I read a few things online about the Bible.  Is pot/weed a sin because I did not see anything about it in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Blowing Smoke

Dear Blowing Smoke,

Plants (and drugs made from plants) are wonderful things if used as God intended – medicinally.  Anything that removes the clarity of someone’s mind or makes them drunk is sinful if used recreationally (1 Cor 5:11).  Christians are to be sober-minded, so that we can properly learn, grow, and serve the Lord (1 Thess 5:6).  The devil loves an addled brain, and the moment we stop thinking clearly, he is ready to pounce (1 Pet 5:8).  Furthermore, the body is a temple and should be treated as God intended – not destroyed with drugs (1 Cor 6:19).  Drugs destroy your body and mind.  You were bought with a price; glorify God in your body (1 Cor 6:20).

Does God make you suffer... because my God loves all His children, good or bad, and I believe that He will help you the best He can, like a father should do.  He does not make you suffer; He helps you everyday, but it seems like my life is just about suffering, no happiness, just darkness alone, and that’s how I feel.  I feel like I am just in empty space with no one.  It also seems like the good people die first, and the drug addicts and jerks live good, happy lives.

Sincerely,
Feeling Alone

Dear Feeling Alone,

We suffer in this life because of the sin and wickedness in this world, but christians hope for a day when all suffering will end.  All christians suffer in this life (Acts 14:22).  Suffering makes us stronger if we remain faithful (Rom 5:3-5).  Pain and weakness remind us that we must trust in the Lord and not in ourselves (2 Cor 12:10).  We live in a world full of sin and destruction, and it is a struggle to live a godly and faithful life in this present world (Tit 2:12).  Solomon said that the wicked often seem victorious in this life (Eccl 3:16)… but it is still better to be righteous (Eccl 12:13).  We are so sorry for your suffering.  Stay strong, and eventually heaven will be all the sweeter because of it (Col 3:2).

About a year ago, I was put through the trial of a lifetime - at the mere age of nineteen.  Despite being a baptized christian, I realize that I lost touch with God for a period of my life and spiraled into sinful ways.  I truly believe the trial I went through was to get me closer to Him and to take me to new places and away from bad things.  The one thing is that while I love and trust the Lord, I HATE the situation I am in.  It's going to be a lifetime battle as well.  Is it all right to accept trying times but yet hate the situation at the same time?  Does God want us to be fully on board with the trying time we are in, or is it acceptable for us to not fully be on board?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Struggling

Dear Struggling,

All christians must suffer (Acts 14:22), and suffering helps make us better people (Heb 12:6), but enduring suffering is not the same as enjoying it.  All suffering brings sorrow and grief (Heb 12:11), but a christian can know that God will not allow them to be tempted beyond what they are able to handle (1 Cor 10:13).  Christians can rejoice in trials even though they hurt because they produce perseverance and hope (Rom 5:3-5).  Even when we suffer for our own sinful choices, christians can rejoice because endurance through trials proves our faith in Christ (1 Pet 1:6-7).  The righteous may fall down many times in life… but they always get back up (Pr 24:16).  We are sorry that you are suffering so very much; trials are never, ever easy… but the eternal benefits far outweigh the hardship (Php 1:23).

I hear a gentle voice in my head telling me things that make sense to me. Is this the Holy Spirit?  The voice comes at unknown times but never when I am angry.  It comforts me to listen to it.  I have no idea what to call it.  I would like to hear from it and have conversations with it to ask questions I do not understand.  If it is the Holy Spirit, how do I thank it, and what do I call it?  I feel so unworthy that God would talk to me.  But I would be so blessed if He did.  I want a closer relationship with Him.

Sincerely,
Hearing Voices

Dear Hearing Voices,

That voice isn't the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit does not directly speak to people now that we have the complete Bible.  In the past, God communicated His desires through diverse methods of prophecy, visions, dreams, etc., but today He communicates through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1).  The Bible is the complete and perfect Word of God once and for all handed down to us (Jude 1:3).  Now that we have the perfect law of liberty (Jas 1:25), God has ceased using prophecy, visions, and dreams to communicate with us (1 Cor 13:8-10).  That voice in your head may be your conscience, but it isn't God.

Hi, I had a kidney transplant six years ago, and I am doing fine now.  I have been a faithful servant of God for many years, but I am afraid to go out there and share His good news because I am afraid of one question because I don't know how to answer it: if you have been a faithful christian and if God says He loves you, why didn't God heal YOUR OWN kidneys, so that you didn't have to go through all that dialysis, suffering, and the transplant?  How should I answer this question?  I really don't know the answer.

Sincerely,
On The Mend

Dear On The Mend,

God doesn’t heal everyone’s problems miraculously because there is a purpose to suffering.  As you probably know, after going through difficult struggles, we learn things we could have never learned without those trials.  That is why Paul tells us to rejoice in tribulations because they increase our perseverance and hope (Rom 5:3-5).  The apostle Paul had physical infirmities, and he asked God to heal him; God’s answer was, “No.” (2 Cor 12:7-9)  Eventually, all of our bodies will succumb to sickness and death (Eccl 7:2).  What are important are the lessons we learn between birth and death.  All christians will suffer (Acts 14:22); it is how we react to the suffering that matters.