Have you heard of Ozempic? This “miracle” weight-loss drug is all over social media. Television and radio ads are promoting it as the easy way to lose weight without changing your lifestyle.

Even people who once preached body positivity now have obvious “Ozempic face.” Sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks and aging skin are signs of damaging attempts to change their bodies.

“‘Ozempic body’ is the new ‘heroin chic’ in the world of celebrity—and the fact that it’s trickling down to the masses should concern everyone,” the New York Post wrote on December 3. “The thinness is alarming, and it could have catastrophic consequences for how younger generations view their bodies—and look after their health.”

Ozempic was not created as a weight-loss drug. It was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a Type 2 diabetes medication for altering blood sugar levels. But one side effect is appetite suppression, which can trigger rapid weight loss.

Ozempic’s other potential side effects include “nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain and constipation,” “low blood sugar,” “dehydration leading to kidney problems,” “severe stomach problems,” “serious allergic reactions,” “gallbladder problems,” “inflammation of your pancreas,” “changes in vision,” “possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.” That comes directly from the Ozempic.com homepage.

People have a choice: quick weight loss with Ozempic and face a host of side effects—or eat better and exercise more. Many are choosing the former, and paying $1,000 a month to Novo Nordisk A/S for the privilege.

Celebrities, Instagram influencers and everyday Americans are celebrating their slimmed-down physiques while ignoring the dangers of the drug.

The coronavirus vaccination era desensitized many Americans to perpetual cycles of booster shots. Now you can get a few more injections and experience “miracle” weight loss. What’s not to love?

Studies of the American obesity crisis show that 40 to 75 percent of the adult U.S. population is overweight or obese. While results vary depending on the studies’ definitions of obesity, one thing is certain: Our society has a serious problem with unhealthy weight.

President Donald Trump boasted during a December 2 cabinet meeting that his administration has lowered the price of Ozempic, Wegovy and other prescription “fat drugs for fat people.” He takes it for granted that making these pharmaceuticals more accessible to everyday Americans is an accomplishment.

It’s a tragedy!

As the president’s own Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has emphasized, the horrible health crisis suffered by the current generation of Americans is a result, and it has a cause. That cause is our indulgent and horrible health habits!

Kennedy and a few others are finally bringing at least some acknowledgement of the painful truth and some sanity regarding cause and effect to the federal government. But “make America healthy again” is still just a slogan if the president, the rest of the government and, much more importantly, the people continue to cause ill health, then mask the effects with pharmaceutical potions.

“[T]hou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness ….” That’s how Deuteronomy 32:15 describes the nations of Israel, which, in our generation, includes the Americans and the British, among others. This can apply literally, but the main meaning is that we are thickened and dulled in our thinking. Even when our pharmaceutical “solutions” are forced to tell us up front that we are paying $1,000 per month for another dose of what effectively might be a carcinogen, we won’t stop indulging in excessive and rich foods, leisure, relaxation, entertainment and lack of exercise.

We want the easy road. We want the quick fix. We want the miracle drug.

Battling obesity with drugs instead of the biblical principle of turning away from the cause of obesity is thick, childish reasoning.

Law & Liberty published an article last month titled “The Great Infantilization,” arguing that our nation is led by men and women “who are chronological adults yet think and behave like toddlers: profoundly unreasonable, proudly irrational, and occasionally hysterical. … [T]here are now far too many overgrown children, both male and female, in positions of political and cultural power. This immaturity is affecting and infecting nearly all of our political and cultural institutions ….”

This is right out of the pages of Bible prophecy: “And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable” (Isaiah 3:4-5).

God has taken away the wisdom, understanding and maturity from the adult population. Verse 12 continues, “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”

My father writes in No Freedom Without Law, “All the leaders are like little children in their reasoning. They rule like ‘babes.’ … Children are guided solely by emotions—unless they are guided by a wise adult. But here in Isaiah, the children rule, guided mainly by their emotions. And children are naturally lawless! Our leaders have never grown up emotionally!”

Hollywood’s worshipful fascination with Ozempic bodies and pointed ignoring of “Ozempic face” encapsulates a dangerous problem in our society. Chasing short-term benefits with no care for the future is childish reasoning with serious consequences.

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14:20).

The second time Paul wrote “children” in that sentence, he used a different Greek word that means “infant.” Be like an infant in malice and evil, but as the Bible margin says, you must be of a ripe age or perfect in understanding. The Greek Interlinear translates the verse: “Brothers, be not children in the minds, but in malice be like infants, and in mind, be mature.”

We must couple the infant-like innocence of evil with the mature understanding and wisdom of a wise adult.

A mature mind understands that you cannot engage in the causes of bodily harm (physical sin) without the effects of bodily harm. Nor can you engage in spiritual sin without the effects of spiritual sin. But so many of us think in this immature and dangerous way!

The Bible provides clear guidelines for healthy thinking and healthy physical living. Herbert W. Armstrong emphasized seven important laws of radiant health: Eat healthy food, and drink pure water; cleanliness; get enough sunshine and fresh air; exercise; get enough sleep and rest; ensure proper elimination; have a positive mental attitude. These laws require change—replacing bad behaviors like unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle with right behaviors like eating whole foods and exercising.

Dozens of Bible verses show that God is the only source of physical healing. But just like spiritual healing, physical healing requires repentance—a 180-degree change in behavior.

Make no mistake: There is no shortcut to health. You must work to build good habits into your routine. Good health requires building character and willpower. Knowing the laws is not enough. You must obey them, and that requires battling human nature.

God wants us to “prosper and be in health” (3 John 2). But drugs are not the route to vigorous, radiant health. America’s leaders should end this madness. Instead, the Trump administration has made these drugs more affordable and accessible.

The Ozempic cult is a symptom of our societal sickness. We are a nation of legal adults who reason like overgrown children.

Paul describes his own path to mature reasoning in 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Don’t be fooled by the quick-fix Ozempic mentality. Instead, rely on the sure Word of God to build vibrant physical and spiritual health.