Good Morning!

June 1st, already! Can you believe it? I’m starting to see little fawns out in the open. The deer usually give birth the last two weeks in May through the first two in June. They are so cute! I’m also seeing lots of little geese and other birds. Springtime is so wonderful!

I learned that a person I care a great deal about has been using drugs. It breaks my heart. Please pray for this person. I have seen way too many damaged lives to feel comfortable with ANY drug usage. Say what you want, no drug is safe. I don’t care what some people may say, even marijuana is addictive. Been there, done that. It’s addictive. Not just with me but a WHOLE bunch of people I know.

Let’s be honest. Can we say that even alcohol is a good thing? Yes, wine plays a role in the bible, but do you recall Jesus ever being intoxicated or promoting it? Yes, he was accused of being a drunkard, but did he ever drink to excess? Instead, we see plenty of warnings.

Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

I know I’m getting eye rolls from some of you on this. The language is pretty clear. Do not get drunk. Does it seem reasonable for the bible to allow drinking WITHOUT intoxication? Is that reasonable even apart from the bible?

Let’s look at it this way. Alcohol isn’t necessary for life itself. Water, yes; alcohol, no. Vegetables, yes; chocolate, no. Anything that is not necessary could easily be eliminated altogether, right? Then how about a little test? If you think that you have no problem with alcohol, give it up – entirely – for one whole year. No beer on a hot day. No wine with communion. No alcohol whatsoever for one whole year.

Is that something you will even consider? I’m dead serious about this, folks. Alcohol abuse is a far bigger problem that we realize. Alcohol has so permeated every nook and cranny of our culture that we don’t even realize the extent of it. Marijuana is fighting hard for that same “social” acceptance.

I can assure you I would have never accepted this challenge. Why? Because I was addicted. At no point in my life would I have considered it let alone attempted it – until my life was at stake.

I’m here to testify that life can be much more rewarding without alcohol that with it. Folks, if you can’t easily take me up on the one-year abstinence challenge, I suggest you look long and hard at the reasons why. Trust me on this. I have met a TON of people, men and women, who have never had a problem with booze who quickly find themselves in deep trouble once retirement rolls around. Or, when the kids leave home. Don’t think for a minute that anyone ever chooses to become an alcoholic ahead of time. Yes, drinking can be a lot of fun, but alcoholism is not. Not at all.

Even if you don’t become a chronic alcoholic, what about the warnings about drunkenness? Can alcohol easily become an idol for us? Does it interfere with our relationship with God?

Folks, please consider this challenge. For your own good and the good of your family. For your relationship with God.

Father, I thank you so much for delivering me from the bondage of alcohol. Let me be an instrument for you to warn people about the sin of alcohol and to proclaim the healing power of the gospel. Convict us, Lord, of our abuse, and encourage us to seek your face. Father, I ask that you shake these to people in my life. Do whatever it takes to wake them up to their sin and show them Jesus. Lead them to the Savior. Amen.

Copyright © 2018 Scott Powers