blazingthru
Well-Known Member
There are some Christians who make allowance for alcohol consumption by saying that drinking isn’t a sin, getting drunk is. The argument that it’s OK to drink as long as you don’t get drunk presents both logical and biblical problems. The logical problem is that drinking distorts judgment. The last person qualified to judge drunkenness is the drinker—that’s why they have breathalyzer tests! The practice of drinking without getting drunk is like trying to see how close you can drive to the edge of a cliff without going over.
Biblically, we are to pray that the Lord will “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4 & 22:40). When judgment is distorted, we expose ourselves to unnecessary temptation. Approximately 60% of people convicted of homicide were drinking at the time of the crime. Over 2/3 of domestic abuse and about 50% of sexual assaults involve drinking by the victim, the offender, or both. Approximately 60% of college women that have contracted STDs, including AIDS, had intercourse when drinking; many with people that they would not have slept with when sober.
We are to avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). Drinking until you feel that you are approaching that imperceptible border of drunkenness is not avoiding the appearance of evil. We are to avoid being a source of stumbling to others (Romans 14:13). Many lives are negatively affected by alcohol and indulgence in it by the strong encourages the weak to partake of something that will wreck their lives. Compare some more of the effects of alcohol with statements from the Word of God whenever you consider drinking and I believe you will reconsider.
Alcohol interferes with neurotransmitters in the brain, causing loss of coordination, delayed reaction time, and negatively affecting your ability to get a good night sleep. “Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine” (Proverbs 23:29-30).
In the year 2000, alcohol consumption was the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.Alcohol is also a factor in 50-65% of suicides among youth. Ecclesiastes 7:17 says that you can actually die before your time and many are doing so from alcohol consumption.
Solomonwrote that, “It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink,” because it would cause them to “forget the law and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted” (Proverbs 31:4-5). Did you know that making us kings and priests was part of Christ’s purpose for going to Calvary (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6 & 5:10)? And as for priests, Leviticus 10:8-10 commands that we should avoid alcohol so that we can distinguish between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. Failure to make such distinctions in the priestly service could have swift and severe consequences (Lev. 10:1-2).
So what if you’ve already been ensnared by the most abused drug in America? First of all, don’t be ashamed. It’s not a strange thing to become possessed by alcohol. Why do you think they refer to alcoholic drinks as spirits? However, don’t minimize the problem. Addictions bring you under the power of unclean spirits. Demon possession is only conquered through the power of Christ.
However, you must do more than seek to have Christ cast out your demons—you must allow Him to replace the void that they leave behind. You must go beyond demonic dispossession to divine displacement. Deliverance may be obtained in a moment, but must be maintained through a life of diligence. Begin with a prayerful reading of Matthew 12:43-45; Romans 13:11-14 & Ephesians 5:18. Then ask God to fill you with His Spirit and with positive activities that don’t allow you the time, energy, opportunity, or imagination for addiction to make its way back in. Don’t just clean up your temple, make sure it’s too full of the Holy Spirit for any other spirits to squeeze their way back in.
~Pastor Carl McRoy writes from Atlanta, GA and is the author of two books, Yell at God and Live! and R U TUFF ENUFF?
Biblically, we are to pray that the Lord will “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4 & 22:40). When judgment is distorted, we expose ourselves to unnecessary temptation. Approximately 60% of people convicted of homicide were drinking at the time of the crime. Over 2/3 of domestic abuse and about 50% of sexual assaults involve drinking by the victim, the offender, or both. Approximately 60% of college women that have contracted STDs, including AIDS, had intercourse when drinking; many with people that they would not have slept with when sober.
We are to avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). Drinking until you feel that you are approaching that imperceptible border of drunkenness is not avoiding the appearance of evil. We are to avoid being a source of stumbling to others (Romans 14:13). Many lives are negatively affected by alcohol and indulgence in it by the strong encourages the weak to partake of something that will wreck their lives. Compare some more of the effects of alcohol with statements from the Word of God whenever you consider drinking and I believe you will reconsider.
Alcohol interferes with neurotransmitters in the brain, causing loss of coordination, delayed reaction time, and negatively affecting your ability to get a good night sleep. “Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine” (Proverbs 23:29-30).
In the year 2000, alcohol consumption was the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.Alcohol is also a factor in 50-65% of suicides among youth. Ecclesiastes 7:17 says that you can actually die before your time and many are doing so from alcohol consumption.
Solomonwrote that, “It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink,” because it would cause them to “forget the law and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted” (Proverbs 31:4-5). Did you know that making us kings and priests was part of Christ’s purpose for going to Calvary (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6 & 5:10)? And as for priests, Leviticus 10:8-10 commands that we should avoid alcohol so that we can distinguish between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. Failure to make such distinctions in the priestly service could have swift and severe consequences (Lev. 10:1-2).
So what if you’ve already been ensnared by the most abused drug in America? First of all, don’t be ashamed. It’s not a strange thing to become possessed by alcohol. Why do you think they refer to alcoholic drinks as spirits? However, don’t minimize the problem. Addictions bring you under the power of unclean spirits. Demon possession is only conquered through the power of Christ.
However, you must do more than seek to have Christ cast out your demons—you must allow Him to replace the void that they leave behind. You must go beyond demonic dispossession to divine displacement. Deliverance may be obtained in a moment, but must be maintained through a life of diligence. Begin with a prayerful reading of Matthew 12:43-45; Romans 13:11-14 & Ephesians 5:18. Then ask God to fill you with His Spirit and with positive activities that don’t allow you the time, energy, opportunity, or imagination for addiction to make its way back in. Don’t just clean up your temple, make sure it’s too full of the Holy Spirit for any other spirits to squeeze their way back in.
~Pastor Carl McRoy writes from Atlanta, GA and is the author of two books, Yell at God and Live! and R U TUFF ENUFF?
