four times. Well, all of a sudden Carson was distracted, playing in the conference. I was the guest speaker and during worship she ooh and. But she wasn't just, she was coming up front. So of course everyone's, like you know, looking at her and distracted and we try and sit and talk where I'm like, why? Why are you doing? I can't help it.
Travis:The Holy Spirit in me, this is how I have to manifest, and it says no, but the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. You know what I'm saying. I mean, god gives us what is the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Self control, right, so being slain in the spirit. So the demonic on one hand. I do believe there's a reality that we probably could have a little bit of a revival of realizing that there is demonic possession. Everything we see is not just we try and just rationalize it with a mental illness At the same time. You know, what usually happens is a pendulum swing. So, guys, I'm so over. I know that I want, I wanted just to finish with like a three minute song that my wife wrote, is there not?
Travis:That any questions is not important, but is there one pressing question that where do I begin? How do I listen? John, chapter eight, verse 31. This is it, guys. In the last minute, jesus says to the Jews who believed this is, he's in the temple. Jews who believed he is who he says he was, as if to say there's something else. He says listen. And John, chapter eight, 31,. Let me turn there. John eight, 31,. Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed him if you abide in my word, you are my disciples, indeed. Notice, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Guys, that gets taken out of context. You shall know the truth, the truth shall make you free. Do you guys know? No exaggeration.
Travis:I was giving Bible verses to my heroin dealer. At times I was the most compromised, confused Christian kid who knew Bible, used it as a weapon. I know Bible, I know that verse. The problem was I wasn't applying or taking heed to God's word. So just knowing truth doesn't set you free. When I went before the judge, I knew the truth. I had stole that purse. So when they were going to bring the video of me stealing the purse, the truth actually condemned me. Right, I was guilty because of the truth. The truth will condemn us if we're not continuing in it. If you would continue, if you abide in my, if you take heed to my word, you're then my disciple, and a true disciple, indeed, is free. Indeed, how is someone free? Not just by knowing it, by continuing in it. Be a disciple by continuing God's word.
Ellie:I'm going to end up today with all things young adults. See you guys next time.