Illegal drug use in the U.S.

Illegal drug use has been a serious problem in the United States for
many years now.  Various efforts have been made to curb the behavior.
In the 1980s a campaign was launched which targeted children.  To help
them refuse offers from others to try some sort of drug, they were
urged to instead "Just say no".  First Lady Nancy Reagan appeared
often on television to press the message.

Some ridiculed the approach as being simplistic.  The reasons for drug
use go much deeper, they argued, and cannot be resolved with mere
slogans.  There is truth in that observation, but it cannot be denied
that "no" has to be the response when a drug is offered.

A bank teller in New Rochelle, New York took the principle to a
different level this week.  When a man at her window slipped her a
note demanding money in a bag, she simply said "no" and then set off
the alarm  The man fled and the bank soon returned to business as
usual.

Police don't advise the kind of response this teller made; some
robbers won't hesitate to use deadly force to get what they're after.
Refusing a criminal's demands not only puts you at risk, but others in
the vicinity as well.  We don't expect this teller to be reprimanded
for her actions, but neither do we think her actions will be urged
upon others in similar situations.

Sometimes "no" is an excellent response.  It can be far more effective
than we imagine.

The Biblical account of Daniel's life in Persia is intriguing.  Taken
from his home in Judah as a teenager, he and other young men were
being groomed for leadership in the Persian Empire.  Daniel saw a
problem, however, in the diet assigned to the young trainees.  Instead
of going along with standard protocol, Daniel decided to say "no".

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he
drank ..." (Daniel 1:8).  He asked instead that he and his three
Jewish friends be given only vegetables and water for ten days.  At
the end of the time, judgment could be made on the effectiveness of
the simpler diet.  Ten days later it was obvious - Daniel knew what
was best for his physical well-being.

Later in the book Daniel again confronts a difficult situation.  A new
law had been passed that made it a capital offense to worship any god
other than the Persian king for 30 days.  While most in the nation
apparently bowed down to the king without hesitation, Daniel said
"no".  He continued praying as usual to the God of heaven, and made no
attempt to hide that fact (see Daniel 6:10).  Even a den of hungry
lions could not move Daniel from his convictions.  He knew what was
best for his soul.

Peter wrote to warn Christians against urges that pull us away from
God.  He wrote: "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11).
A "lust" is a strong urge we feel in our bodies; we want to do it.
Peter counseled, though, that we must say "no" to such urges when God
has shown them to be sinful.

We often want to do what God tells us is wrong.  At such times we must
remember to "just say no".

Timothy D. Hall