[Gary Petty] During the latest rounds of political elections, a number of states voted to legalize marijuana. Of course this is a great concern for a lot of people—the legalization of a drug that has been proven to be very detrimental to people.

The real question is why are we a nation that needs so much to rely on drugs?

What is it that we're trying to escape from—whether it's marijuana or alcohol abuse or abuse of illegal drugs or even abuse of legal drugs that people get through prescriptions?

Why are we a nation that's trying to hide something that's happening inside of us?

Well, the reality is what we're trying to deal with, that emptiness, that ache, that angst, that anxiety is really an issue between us and God and us and other people. The reason we use drugs is to cover up the fact that inside every one of us is a deep seeded need for a personal relationship with our Creator.

The more we run from that, the more we try to hide from that, the more we try to find that answer in whatever it is, whether it's drugs or money or illicit sex. In the end we end up still empty, still searching.

God wants to heal your life. God wants to change who you are. God wants to fill that hole.

Turn to God. Pick up your Bible. Get on your knees and ask God to come into your life to help you understand and to lead you to where He wants you to go.

You will find you won't have a need any longer for those things. It's going to take some work. It's going to take a lot of work. It's going to be painful, but in the end you will be a child of God.

This is BT Daily. Join us again tomorrow.