DRUNKENNESS: PART 1 - A SPIRITUAL BATTLE -- Devotional for May 12, from "Good Seeds"

(NOTE TO READER: This entry has undergone a significant revision from its earlier form, as of 7:00 am, May 14)

Do not be drunk with wine, for that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you (Ephesians 5:18)

In this day of runaway alcoholism, it’s too bad the Bible doesn’t say anything about it! Or does it? Well, the word representing the cause of the problem, alcohol – the active ingredient in the beverages – was not used in Bible days, but the word for its dastardly effects was in wide circulation: drunkenness. And it was a well-known fact that those who became overly fond of drinks laced with this poisonous ingredient soon became enslaved to it. The Greek word translated drunk is the same word later translated filled or controlled. So the problem doesn’t seem to be related to the verbs (drunk, fill, control), but to the nouns (wine, Holy Spirit). This verse is saying that it is God’s will and plan that we be totally taken over and completely controlled by Him. This is how man’s highest good and God’s greatest glory is achieved. But the verse also says that it is a desecration and ruination of the home God made for the habitation of our soul (our body) to allow it to come under the influence of any substance, activity, or person, relinquishing supreme command and total control. Knowing these things will help us better understand and help our alcoholic friends. Not claiming any particular expertise in alcoholism counseling, I nevertheless recently sat face to face with a man who fairly cried out to me for help. What could I tell him? FIRST, anyone in the clutches of an addiction must acknowledge the power of this dragon and the depth of his lair. SECOND, he must realize he cannot cure himself. That would be like thinking a drowning man could rescue himself. Impossible! THIRD, he must know that the greatest self-deception is to think he can face and fight Satan alone. Such a man will lose every time. Though the devil is the epitome of evil, he is still an angel, and as such is far superior in strength and knowledge than any man. But, though he towers over sinful man, he cowers before a holy God, and any man who is totally sold out to Him. So, when the devil knocks at your door, don’t go – send Jesus. “One little word” wrote Martin Luther, “shall fell him!” But this must be a word from God, not man. The battle against the bottle is a spiritual battle. The only hope for victory resides not in personal endeavor (promises to yourself), nor public support (promises from others), but in the armaments of heaven (the promises of God). Reaching INSIDE for help will be of no help; reaching OUT for help might provide some, temporary assistance; but it is only when a man reaches UP, crying out to God, that he will find the only genuine cure for the terrible scourge.