Legalize It or Demonize It? | Mark Mohr of Christafari Interview

Legalize It or Demonize It? | Mark Mohr of Christafari Interview
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_BCOp8Wodg
Transcript source: YouTube captions

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that being said we're gonna jump right
into this interview without further ado
I don't know how much introduction he
needs because I'm reading
right now everybody's excited about the
show Christ the far ride welcome to the
podcast my brother Mark Moore what's
going on hey man great to be here thank
you so much for having me oh dude a
legend a legend in in Christian music a
legend and reggae gospel music and do
what you bringing to the table and the
years man when I came came to the Lord
like years ago it's been like it's been
some years I was listening to Christ
afar I it was like wanting to listen to
the reggae stuff but having more
scripture in it and quoting scripture
right and there's something you said in
an interview listening to reggae and
it's just all over the place man but you
know what when we're talking about the
Lion of Judah to like really be talking
about the Lion of the tribe of Judah and
that's it yeah and so man dude welcome
to the show man I'm excited to talk to
you bro thanks so much for those who
don't know who you are for those who are
new to your work talk a little bit about
what you do and let's get into your
testimony man and how you came to faith
in Christ well we do gospel reggae um
yeah I guess you could just call it
reggae yeah already in one layer is
spiritual has a spiritual component
whether it's Jimmy Cliff was a Buddhist
whether it's a big mountain there were I
think he was I think one of the guys
converted to Islam at one time there's a
lot of universalism going on in reggae
and there's a whole roster foreign ism
um our twelve tribes and and for us
obviously we we connect with the plane
and normal interpretation of the
scriptures so some would call us
Messianic but would I call myself a
follower of Christ so you can call it
Krishna reggae you can call a guy like
gospel reggae though because not I mean
at first I didn't like the phrase
because it sounds like gospel music and
yeah and our music does not sound like
Gus music at all but I love the name
gospel because it means good news and
that's really what we try and bring to
all of our stuff so you said um you said
a little bit of testimony well raised in
the church straight from the church at
9:00 started drinking and smoking by
10:00 I was buying weed from my
next-door neighbor by 13 cocaine it
escalated to anything I could smoke
whether it was crack whether it was
opium whether it was crystal meth I
wasn't using drugs as I always say drugs
were using me and my parents finally
figured out what was going on a little
too late so I just ran away from home I
found myself living on the streets or in
an abandoned house with a bunch of drug
addicts and you can imagine in all of
that did different styles of music
connect with you you know Pink Floyd's
Dark Side of the Moon for instance I
mean who who hadn't ripped out to that
in my day and reggae was was a big part
of that my parents took our family to
Jamaica when I was 15 and it was there
that I you know I really dove had
headlong into everything that the world
had to offer in every way shape and form
and I came home with some reggae and I
came home with a passion for it and then
I started calling myself a white man
Rasta that native Californian if you got
a joint that you don't want I'll smoke
it for you money that was me that was
that was my thing I started growing I
started dealing and and I identified
myself in every way with that which was
Jamaican which is pretty funny given
that was a white guy from Southern
California some of those people don't
like that I know there's a lot of things
that are now cultural appropriation but
there was like there's always been this
thing of like the Jamaicans don't like
white boys with dreadlocks you know
there's always that did you get back lad
I want to talk to you about backlash but
ya ever get any backlash from that
good people yeah yeah I got all kinds of
backlash yeah my backlash at backlash um
well there's a few things that I find
interesting
oh and you know what this isn't unique
to Marley so for instance I mean Jimi
Hendrix you know his his listeners were
primarily white yeah
yeah it was the hippie movement it was
you know the Summer of Love you look at
those crowds um Bob had the same thing I
heard that that he was really
disappointed because he he wanted to
identify with the you know the black the
the you know the revolutionary movement
he wanted to make a change you want to
make a difference and you're going to
you to her and every one of his
audiences that he found for the most
part which is all white there's
something about it and it's the same
it's it's no different now when it comes
to hip-hop I mean yeah you know when the
biggest buyers or consumers are hip-hop
or in Mid America and you know kids
white because I do my hit suburbia yeah
so so there is that side of it but
beyond that did I did I receive that
well yeah first of all I went to Jamaica
14 times and there wasn't a time walking
down the street where I wasn't called
Ross Rasta white white tea white boy
Yankee you know yeah you know they just
call it what it is if you if you have
any sort of Asian in you they call you
chin up or chin or China they just they
just call what they see if you're
carrying a loaf of bread they call your
bread boy they just call it what it is
but something that I found that is very
interesting was it the majority of the
people that I had found learned that it
converted to rest afar I we're like
white guys who you know started reading
their hair and they're talking about
repatriation I might do the where Norway
you know there is that side of it and
then beyond that persecution Hank yeah
I've had my am full of death threats
I've had my handful of of physical
attacks three times people tried to kill
me
um in Jamaica or by Jamaican LTI don't
hold that you know it was only three out
of how many million so it's not that bad
Buju Banton tried to stab me with the
knife three times while on tour and that
wasn't because I was a white guy that
was because I I found scriptural backing
the the one that he worshiped as Jesus
Christ was in fact not Christ in his
return but was a believer in Christ
himself and I firmly believed that if
you're going to respect somebody respect
how they want to be honored and
respected and if worshipped is not on
their list
you don't worship Him you know it really
really pissed off Billy Graham is he
found out that people were worshiping
him yeah oh yeah and this is this is a
Christian Haile Selassie was a Christian
who said let us labor to lead our
sisters and brothers to our Savior Jesus
Christ
yeah he said those exact words so that's
why I'm not a rest affari and that's why
I'm a Christian or a Christ affari man
so building upon your testimony a little
bit so you're a teenager you're you're
doing a lot of drug just doing what a
lot of lost teenagers do man what was
that come to Jesus moment for you well I
think that I think that there's a few
things that before I get there I kind of
I guess I kind of want to address the
why I did it and and beyond the the
sinful nature that's in all of us the
fact that you know all of us are born
been born into sin I think a lot of it
had to do with with family a family
issues a lot of it a lot of one of the
reasons why people repelled like that is
either - yeah I I think it's either to
fit in to be a part of something to be
accepted to feel like they're loved to
feel like they're and maybe they're
they're struggling with that with not
getting that from their father or from
their mother and their insults it's it's
not acting out it's not an acting out
like I'm the I'm gonna do I'm gonna hurt
myself to hurt you
maybe it is but I think for me it was
more so hey um I want to be accepted by
someone older than me and if I'm not
gonna get it from this person that I'm
gonna get it from these guys that and
you know it's kind of weird when you're
an adult you have ice cream with
whatever you want to when you're a kid
the adults say hey you can't you can't
have ice cream you know you have to eat
this and you're like okay so when I
become adult I'll do what I want
and so when you're that same kid and
they tell you you can't smoke weed is
bad for you or you can't drink because
it's bad for you then you see them drink
a beer you're like okay so to be an
adult is to do what I want and so then I
start doing it and then I start
rebelling and and and you I for me I
gravitated towards older people you know
the older neighbors and they were they
were dabbling in it and so I went
headlong into it so part of it is
fitting in and it's not the peer
pressure oh you got to do what you got
to do it you gotta try but it's the hey
I want to fit in and then the other side
of it was the wanting to escape and I
think a lot of us do that I think
there's a I think that that's what
marijuana is is escapism that's what I
sense but oh boards yeah when I see the
billboards on now on my street there's
even Snoop Dogg as a frickin chronic
stand on my street it is bad is
everywhere it's escapism I see it as
escapism so I think those two things
kind of led me down that path and
obviously my my sinful nature but what
brought me back well I kept I kept
remembering the scriptures that I heard
as a youth in fact one of the main
reasons why I connected with reggae was
because they were quoting scriptures
they were singing by the rivers of
Babylon oh yeah there was you know Bob
Marley I'll never forget no way how they
crucified Jesus Christ he would sing so
he that there's so many biblical
references that made me open up to the
Bible the Steel Pulse had a song called
chant a psalm a day and I was like okay
I can chance to Solomon I guess I can
that so that opened me up to it and then
beyond that there was
this what I would call the prodding of
the Holy Spirit the he was pursuing he
was courting and and I think because I
accepted the Lord at a very young age he
was disciplining me also and kind of
just wait trying to wake me up now I
would see Jesus face when I was in my
head when I was using and and I would
say get out of my life I want to have
nothing to do with you and I thank God
he didn't answer that prayer I thank God
that he kept pursuing me kept pursuing
me and eventually I stopped running and
I turned around and I realized it he
wasn't trying to stab me or Whitney or
or or he wasn't trying to lock me up he
was trying to set me free yeah and it
the the aha moment for me well I went to
my parents sent me away to different
camps Christian camps I did 14 of them
in seven years span each time I would
pray the prayer any child go back to the
same parties the same friends and it
would be worse than I was before so we
just got it was it was escalating I went
to this final one right before I turned
18 and I just hated Christians by that
point I just I mean could not stand them
that were so fake they were so plastic
they were so contrived it was to me it
was like a wood they were like facades
and movies where they looked good in the
front but the back was just propped up
and there was one guy that I connected
with and he was a camp counselor that
was like off staff at the time or
whatever and then we would just sit back
and listen to reggae and just talk and
talk about our past and I talked about
my drug present and he talked about his
drug well past we had so much in common
but there was something different about
him a light in his eyes I couldn't
couldn't put my finger on and finally I
say what's the difference between you
and I and he looked at me with
compassion and he said it's a love of
God and I realized at that very moment
he had received God's love God's grace
God's forgiveness and he was changed by
it and I just had a dead-end street
my life was a dead-end street in fact I
live right now on a street that has
signs that say dead end and people still
keep driving to the end oh it ends and
that's how my life was no life is one
big road with lots of signs Bob Marley
said and so often we ignore those signs
finally for the first time I saw I saw
like an exit sign that just made sense
to me and I thinked it part of it a big
part of it was even like for instance
I'd say you're a call yourself a truth
seeker and you're watching this and
you're saying well I don't believe in
God or I don't believe in Christ or I
don't believe in this or I don't believe
in that you know I believe in
spirituality what you're doing even as
I'm telling this story is you're you're
looking at my story you're looking at my
life they were listening to my music or
this or that and you're basically
transposing it over your life and you're
saying does that a good fit or not and
if it's a good fit it's something you'll
lean into and if it's not just something
you'll push away from and I was pushing
away the whole time until I finally met
this one guy who was living it and
there's a Bible verse says was there
first Peter 3:15 always be prepared to
give an answer for the hope that you
have within or do so with gentleness and
respect to give an answer implies that
someone's living a life that's
contagious that that draws you in like a
little salt on on a Pringle makes you
want to drink something and why have
more and more and you just keep hopping
until you can't stop there's there's
something about that and and so that
that's what really drew me and for the
first time in my life or the first time
in my in my pre adult years because I
was almost you know you think you're an
adult you think you're like smarter than
35 year olds when you're when you're 18
or 17 I saw something I said that's what
I need in my life that's the missing
link excuse me so a big part of it for
me was just okay you know looking
looking at it like almost like
projecting it over my life and saying
this is what this is this is what I need
to do and that was it the next day I
heard a modern-day version of the
prodigal
this guy run away this guy had rebelled
this guy had done all the drugs at burnt
every bridge that his parents had built
and he finally came home with his
parents received him and I knew that
that needed to be me too and so I did
get my life to Christ for the final and
this time was gonna be different I was
gonna read the word I was gonna pray I
was gonna change who I hang out with you
know show me your friends I'll show you
your future yeah
Bible says bad company corrupts good
character I was gonna let that corrupt
me and I started writing songs when I
started reading the Bible there's a
passage in in the Psalms Psalm 40
basically I waited patiently for the
Lord he heard my cry he lifted me out of
the slimy pit for me he lifted me out of
the sewage pit the cesspit the crap the
muck the mire set my feet on a solid
solid ground in a rock he put a new song
in my heart and that was the coolest
thing within two weeks he put on my
heart literally it said many will see
and know and many will many will praise
and many will give praise essentially
the goal of this song is to lead others
to him and that became my lifelong goal
and so for the last 29 years I've been
doing my best to lead others to him to
say hey I got the key it's the cross of
Christ this is how you get out of prison
as we're all in we're all at a prison
it's powerful man I wanna you talked
about you know the marijuana being
escapism and I was a that's a great
analogy for it was definitely that for
me it took me out of my present
situation as a depressed scared timid
teenager you know and had problems and
all of this kind of stuff when you would
smoke and it would take you to another
realm where nothing mattered nothing
exists it was like a special place but
you always had to go back to it and
there's repercussions all kind of stuff
that comes along with that I said what
we can call a sinner's prayer I asked
Jesus to come into my life and forgive
me of my sins and at that moment I'll
receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit I
just began to tremble burn with the
fervent heat that came over me and like
washed
all the bad stuff that I had ever did
the lies are told the cheating people
all this it washed it clean and made me
new man I sought the Lord with tears it
was beautiful but yeah that fire was
euphoric and it felt euphoric like the
marijuana but only stronger and better
and clean and pure and so for me that
praying in getting in the Holy Spirit
whatever you want to call it that got
contagious so that took away my love for
marijuana to use that escapism
now for my escapism I go to Jesus
because he provides this special place
where it's only me and him and it's
symbolic all throughout the scriptures
of getting alone with God and and where
nothing can touch you nothing else
matters and things like that and that
that I traded it out for that for that
presence it was so beautiful I want to
ask you about that dude is that what
happened with you as well yeah that's
the you know what I I don't talk enough
about how I got off of drugs it was one
step it was the freedom step as we sing
about in in one of our songs the I know
for many people it's it's 12 steps it's
a a lifetime of of this dance so for you
know he's never from you're never truly
free you can fall at any moment you know
that kind of thinking yeah I for me it
was a one and done and IIIi I definitely
don't say that that's on my power that
was just God just healed me of it
but yes there was this huge I can't
explain it by I we sing about it there's
no high like the most high I'll never
let you down they'll never come down I
mean I used to use and I would seriously
you know first like three days I
wouldn't feel like myself I know I
should that's weird right it took about
three days to get clear-headed yeah
especially LSD I mean nothing would mess
you up like that or meth and and you
just like and there's those moments
where you like man out what does it feel
like to be normal I wish I was normal I
wish I was known well with with with
Christ and this was this is
very interesting God actually ties the
two together where he says don't be
drunk with wine but instead be yes
filled with the Holy Spirit and and so
there is this comparison of there being
no high like the most high one I mean I
remember there were times I would I
would be puking projectile vomit on the
ceiling it was so bad I there would be
times where I would oh D and just be
passed out and I swore that was it my
friends are like we thought you died
there would be times where I wake up
lying in a gutter you know where a car
almost runs over my head and I'm in my
own vomit that was my life that was my
life was crap to the tenth degree it was
horrible but when I found Christ it was
the light of my eyes it was those
cliches were all so true the loss to
found the dark to light the you know
emptiness to being full the broken to
being all they were and I've been
chasing that ever since and to be up to
be frank that's one of the reasons why
I'm missionary is I chased that moment
especially those aha moments where you
just like like even right now I have
that moment as I'm talking to you about
it I'm sharing with others about what
God has done in my life you know what if
you don't mind though I don't want to I
don't want to go to a too off topic but
I feel like there's something that God
is saying that that we should address
and I think you're the perfect person to
do it with there there's a huge changing
in our culture we're where we are
assimilating or accepting we're like
okay you drop a frog in boiling hot
water it jumps out but you drop it in
the lukewarm water and you put it on
slow boil and eventually they just
adjust and we're doing that we're
starting to do that more and more with
the things you see on TV same-sex kisses
and and and one of the biggest ones is
marijuana
it is it is something that I'm now
seeing a billboard you can absolutely
advertise for marijuana now I'm writing
to break down my street there's probably
five clinics they started off as as
illegal medical clinics I don't know
what's what's the law like an Alabama is
it legal or no no no okay
well it will be yeah it may be the last
state because that's if you guys are in
the South yeah but but I there's a few
things that I just want to get off my
heart we're we're about ready to hit 420
which is uh which is a day that um where
people celebrate and people people smoke
up and and so I want to I want to share
a little bit um as to the why behind why
I don't smoke weed first of all I don't
have anything wrong I don't have a
problem with hemp okay
I wear it I have hemp shoes you know
it's not the most comfortable it's kind
of like burlap I don't no problem with
the dollar bills that used to be made on
it or the Declaration of Independence
that was that was printed on it I'll
have a problem with hemp oil
I've eaten have pancakes it won't get
you high I don't have a problem there's
there's there's thousands of uses
millions of use as I remember in Venice
Beach I used to cruise around when I was
at you know hippy and then and then and
then a follower of Christ and everybody
was giving you know championing all the
uses of marijuana I'm like you only want
it legal for one reason dude you want to
get a high okay so I understand that so
let's so I'm not dissing the uses and
I'm I'm not dissing about one person who
who said that they that their friend was
was dying of cancer and couldn't keep
food in her stomach and there was just
absolutely no hope yeah and I'm not I'm
not saying that person shouldn't have
relief medical if that person is in that
worst of a state and and everything that
they're trying that doesn't get them
lifted um it doesn't work yeah I'm not
and that that's that that person is a
horrible evil center and quite honestly
it's probably better than morphine or
certain other things but I want to
really address the people who aren't
using it for that purpose okay I want to
address a like for instance okay let's
just start listening
they're definitely listening so you have
their attention back pain or this or
that people say oh I struggle with this
I'm like okay well well I can take two
advil and I can feel like myself I can
be normal
but I couldn't take a hit of some good
chronic without getting high okay
there's a big difference huge difference
for instance you can take you can drink
some beer you can have half a beer and
not feel a thing
you can't have half a joint of this
stuff today and not be completely high
the stuff that's out there today is the
stuff that was in the High Times
magazines like it's stuff that I used to
read and print and put on my walls an
average yeah well oh it's so much worse
than that is or better it depending on
how you if you're a connoisseur it is it
is a million times more at least at
least ten times more it isn't it is it's
you know you take out take a serious
bong it and boom you are feeling
different you are not yourself and so I
guess first of all I want to address
that is when when he says don't be drunk
with wine but be full of the spirit I
think that what God is really saying is
this these are opposites when you are
escaping from yourself to get high to
get drunk now people would say well
there's you know there's a difference
drunk is this and high but the
difference is you can drink a little bit
of alcohol and not get high but you
really can't do that with wheat and I
would encourage you to if you don't
believe that you did it some inebriating
then then read what like triple-a says
about about driving and smoking wheat
man they're scared to death of it read
what any insurance company you know ask
me after I'm scared of that
100% concerned I have a lot of friends
who still smoke but I remember whether I
don't know if because there's a debate
whether teenagers or young people it's
the difference in an adult but the
effects that it has on a teenager's mind
young people
I remember getting high riding with a
bunch of friends on the street that we
live on and we can't find our house this
is the power of five people we're
driving past the house dude where are we
freak we don't know where we are I
remember driving a car as at 16 driving
really high and looking at something out
the window and just catching your eye
what oh I'm dropping a vehicle you know
what I'm saying and you just like
messing with your head
it affects people definitely definitely
I had at the very end I was having bad
panic attacks and like ah yeah panic
attacks yeah that's the number one thing
that my friends and other band members
have said was that they were getting
major panic attacks and that's the thing
that it wasn't for some people it kills
it other people it sends you into what
it sent me into many and perhaps that
was because the Popo was driving behind
me and I had some marijuana plants in
the backseat but what no seriously
though it it affects you and it's
innocent we call it getting high but it
gets low gets you a little first time I
got so high in Jamaica I smoked I slept
for a day and a half just waste it away
obviously it affects your appetite it
affects your eyes they're all bloodshot
I mean if anything else that you were to
use or do major eyes that blood red
people would be like what's wrong with
you it for me it gave me chronic
bronchitis I was coughing up calm and
all kinds of cookies I was I was I was
got so bad that I would literally be
sick every morning like deathly sick
until I got high well addicted it was
addictive and people say it's not yeah
people people people may say okay
nobody's ever died from it but you know
what I've seen many many lives ok here's
a death my friend
close close friend the one of the best
artists I've ever met I mean incredible
painter he and his wife got in a big
argument
she said I'm concerned I don't want you
smoking weed it's affecting you it's
affecting our marriage it's hurting us
and so he leaves his house he leaves his
wife he's now homeless living in a car
if he's lucky peeing in a bottle just so
that in that he moved to Santa Cruz he's
surrounded by a weed everywhere you know
the only time he can check us online and
talk to us is when he goes to the
library um and he's homeless because and
he lost his marriage he lost his career
he lost his life because of marijuana
that's a death I've seen I can give you
hundreds and hundreds of deaths like
that it may not have killed the person
but it killed who they work it killed
their life I I know a pastor did I
actually pretty much ordained and raised
and mentored and he went out to minister
the Rastas and let me tell you he they
started ministering to him and before
long he started smoking and he said oh I
feel the closeness to God let's talk
about that closeness to God when he he'd
be like I'd be smoking something in the
hammock and I had the spiritual feeling
like I've never had before and I
completely agreed with him I said I
could not agree with you more you are
having a very spiritual moment and
that's what the Bible calls pharmakeia
it's translated as witchcraft it means
to commune with the spirit or spirits
through the use of a mind-altering
substance and it's where we get the name
farm pharmacy from but essentially it's
to get high and to have this thing and
this this is why this is why Rastafari
is still around Peter and Peter Tosh
obviously said legalize it but excuse me
simple said what keeps us together as
the herbs that we smoke and so you have
this group of people saying hi it's okay
to do it it's okay to do it it's a
candidate and then you have these people
and they're having these mystical
moments and they're like oh this is
great but they don't realize what
they're doing is they're opening
themselves up
two attacks from the enemy they're
opening themselves up to a different
realm and the Bible the Bible is very
clear it says says be sober or be alert
and and and essentially to avoid attacks
from the enemy which to me implies if
the opposite of getting high or getting
drunk is being filled with the spirit
the he says be sober because the
opposite of it is to be attacks from the
enemy is to you're opening yourself up
to a different realm and I've seen that
so many times where somebody does that
my wife my wife always says say I think
I'm marijuana see popped in their head
because it just seems like something
just clicked and something just changed
she saw that with her dad her dad was a
cross shorty I who invented soca music
was a chronic marijuana smell so you
wouldn't say legalize it you would say
demonize it no I wouldn't say that
you know what see ya but real quick a
viens father it been affected her mom's
and dad's marriage really bad I mean are
the only argument that they ever had was
that stop smoking it's changing it it's
making you so much worse finally he did
he saw the light but eventually he did
die of cancer many have died of cancer
all these guys who sang about legalize
it one way or another have died and
people say well that was cigarettes that
kill them or that was there but that was
that was that was the fact that they're
now that they snare now smoking crack
because a lot of these artists moved up
to that but when I we talked to
Salvation Army rehab centers we minister
in those across the nation we love them
and whenever I say how many you're in
here because of and I say marijuana I
have two hands raised okay then I say
this how many of you it's you know that
raised your hand for meth or for alcohol
or for this or that
it started with marijuana I never see a
hands down when I say that so it's a
gateway okay so am I saying demise this
this is where I this is where I want to
I want to be very careful I have no
qualms whatsoever with the plant the
plant has done me well it's done me
wrong but I
because I use it in the wrong way it's a
beautiful look people people are saying
that in the chat that a lot of people
abuse it and use it for escapism and
things like that it's being used in the
wrong way and I'd like I said I have no
problem with hemp rope I have no problem
with this or with that or with oils or
whatever but feet here's here's the
issues that I have it's it's natural
okay yeah the Bible says it's a herb was
created for the service of man yeah so
um first of all I talked to a botany
expert and he said it's not a herb it's
a it's from the from the thorns and
thistles family didn't God curse the
ground with towards epistles okay but he
made flowers he made beautiful roses
with that you can smell them those are
nice um but he also made he made natural
things that are beautiful yeah but there
are but that should be used in the right
way so all things are permissible but
not everything is beneficial and in this
case like for instance points Edea come
Christmas time you got yourself some
nice points Eddie with the big red
leaves well if you really like it then
put it in a bowl and make some salad
with it poinsettias very poisonous they
will kill you
cyanide is just a little seed it's the
wrong use for the right plant can really
mess you up so so I guess there's a few
things that are that I would just like
to address first and foremost it's it's
pharmakeia you you have to acknowledge
that you're getting high and the Bible
says not to get high the Bible says
search the word sober search the word
sound mind search the word sobriety and
in the scripture search it you'll find
you'll be like okay maybe I shouldn't be
high so that's the first issue are you
getting high and then the second issue
is um another P let's let's talk to our
um our practitioner go to your family
doctor not some quack on the sama Street
that's trying to sell you some medical
whatever go to your family doctor and
say hey doc I'm thinking of of smoking
weed every day what do you think
and just just ask him I have a very good
feeling that he's gonna say this is why
you shouldn't do it because first of all
any sort of smoke inhalation these are
the same people that used to prescribe
you the best brand of cigarettes to like
you know I'm saying like back in the 50s
and you shoot yeah yeah and I smoke in
he's like you know hey this is the best
brand doctors approved this is the
doctors recommended yeah now that being
said I am NOT a huge fan of of the whole
booze or pharmacy thing anyway so that's
why I don't like smoking first of all
but second of all I was addicted to
tobacco many years I think another one
that's in the same category and we're
talking boys how could talk about
opiates as this kratom kratom is now
schedule one illegal in alabama a lot of
people they claim that they're able to
come off of opiates and and kick heroin
and all of this kind of stuff by a
natural plant like like kratom which is
now illegal I do find it funny with
something like kratom when that's
happening and then the government comes
in and makes it illegal it's like this
natural pain reliever relaxes you and
things like that and then the government
steps in nope it's a drug do not touch
it if you want it you come to your
doctor you get a pain pill this is what
you get that concerns me as well and
it's very similar you know yeah I don't
know I don't know much about that you
haven't led into the rate of movement
and stuff like that at all no no I just
I just think tit that anytime we need to
add something to our lives like that
anytime we are we are addicted to
something or or we have to have this
surgery I mean for me it was I got to I
got to I mean I I'm hanging out with
somebody with artists or this or that
and all some they have to leave because
they have to smoke they have you did
yeah it's controlling your Josefa life I
was doing an interview with the NIDA
interview was doing an album listening
party with a friend of mine over here
during his album
streaming going through each track
excuse me I have to smoke a cigarette my
bro we're in here we had a huge audience
all these people are watching he goes
that's how to smoke a cigarette in the
middle of our livestream I'm like oh my
god really
I don't like yeah that's not cool I
think it's worse it's worse when it
comes to weed and stuff because I've
seen I've seen friends that just they
just change and they just change and I
guess here's another thing I've never
heard somebody say you know what my
marriage was in the can until I started
smoking weed or my grades were just
absolutely horrible then when I started
smoking crop regularly oh man I got an
A+ or my family or this or that it it's
it's never a solution in so many cases
it's the problem so if it is now
permissible is it beneficial and and
then beyond that okay let's talk about
the permissible side of it because I
think this is something that a lot of
people overlook is it though it may be
legal here in this state it's illegal
according to the government and the
Bible says we're supposed to submit to
the laws of the land and even if the
laws say it's okay God's law says
something different and there's two
other P's that I want to address one is
your parents what do they think because
the Bible says we should obey them and
the second is your pastor what is your
pastor thing if you were to go to your
pastor and say hey I'm thinking of
smoking weed what do you think and
that's something that I get a lot people
will pull me aside at a at a festival
they'll come up to me and they'll be
like hey um mark I have this up this
this real serious question can I talk to
you privately first of all it's got to
be private and then they're like well
I'm you know I'm just wondering if I
should be smoking weed and I said the
fact that you're coming to me with that
concern you're not coming to me saying
hey I'm just really concerned do you
think I should drink diet coke or not
but isn't it usually at a Christian
Christian festivals though
my dad finds out I st. done you know I'm
like how old are you
they're like 16 I said what do your
parents think they think it's bad what
do sir pastor things anything is bad
what is your doctor thing it's bad yeah
what is your governor over or the the
policeman thing
here's another P policeman what does he
think he would arrest me okay what does
the scripture say to be sober to avoid
attacks from say to be filled with the
spirit instead of filled with that and
and there's time and time again there's
passengers on being drunk now that being
said somebody would say this okay well
alcohol is legal
well yeah 151 rum is legal so soju drink
it all day long then no I'm not saying
that what I am saying is it the same way
that that gets you let's in one way this
gets lifted another way I'm not saying
to forbid boats
I'm not saying to forbid either I'm just
saying or or to make them illegal
prohibition doesn't work I what I am
saying is that I think that we need to
to just have an open mind to what the
scriptures are saying what the word is
saying and most importantly what is the
still small voice inside saying why is
it the people keep coming up to me
saying is it okay is it okay because
they know in their heart of hearts that
it's not and they're looking for that
justification and so I just want to
encourage you there's no high like the
most high you know read the scriptures
surround yourself with others that
encourage you that lift you up but if
you surround yourselves with people that
are that are saying it's okay to do that
watch your life it's gonna go into a
downward trajectory and just be very
very careful use my cautionary tale as a
as a reason why you should not go down
that path I um I had some friends come
over a couple weeks ago and they smoke
they brought it over and I'm in Alabama
so all the new cool stuff is what far
away you think I mean I'm pretty sure
those people bring it in but he had a
gummy bear and uh oh snap are these some
of these marijuana gummy bears yeah THC
marijuana I took a little bite I was
feeling okay took a bigger bite a little
bit later
hit me like a ton of bricks that anxiety
can't breathe my heart's racing I
experienced that you know almost
probably twenty years ago now you know
when I was smoking weed that feeling
came rushing back I had about three
hours feeling like I was gonna die I
talked about it in a podcast episode but
um that that was my experience and when
you when you look that up though that's
the thing like you look up the gummy
bear stuff that everybody's doing that's
a common thing even the biggest weed
smokers will tell you I'm even like I
see no interview with red man from Matt
Matt you know saying meth and red he's
like yeah don't mess with gummy bears
and makes you feel like you're dying
like that's not fun like that's not
that's not good it's like obviously
something good came out of it reevaluate
of my life and and what am i doing what
led me that you you learned from that
and I'm it's not me I learned from that
yeah yeah but what this is this is what
typically happens I code the Emperor's
New Clothes
is okay first hit I took of a cigarette
I coughed I coughed I hacked and I
looked at my friend and I said cool I
smoked weed first time I smoked weed
same thing
the bigger the hit what do you do your
body is coughing it's rejecting now this
is interesting that good
so imagine imagine you you drive down
the street and you see all these
paramedics and you see all these
ambulance you see fire trucks and you're
like what the heck happens and you pull
over and you go up and you see a guy who
just got rescued from a house and he's
sitting at the sitting on the ambulance
and the paramedics patted him on the
back saying did you get some good knits
no he's not he's treating him with
oxygen because it's bad it's bad you
inhale smoke any kind of smoke doesn't
matter whether it's clothes whether it's
cigarettes anything that's not oxygen
the normal you know what we're it's it
and if your body is instantly rejecting
it every time you you take a hit you
have to cough and you say oh it's good
because it's opening up my capillaries
in my lungs or whatever you you justify
it as no you're sick I'm sick right now
I brought backup virus with me from from
Nepal and
what I'm doing that to where I'm
practically gagging it reminds me of all
those all those marijuana songs that
I've heard or even dub Side of the Moon
you know whether you hear the he's
caught you know the the bubbles the
cough the bubbles the cops and the end
they think it's so cool but what your
body's doing is no different than when
you drink a bunch of alcohol and you
puke your body's rejecting it your
body's expelling it your body's saying
no no no no your eyes your blood
capillaries your everything you're
saying no no no and you're saying yes
because the person next to you say did
you get a good hit and you're like yeah
man and they say I'm so wasted you say
I'm so wasted and that's what you're
doing is you're it's becoming wasted and
so I just want to encourage people that
God empowers God enables I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens he
doesn't disabled he doesn't depress he
doesn't push down he doesn't you know I
mean he does that for his enemies he
knocks them down but I just want to
encourage you that you don't need that
and if there's any doubt whatsoever in
your mind the Bible does not say do this
remembrance of me he doesn't mandate you
that you do that and in fact just for
the weaker brother principle alone you
shouldn't be doing it even if you think
you have it under control but somebody
else doesn't it's not under control it's
controlling you and so you don't need it
you have everything you need through
Christ and I just want to encourage you
with that and I again I'm not trying to
villainize it I just I think that that
it is when I see somebody becoming what
I see every single time I'm watching TV
they always have to pour a glass of of
bourbon or whatever I I see that in the
same light I see it as why do you need
that and is it really helping you how's
that working out for you how's it
working out for you married
Spiritualized yeah so any questions from
the I'm curious about there's a bunch of
comments not really questions if anybody
has any questions I did not connect the
phone lines but if anybody wants to type
in there
a question here a rebuttal anything like
that I'll relay the message so you guys
let me know I did have a couple more
questions that I was curious about um
about the backlash so we talked about
the the backlash from yeah did you make
ends or the rosters or whatever in a
culture appropriation but obviously when
you look into that we find out that
every culture there was people who had
dreads whether it was there's pictures
and statues of the Romans with dreads
Native Americans which is my backgrounds
with with dreadlocks like the Vikings
with dread so like every culture had
dreads if you don't wanna hear and you
don't have combs you don't wash your
hair it's gonna dread you know when I
quit washing mine like the easiest
dreads that started were the ones in the
back while I laid my head on my pillow
those dreads by the way these are
dreadlocks not dirt locks I do wash my
hair there you go
so yeah I mean I've had dreads as well
um so I wanted to ask you about the
backlash so we talked about that
backlash what about the backlash from
the gospel community of trying to bring
this music in there I mean there's
people on every spectrum of belief
system when it comes to music when it
comes to what's acceptable I mean I did
gospel rap for years and we had the old
head saying you can't redeem it and
you're trying to be like the world to
win the world all kind of weird
theologies behind it but early on cuz
you've been in this for a while did you
was it a backlash from the church or the
gospel community like oh we don't want
that kind of music or whatever you know
surprisingly no that there there's a few
things that we received at first it was
a we were always a novelty and they they
initially just thought well reggae is
here here today and gone tomorrow
thankfully we picked a seanrid that has
just been really oh I lost you there
sorry about that okay are you there okay
about that see ya thankfully we picked a
genre that has been really consistent
and and it wasn't like dubstep or
third wave ska or you know different
things that are life here today and gone
tomorrow kind of a thing but beyond that
um so I guess people just thought it was
a novelty and that it would be gone and
and you know 29 years later we're still
doing it they realized okay maybe it's
not like that the church thinks it's
cool and fun yeah but if they have any
Caribbean roots whatsoever they are very
negative towards it especially if they
live in places like not all not all but
you know a lot of people from Guyana
that's where we received a lot of
persecution for having dreads or for
having an earring or yeah or you know
even a beard or whatever um Jamaica
anyplace where there's a piper
traditionalism and quite honestly I'm
not really called to reach those people
messing with Jesus Jesus wasn't he
didn't come for the hypocrites and I'm
not saying it because you think I'm yeah
well you know what I I'm just I was so
sick of either by the sixth or seventh
interview defending my hair I'm like I'm
like a dude if Jesus came into your
church you'd kick him out
if Samson came into your church okay
well I'm like I'm like you think that
this is wrong this t-shirt that I have
with dreads on it or there's these
dreads and in the end this this Rasta
cap that I'm wearing or whatever you
think that's wrong I'm like how about if
I wear camel skin inside out so you just
see the leather part first how about if
I start eating freaking locusts how
about if I body wrapping down my beard
and I have at the home and I never cut
my hair from my whole entire life
come in and see how they react John the
Baptist I've been to those churches
where they make the homeless people
leave hope the homeless guy comes and
Institute's on the back pew he smells
like urine you know he's maybe some
booze on him he's hit there to hear the
gospel looks crazy
they've bust him to other churches hey
there's another Church that may be
better fit for you in the biker ministry
I was a part of was a biker Church
accepted everything they brought the
homeless people to that church they they
they have a homeless ministry go see
them I think there's a very similar
reaction of what would happen if Jesus
or John the Baptist than any of those
guys came back let alone this what if
Jesus came back and he was black and he
goes into white suburbia Church it's
like oh I don't think he was black I
think he was Middle Eastern would see
that even worse now he was a man of
color you wouldn't tell him to go and
hide you know they wouldn't have hidden
hid well in Egypt if they weren't of
color because and you know you don't
hide in Africa if you're not African
yeah so yeah we definitely had our fair
share of persecution I was just thinking
of a lyric that I said the other day
persecution is a promise it's a
guarantee if they're not against us then
we should worry but don't spread it's
not a big thing because you never find
his servant treated better than his King
and that's that's what it's like so I
mean I don't want to be I don't want to
talk about being persecuted cuz I'm
white that's stupid that's just because
because there's so many people out there
that are that are that are being yeah
attacked or that are being looked upon
negatively just because of the color of
their skin and I want to stand with them
and champion for them when I can but
yeah I will say that that being a white
guy doing reggae for quite a while was
it was I just thought it was funny I
just thought it was God sense of humor
so God wants to redeem reggae and so he
takes a guy from you know this rich
suburban city and or you know in in
Southern California what the heck you
know my parents didn't have a musical
background there was no I mean I but he
uses the foolish things of the world I'm
a full to shame to confound the wise and
definitely you know when we our last
five albums hit number one on Billboard
and every although all the industry is
looking over going what the heck is
going on how these guys doing this and
they have Christ in their name and their
and I mean our latest album let me see
if I do have a cover I'm sure it's
around here somewhere but latest album
has Jesus on the cover being crucified
you know it's we're not we're not
messing around we're not mincing words
we're not doing this to please others
we're just doing it to please God
two more questions before we go man we
want to ask about power of dreads is it
just the cool look is it it's a symbol
it's a lot of different things but
there's a lot of study out there about
the spiritual power of hair in general
dreads dreads and hair almost being an
extension of your nervous system linked
to spiritual power we look at Samson we
look at Solomon that the long hair I've
heard stories of people who had long
hair and dreads shaving it and them
feeling like they lost eyes I think it's
more mythical I think it's more Rapunzel
more more of a okay here here's what I
believe I believe dreads are how do I
say this
okay when we only hang out with people
in Salvation Army believe it or not they
they don't do baptism they and and that
was a trip for me at first I was like
wait a minute you don't baptize no we
don't and and why and then and then as I
talk to him more they're like we want to
just make it as simple as possible just
the gospel and I'm like yeah but Jesus
said go and baptize and the name of the
fun this isn't that and then they they
look and they say you know what we see
our uniforms as a form of baptism so
essentially what we're doing is we're
walking around every day and we're
representing him outwardly through this
uniform and that is our public of
proclamation of of our inward conviction
and and the word baptism means to
identify essentially it you would take a
white white piece of wool you dip it in
red dye you'd pull it back up and it
would now be identified as red so I see
these dreads as as an identification
with Old Testament Scriptures and New
Testament Scriptures I see them as a way
of saying I'm setting myself apart and
really that's what the Nazarene that was
not let's get at this okay this is the
perfect way to end
absolute you ready to encapsulate to
solidify to galvanize what I've been
saying about wheat first of all I
absolutely love you if you're a weed
smoker Jesus loves you even more than I
do but there's a few things that you had
to do in order to become a Nazarite now
not a Nazarene Nazarene is someone from
Nazareth Nazarite is a value would take
in numbers chapter 6 verse 5 you will
find out more about it but okay so
essentially what they did was they did a
few things first of all no death they
couldn't be around any sort of any sort
of funeral home they couldn't be around
a casket they couldn't go to a funeral
number two no cutting of the dress no
cutting of your hair at all not even
trimming the beard anything number three
no why not even grapes okay so let me
break those three things down as to why
the why behind the Nazarite now the
first thing the debts essentially what
you're saying is I am no longer
concerning myself with the cares of the
world I am focused on the holy and so
things like death will not sway me death
where is your sting that's why no death
number two no dreads I mean no cutting
of your hair first of all this is like
these are like Alborosie locks or junior
Gong locks these are never been cut
before never been trimmed not even a
hair has been trimmed off which means
that their mustache is like an octopus
hanging over their face because unless
they're chewing it and if they're
chewing it they're still trimming it so
so we're talking the long beard we're
talking like you know freaking
Tutankhamun beard stuff we're talking
long dreads and it was dreadful on the
outward appearance and it would
immediately separate that person so who
was who was a perpetual Nazarite
perpetual means from birth we have
Samson until until his hair was cut we
have and who else was obviously John the
Baptist Solomon had seven seven locks
yes Samson had seven seven seven Lord
and I try
and say braids no way no way they were
if it wasn't had never been cut that
there unbreaking and all and bringing it
no no so and and and and that and the
whole concept of braids is to is to make
things look beautiful on the outward
appearance and and so that would that
would even go against the whole cutting
in the trimming so the goal it's it's
similar to like hey no vanity that's
that's that's essentially what that part
of the Nazarite vow is is is no vanity
it's not about how you look it's about
it's about and and this again was a
baptism this was a way of saying
identify I'm sitting myself apart now
Paul yeah actually took a Nazarite vow
for a minute and what they would do is
there were two types of Nazareth there
was there was a Nazarite vow which was
for a period like I'm a fast and then at
the end I'm going to eat I'm gonna grow
my hair and then at the end I'm gonna
cut it Paul did that in the book of Acts
and then and that was to become all
things to all men but the third part of
being of the Nazarite vow is no wine and
not even grapes not even not even
anything close that come that that is
the root of wine and the whole goal with
that is to not get high to not celebrate
to not party like the world does because
I'm gonna be grounded in Christ and that
again is the ironic thing you're gonna
grow their dreads but they're gonna get
happy doesn't make sense not a true
Nazarite there's a lot of questions that
come in into the Nazarite vow stuff I'm
not gonna I'm not gonna prolong them but
I want to ask you just this last
question yeah I'm talking about escapism
we're talking about getting raptured
with in the presence of God through His
Holy Spirit being set apart through that
with that mark that seal the power of
music that music is is a place of escape
as well we're like what happens when
we're worshiping God when we connect
through music like we looking up in the
Bible the power of music suck the
psalmist playing David playing the
stringed instruments before the Lord in
demons would leave people who were
oppressed like what what happens when we
play music before the Lord for you well
I don't need to tell you the of the
power of music just take a
take your favorite movie and mute it and
you'll realize that it has no impact
without that score under it it just it
just doesn't connect it transcends
cultures for we've been to now 75
countries it transcends languages it
transcends ethnicity is obviously age
we've had in Nepal we were seeing 75
year old ladies dancing dancing like
hindi dances to our music just praising
the Lord um it has the power to move
people not just physically but
emotionally and not just emotionally but
spiritually and which is one of the
reasons why it is so powerful such a
powerful tool by the enemy and an even
more powerful tool by our Lord we can't
forget two things we can't forget that
God created and invented everything I
mean there's no B there's no rhythm
there's no polyrhythm there's none of
those things that have ever been made by
the enemy he can't compete he's not a
creative being he's not a creative
spirit the offbeat is for the devil I
love my energy and anything this is dark
and I just love it just it makes me
happy like like up like a major key song
does for other people but yeah there is
there's no no scale no tempo that's dark
I mean some people would say like how
dare you use that satanic music for God
for God first of all Ricky started in
the church Bob Marley's early songs for
all worship songs you met Rick you know
I miss rich I mean every one of those
guys the Peter Tosh started in the
church they all did
Luciano his dad was an evangelist
Capleton as dad was a pastor yeah man
they all started the church um they
stray from the church but so seeing
can't create anything but he's using
music as much as he can because that was
his job in heaven he led him to God now
he's going to do his best to lead them
away does that mean all music is bad no
no no I think that what
to gauge that is the message the
messenger and their lifestyle check
those three things you wanna you wanna
you want to know whether you should buy
into somebody check those three things
obviously as musicians sometimes we can
have a way of dissecting and sand and
compartmentalizing and saying I'm gonna
focus on this Pantera bass line without
focusing on these Pantera lyrics some
people some other people can't have can
do that they you know that affects them
and and and so I want to be very very
respectful to those who say that I can
only listen to Christian music and I
want to be very respectful to a musician
who says hey I like to study of so on
and so forth but music does compel
people and and we use that in a positive
way or at least I believe according to
scripture has a positive way we saw it
with William Booth when he founded the
Salvation Army he that's amazing yeah
his trumpet and trombones and he would
have his marching band they were like
his war bands they were like going to
march down Jericho they were and and and
that was this his front line we started
playing bad music but they were just
making a joyful noise we saw it in the
Bible they always sent out the center
band first
it wasn't the guys were the best guns
the sharpshooters it was their band
first lap seven laps around Jericho it
was the horns okay so we we see God
using that we saw Billy Graham with
cliff burrows Burroughs who was his
musical director and George Beverly Shea
using songs like just as I am to bring
millions to Christ we see we see people
like evangelists Luis Palau or Greg
Laurie using music the music of whether
it's a Christian Leonora lecrae or a
Switchfoot to try and to try and bring
in a crowd so that he could ultimately
bring the gospel and what we do is we
don't compartmentalize we don't have a
band and then the evangelists I'm an
evangelist who happens to be in a band
so I use my platform not just to sing
but to also share my store
and to share the scripture at least John
3:16 and to give them an opportunity and
this is this is how I want to end I talk
about God I say this all the time from
stage we talk about God we talked to him
we sing to him we sing about but have
you met him do you know him and if you
can't call yourself a truth seeker
without well jesus said seek and you
shall find knock and it shall be opened
ask and it shall be answered if you
really want to seek I want to encourage
you to to pray this simple prayer just
to say Jesus are you real Jesus show
yourself to me if you believe he's real
he's gotta be your Lord he's got to be
your king if you want to enter into his
kingdom you can't get to heaven unless
you've been forgiven just say these
words say Jesus forgive me of my sins
cleanse me of my unrighteousness I turn
away from my sin the Bible uses the word
repent I turn away from my sin and I
turn to you thank you for dying for me
thank you for raising from the dead
raise me up give me eternal life heal me
make me new
I surrender everything to you in Jesus
name Amen
aim if you prayed that prayer do me a
favor would you uh post in the comments
below or would you hit up truth seeker
personally and say I've sought the truth
and I found it let us know we'd love to
pray for you and do me a favor also hit
me up
Christ afar i.com if you go to cry
Safaricom and you click on contact you
can contact us directly and let us know
we'd love to keep in touch with you also
one of your latest songs men don't lurk
I pull from it if you know not love then
you know not God for god is love if you
know not God then you know not love man
I really believe that and in every every
facet man I think that that's what
really what sets us apart that that love
and that grace for other people man I
enjoy your work man you're a legend
thank you for hanging out with me
brother it means the world
let's do it again sometime and I really
enjoyed it I this has probably been one
of my favorite interviews ever thank you
so much thank you for what we're doing I
think I really respect it and stay away
from gummy bears yeah never again no
unless you get it with the movie
theaters god bless you guys
peace peace bye there you go ladies and
gentlemen mark more of the Ben Christ
too far i JA Rastafari I gun Posse yet a
heathen back dip on the wall we don't
need no much trouble yeah good good
interview man Chris Chris bars my friend
you told me to ask him about the
marijuana stuff and I think you missed
it you have to go back and relisting to
this cuz you came in late but he went in
on marijuana for you and I'll say this
you know um I didn't want to debate him
you guys know I say this all the time I
don't want to debate people I want to
make enemies I just want to share I
don't want to confuse people either so
you know I have people with different
spiritual religious views or whatever
the case is on the show and they're all
saying different things that the thing
is that you want to be a truth seeker
you have to seek the truth for yourself
you have to find out you have to know
what you believe and why you believe it
and don't take anybody's word for it
don't take my word for it don't take
mark cross Christ afar eyes or word for
it you have to do the work for yourself
I didn't I wanted to in a sense he's
projecting right obviously his
experience with marijuana it's not
everybody's experience with marijuana
should that should he check you should
you evaluate your motives and are you
addicted I don't think we should be
addicted to anything just like he's how
am I being addicted to weed or alcohol
or whatever the case is we could be
addicted to fast food and there was a
time of my life where I was addicted to
fast food I used to drive a truck for a
living and I couldn't pass up a fast
food restaurant if it meant saving my
life so
you have to take that into consideration
one thing he did talk about pharmakeia
in in the scriptures obviously like you
talked about you know I'm saying
pharmakeia comes from the word pharmacy
that's where we get our word pharmacy
it's a Greek word and it's essentially
the witchcraft it's about the mixing
though there's that there's a difference
for me and I was I didn't want to debate
him and go into detail about what I
believe in and all that kind of just I'm
interviewing this guy and kind of give
my rebuttal at the end or whatever my
closing remarks but yeah I don't think
it's something natural out there that
you can you pick up and eat that uh or
consume that it's demonic or the devil
put here or you stay away from or
whatever pharmakeia is when you mix
stuff it's the farm pharmakeia is the
pharmaceutical industry they get you
hooked on opiates you know and all of
this this stuff man these pills and
stuff well versus going to nature
everything that we need is in nature
everything we need is something that we
can put in our mouths and consume if
anything about the you know there any
debate about marijuana being pharmakeia
some claim when you put the fire to it
you're changing the chemical and genetic
makeup of the marijuana when you burn it
and inhale it as a smoke therefore I
guess we get into eating it and a lot of
people eat brownies and stuff like that
you know to each his own I'm not gonna
defend it I don't smoke I don't you know
I used to and I have a good reason why I
quit and I've been open about that and
kind of shared a little bit about it
with him but uh you know that's his
ministry you know he's an evangelist he
travels the world telling people about
Jesus and he has to tell you to stay
away from that stuff and if he he puts
up with it I mean you know the Rasta
culture reggae music goes hand in hand
with smoking weed so he has to address
that but for each his own this I have
people who have beautiful stories and I
wanted to ask him about marijuana from a
regenerated heart so his experiences and
most of mine were from a place of being
a depressed teenager who was destruct
and all of that stuff and then you smoke
weed to escape and get away and stuff
like that and you did it at a bad part
of your time when you get born a bad
part in your life and when you get born
again like all things are new so you
want to throw everything away you want
to get rid of everything so the the weed
smoking and all that stuff you throw all
the out the window because that's the
old me that's how the old me got around
with life it got through life so you
look at that and you identify when you
think of weed
it's like PTSD a weed is bad let me tell
you what happened to me on weed and
that's the you know BC before Christ
before he got born again there's a lot
of people who were spiritually minded
people people who are awakened people
who are Christians even who smoke weed
or used THC or used cannabis or whatever
and they do it from a clean and from a
pure place and their experience is
totally opposite from his so that you
have to take that into consideration
that it could be projecting we have to
look in that am i projecting my bad
experiences with with weed or marijuana
on to the people because I have a
personal fear of it there you feel like
you you know it all but it's from a
place of experience and that's all you
have is your experience you he may have
not have done smoked marijuana I'll tell
you this when the first time I drunk a
sick a sip of alcohol years after being
born again
I was scared I thought that those same
demons that I used to entertained and
witchcraft and all that stuff my first
sip of alcohol I thought I was gonna get
possessed I literally in my mind because
the darkness that I came out of I wanted
nothing to do with it I didn't want to
give a hold to it and some of that comes
with things that make you inebriated and
it was wine I was at Passover and at
Jewish synagogues and messianic
congregations and they in the men would
have a glass of wine for communion unto
the Lord and I would drink grape juice
with the ladies you know what I'm saying
I don't want the
and if so you know eventually I was like
you know I was contemplating thinking
about it man what can I do it what if I
do it man I'm a I'm a become a drunkard
again if I take that first sip I'm
because that's what the Church teaches
you
they don't teach you moderation this is
when we're talking about whether it's
more this is for all things some other
things permissible the church doesn't
teach you moderation with you want to
call marijuana they but alcohol they
teach abstinence to stay away from it do
not drink
if you drink you'll be you'll get drunk
you'll become a drunkard so they don't
teach you moderation and proper you have
a glass of wine too whatever whatever
you know I'm saying they don't teach you
the wisdom and that they just say stay
away from it because ba ba ba ba ba it's
a fear base and I don't li think that's
improper big time I've seen people get a
let go of ministries and positions in
the church because they went to I knew a
youth pastor who went to a ten-year high
school reunion and somebody took a
picture of her with a glass of wine they
let her go at church they said now we
can't you you're a role model these kids
they look up to you you can't be having
a glass of wine
that's where they messed up man they
teach abstinence instead of moderation
so I mean there's a lot of stuff about
CBD marijuana in the Bible I mean
there's something in in the book of
Exodus chapter 30 it talks about making
this dis oil and it uses this word I
couldn't find it right off al Shana
googly but I um look it up
Exodus about this anointing oil and a
lot of people believed that it was a
form of CBD oil that they would anoint
the the priest with and Jesus would and
it would bring forth healing and it also
talks about the the healing tree at the
end of the rapture and revelation and
all that stuff talking about this tree
that its leaves will bring forth the
healing of the nation's
I'm not telling you that this is what it
is I'm not I'm but I'm saying I don't
know that this isn't what it isn't but I
will tell you this too that I know that
we're fearfully and wonderfully made in
in our brains we have cannabinoid
there's within our brains that are used
to process THC and things like that
is it PTSD does he think about the past
and he did you he was going off I was
throwing up everywhere I project how
vomited you know so therefore you would
see that there would be some PTSD there
it's like alcohol no no stay away from
it because I project how vomited I was a
bad guy I did this I did that there's
some projection there it's PTSD
essentially I remember getting in in a
wreck on the interstate some years ago
while my wife was driving we were riding
in a friend's vehicle that wreck it was
a storm and we started spinning and went
into the ditch and almost hit a tree I
gal doubt Jesus right before we almost
hit the tree in the car spun sideways in
the mud and we just came but up to the
tree sideways and the car stopped but
the next time we got in a car scared to
death it triggered me I was sugar daddy
I also get in car there okay we get in
the car to get on the interstate I'm
like it's bringing back those memories
of almost dying and it's sort of the
same thing with with my aunt and I'm
identifying that in myself if I look
back at my former weed habits and I was
an addict I loved it I would do anything
for weed I would still rob all kind of
stuff right you know so I think that
there's a lot of projection when it
comes to that but there could there is
wisdom in other people's stories and
he'd let you know look this is what you
don't do but as far as legalizing it
versus demonizing it so I really don't
know what the deal is with that so
anyway I want to just just to kind of
touch on that and those couple things
I'm not for it or against it but I think
that we have to know what we're wanting
to do so whatever we're for and we got
to know it don't let nobody be able to
talk you out of your beliefs just simply
talk you out of it if you're for it or
against it you know what I'm saying so
you got to you got to know what you
believe I think it's good to
your beliefs I think we should do that
all the time just to make sure in the
Bible talks about the examine yourself
to make sure that you're in the faith
examine yourself so with that being said
I enjoyed this episode really big-name
it's so funny cuz yesterday I was like
joking about bringing it back home with
Jesus and having a pastor on yesterday
but the pastor is someone who is into
more more spirituality but this one was
definitely more Christian fundamental
but like I said there's jewels and
there's things to take out of every
episode and so I hope you guys can get
something out of this apply it to your
life maybe it makes sense maybe God's
calling you to put down the wacky weed
the sticky iki maybe you have that that
inner feeling like he's talking about
like you know it's wrong within you some
people have it some people are okay with
it
everybody's different so if that's you
man if the God's calling you to put it
down then guess what you got one choice
you got one thing to do put it down if
you know that it's God willing you and
telling you to put it down do it
don't don't wait you're not gonna go any
further in your spiritual walk and your
spiritual life unless you do the last
thing God spoke to your heart to do I'll
say that with that I'm gonna say peace
and Shalom thank you guys for hanging
out with me and now we're gonna do this
again man thank you guys for the support
if you want to support my work head on
over to patreon comm backslash true
seeker it will allow me to continue
making more episodes even for a dollar a
month there's a bunch of cool perks that
you get with that peace and Shalom love
each and every one of you guys
that does it for this episode folks to
hear more episodes of the truth seeker
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you