(1) WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THOSE WHO DRINK ALCOHOL?
There are countless verses that show us God's displeasure in those who choose to use alcoholic substances and the negative effect alcohol will have in your life. Here are just a few verses:
1 Corinthians 6:10 lists drunkards among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, NOR DRUNKARDS, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:21 "Envyings, murders, DRUNKENNESS, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that THEY WHICH DO SUCH THINGS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD."
Proverbs 23:19-21, "Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty."
And even though society tells you that drinking is fun, that people who drink are social and attractive, and that a little wine is good for your health, the Bible tells us something very different:
Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Isaiah 5:11, 22 "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. "
Hosea 4:11 "Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart."
HOW DOES GOD WANT US TO LIVE? Titus 2:11-12 tells us, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
God does not want us to even spend time with people who are drunkards. 1 Corinthians 5:11, 13 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one, no, not to eat... therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Who do you think has your best interest at heart, the big corporations who make millions off of you by getting you to drink as much as possible? Your drug selling friend who is buying fancy cars and expensive clothes off of every ounce of marijuana that you are dumb enough to buy? Or God in heaven who created you and who warned you against alcohol and told you to live soberly and righteously?
(2) WHY SATAN LOVES IT WHEN YOU DRINK AND GET HIGH
Maybe you never thought of this, but you should know that drug use opens you up to spiritual attack. Some Indians used to use peyote and other "natural" substances to get high so that they could speak to their spiritual guides. I can tell you right now that those "guides" weren't angels of God; they were Satan's devils. Satan will use drugs and alcohol to get a stronghold in your life. He loves it when you drink and get high. Satan wants you to be off guard and hallucinating. There are specific demonic spirits associated with liquor and marijuana and cocaine and heroin, and opium, etc., and every time you use these substances, you could unknowingly be opening the doorway for these demonic spirits to come into your life.
Ephesians 6:12 warns us of such things: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Satan loves it when you drink alcohol and use drugs because you are then in no shape to fight against his attacks. You are leaving yourself wide open to demonic possession.
And satan loves it when you drink alcohol and use drugs because he knows that with your inhibitions lowered and your judgment gone, you will sin and get into things that you would have avoided had you not been intoxicated. How many people have been killed because of drunk drivers? How many babies have been aborted because two drunken strangers had sex that they later regretted? How many men and women have committed crimes against their neighbors and friends because they had to get some money for a quick fix?
God's Word warns against these things. Romans 13:12-14, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying: but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
Proverbs 23:31-32 "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."
Isaiah 28:7, "But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment."
Does satan love the way you drink and get high? Are you living sober? Are you on guard? Remember Ephesians 6:11 instructs you to "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." So if you are struggling with sin in different areas of your life, ask yourself, "Am I leaving the door wide open for satan by the things I involve myself with?" And ask yourself, "Do I treat my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit or more like a temple of devils?"
Maybe you need to change your ways and follow the advice found here: 1 Peter 4:7, "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."
(3) JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS NATURAL, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS GOOD
In my Bible study lessons with different youths at the juvenile facility, eventually someone always brings up a certain verse to try to say that getting high by smoking weed is okay because "the Bible says that God made herb and that it is good." I have even had a couple of teens specifically show me a verse in Genesis to try to justify their getting high. The verse is Genesis 1:11-12, which reads, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
First of all, the "herb" or "grass" that this verse makes reference to is talking about the plants which are foodfor man and cattle and other beasts. (Refer to Genesis 1:29-30, Exodus 12:8, Deuteronomy 11:15, 1 Kings 18:5, Proverbs 15:17, Romans 14:2).
Secondly, just because God made something, that does not mean that He wants you to use that thing in a way that would harm yourself or others. God made many mushrooms that spring forth out of the ground and are poisonous. Do you think God wants you to eat these poisonous mushrooms? Are they good for you since God made them? Of course not. God also made the materials needed to fashion a gun, and God gave man the ability to use his brain to create different weapons. Does God want His created beings to use their God-given abilities to create weapons of destruction and ultimately kill one another? Of course not.
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, there was a tree there that God had created. It was the tree that bore the fruit that would reveal knowledge about good and evil. It was a tree pleasant to the eye. It was also a tree that God told Adam and Eve to stay away from. God created this tree, but He did not want His children to have anything to do with it.
But satan came along and whispered in Eve's ear and told her that the fruit from this tree would make her wise and that eating from the tree would not harm her. Foolishly, instead of listening to God's instructions, Eve listened to the devil. We all know what happened next.
How many of you foolishly believe the devil's lie that smoking weed will give you knowledge, for example, make you more creative? How many of you are deceiving yourselves by saying, "but it is natural"? The forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden was "natural," too. How many of you are trying to prove something to your so-called friends and fit in with them instead of heeding God's warning to stay away from those substances that alter your behavior and damage your mind? Don't be surprised when you find that the price you have to pay for a quick high is more than you bargained for.
(4) ALCOHOL AND DRUGS DISQUALIFY YOU FROM BEING USED BY GOD
Don't you want to be used by God? How can God use you as a witness to others if you have no self-control, are setting a bad example to others, and are behaving just like the world by drinking and getting high? God's Word tells us that for us to be used by God, we must be sober and avoid intoxicating substances.
Titus 1:7-8, "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine...But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just holy temperate.
Titus 2:2-6, "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children... Young men likewise exhort to be soberminded.
This is what God's Word tells us about a great man of God, John the Baptist: Luke 1:15-16, "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.'
And this is what another great man of God, Daniel, did when given the opportunity to drink wine: Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himselfwith the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank."
These men were used by God in a mighty way. God was able to use them because they did not defile their bodies or minds with alcohol or drugs. Do you think anyone would have listened to John the Baptist or Daniel or the disciples if they would have been hanging out at the bar during happy hour and getting drunk?
And if you are a Christian man or woman who is thinking, "But I'm not a bishop or deacon or someone chosen like John the Baptist. I am not under those same conditions. I'm just trying to enjoy a little wine with my meal," I want you to think on this: If you are truly saved and have been adopted into God's family, you are now called kings, priests, and saints. Revelation 1:5-6 says "Jesus Christ ... washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us KINGS and PRIESTSunto God and his Father." And Revelation 5:10 also says that Jesus hast made us unto our God kings and priests. So you see, men and women, we have been adopted into God's royal family. "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9). And the Bible says this of its kings and royalty: Proverbs 31:4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted." So, friends, stop living like the world, and start living like God's holy royal people!
In conclusion, this corrupt world that we live in will tell you that to have fun and to be social and to look cool, you have to drink or get high. And then later if you become an alcoholic or a crackhead, this twisted world says, "Well, that is okay. You just have a "disease." But God's Word tells you that your body is a holy temple, and that you are not to defile yourself with these substances. And if you insist on rebelling against God and indulging in alcohol and drugs, God's Word calls you a drunkard and a fool. It is that simple.
You need to choose this day whom you will serve. You can serve God and ask Him to clean up your life, or you can continue serving your own fleshly lusts and drinking and getting high. And if you choose to serve God, you need to follow God's command as found in this verse: Ephesians 5:8, 11 "For ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light; and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." So stop being entertained by wickedness and stop taking part in it. Stop calling evil good and good evil, and prepare for the battle that is at hand.
Jesus has showed us clearly that sin is conceived/committed first in the mind. If we lust after wine then we already commit the sin of drunkeness in our hearts.
If wine is something u lust after, then u should probably stay away from it before it becomes your master - for no one can serve two masters.
But God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is faithful to us, the law of His Spirit will judge our thoughts and intentions and guide us in the way that we should go.
so Donna according to you its ok to drink a little:buddies: is it ok to gamble a little too??? what about cocain? is that alright if you dont do too much, cause God did make the coca plant? smoking pot? what you say is an example of peolpe twisting the word to say what you want it to say, if the bible says wine is ok it was the translation of gapes or anything from the vine, partaking in something that causes so much distruction is a lie straight from hell, you best believe that
well being alcohol is not the one who hurts anyone it is addiction, it is idolizing something other than God. Pride is a very destructive thing. It is like saying get rid of guns they kill people, no they don't evil people kill people.
as far as drugs go they kill organs, the kill brain cells, your body is the temple of God and we should not knowingly kill the body.
Gambling is just wasting what God gave you. He called us to be good stewards with our money.
@ Donna, have you ever heard og cirosas?? come on you are a nurse arent you? so it does cause damage to your body and it also kills brain cells, and people can do cocain without becoming addicted to it, I am living proof of that , I have done it and I could (when I was unsaved) always take it or leave it in fact I have taken it from people and flushed it because they were getting on my nerves peeking out windows, so I was never addicted, but it has the potential to addict as does drinking, how does one know if they will become addicted? it isnt something that happens suddenly, you drink one occasionaly and 1 a month turns into 1 a week and so on until your addicted, and so just because you havent become addicted to it doesnt mean you wont, and it doesnt mean its ok anything with that kind of potential to destroy is satanic, and in case you didnt know mind or mood altering sunstances are witch craft and sorcery ,and they open up your mind to deminic activity any thing that alters your mood is satanic!
I will have to agree to diagree with you God says no where in scripture it is wrong to have a glass of wine with dinner, or having a beer with my pizza. The problem is addiciction, pride, idololitry. When people put anything before God it is wrong.
.. Ok Donna I do understand where you are coming from "why should you have to suffer and not be able to drink be cause jane doe over here cant control her drinking" I get that, but admit it when you drink that first or maybe second glass of wine, you start to feel more relaxed you may get a warm feeling, and you talk more and arent as shy.. that is mood altering and it is witch craft, I undwerstand you can sontrol it, but say you start talking to som e cute guy, well the conversation sraws out you have a couple more drinks because you like him he is sute and he bought it for you, next thing you know your drunk and then you wake up in his bed the next day, I am not saying this has or will haooen to you, I am saying it gives satan a way in, he is subtle and sometimes we dont see him coming, he waits till our gaurd is down and we are week to attack, when we are living strong for the lord and doing his work and in our prayer time and so on satan will atttack one way, with maybe doubt, or maybe he will whisper something in your ear about someone and you think wow she is getting onmy nerves with ... but when we are not paying attention, and our mind is not on the things of God, thats when he comes with the temptations of the flesh. This is why I know to abstain because satan is watchingf us my dear sister, he wants you for himself, and ok say what you believe is true and you can never break your covenant with God and you cant lose your salvation, then instead of satan having you back, you are just bringing reproach, because when we fall into sin it makes Jesus look bad to people in the world, thats why I have heard 1000 times if I have heard it once if thats christianity I dont want no part of it, or some will say they live like the devil saturday night and in church sunday, I am not saying that is you, but even little things turn people from Jesus and we must live holy and seperate from this evil world, and drinking is just something the world does and I dont do, I am not saying if you drink your not saved by any means its not for me to say, but I am saying when I got saved I began to hate drinking all together, I was not a drunk ny any means all though I was addicted to pain pills, drinking was never really something I couldnt take or leave, but it is so destructive, and some dont get addicted but some do there is no way to tell who will and who wont, so its best not to touch it, and doesnt it say in the bible that the preists arent suposed to drink at all? I dont know I cant retain as much as some people as i have said I am not that smart I have 143 IQ but I am as dence as they come, I have something called dysgraphia that is like dislexia it inhibits my ability to wright and spell. I retain somethings really well but otheres I dont so much, I dont know why I am one of those with genuis syndrom, so smart I am stupid
