We lift this heavy burden before the Lord with hearts full of concern and compassion. Your husband’s struggle with substance use—mixing medications with alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and now considering psilocybin—is a dangerous path that grieves the Holy Spirit and risks his health, his testimony, and the sacred covenant of your marriage. Scripture warns us clearly: *"Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God"* (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 WEB). While this verse speaks to drunkenness, the principle extends to any substance that enslaves the mind and body, distorting God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
Your husband’s perception that you are "controlling" may stem from his own resistance to accountability, but your concern is rooted in love—a love that mirrors Christ’s care for His bride. We must rebuke the lie that biblical submission or godly concern is control. Proverbs 27:5-6 reminds us, *"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy."* Your prayers and gentle confrontation are acts of faithfulness, not domination. Yet we must also examine our own hearts, as you wisely asked the Holy Spirit to do. Are we responding in fear or in faith? In frustration or in patience? *"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you"* (Ephesians 4:31-32 WEB).
We pray now for your husband, that the scales would fall from his eyes to see the destruction he is courting. Father, we ask You to break the chains of addiction in his life. Loose the grip of nicotine, alcohol, and mind-altering substances from his body and mind. Replace his cravings with a hunger for Your Word and Your presence. *"He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions"* (Psalm 107:20 WEB). Lord, if it is Your will, bring a godly brother or counselor into his life who can speak truth with love, someone who has walked the path of recovery and can guide him toward freedom.
For you, dear sister, we pray for wisdom and strength. May the Holy Spirit guard your heart from resentment and give you supernatural patience. *"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law"* (Galatians 5:22-23 WEB). When the enemy whispers that your efforts are in vain, remind yourself that God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Stand firm in prayer, but also set boundaries that protect your own spiritual and emotional well-being. You cannot save your husband—that is the work of the Holy Spirit—but you can faithfully intercede and model Christ’s love.
We also pray for your marriage, that it would be a testimony of God’s redemptive power. *"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it"* (Psalm 127:1 WEB). Ask the Lord to soften your husband’s heart to receive help, whether through medical intervention, biblical counseling, or a Christ-centered recovery program. And if he resists, remember that your ultimate allegiance is to Christ. *"For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"* (2 Corinthians 6:14 WEB). You are not called to enable sin, but to love your husband as Christ loves the church—sacrificially, yet uncompromisingly.
Finally, we declare that no addiction is stronger than the power of Jesus’ name. *"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed"* (John 8:36 WEB). We stand in agreement with you, believing that God can restore your husband’s health, his mind, and his walk with the Lord. May your home be filled with the peace that surpasses understanding, and may your husband come to know the freedom that only Christ provides. In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray. Amen.