Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Sooner or later every person who has espoused the name of Christ will have to decide whether we will live according to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, or whether we’ll live by a hybrid between God’s will and humanistic philosophies and concepts.
The faith God is looking for in these last days is not the type that believes the Bible, only after scientific discoveries, and research confirms what God has been saying all along. That sort of belief is not faith that is based on scriptural utterances, but rather on science.
The faith God is looking for is that which will believe His word, and act upon His instructions, even before any science may come along to confirm, or deny the teachings of the Bible. When this brand of faith is cultivated and exercised, it renders the doers of the word impregnable to the assaults of devils, who are often engaged in making science to counteract that which is written in the Bible.
In other words, if God says it, we should believe it, and that should settle it for us permanently in our minds, so that when the stormy rain comes and the winds blow, we will not be swept off our feet, since our faith was founded on The Rock, even Jesus, who alone can keep our minds from drifting into the web of concepts and ideologies that often pit the human against the Divine.
As it pertains to the use of alcoholic beverages, the word of God is abundantly clear as to mind of God on this matter. It is not fit for human consumption, for it sets in motion a train of evils that do damage to its users. The habitual use of alcohol triggers a host of other latent tendencies and evil propensities which, if they are not addressed and overcome will cause havoc downstream.
When we take The God of heaven at His word, and when we study with a humble heart and teachable spirit His assessments, knowledge and instructions, then we would not have to depend on, or wait for science to confirm what He has stated. God always knows what He is doing, and He has never made a single mistake in His instructions to us on alcohol.
The following therefore is a detailed analysis of what effects the use of alcoholic beverages has on persons and with these revelations will come warnings, and encouragements for us to choose wisely, and to live soberly and righteously in this generation. Let’s read:
Proverbs 23:20 Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh.
[1] We must avoid associating with individuals who are consuming alcohol because in some cases they would exert a gravitational pull on us, especially if we are already prone to such indulgences. We are all social beings and thus, the naturally tendency for one who is drinking is to offer his or her friend a drink.
Proverbs 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
[2] One who indulges freely in the use of alcohol runs the risk of eventually losing all material blessings by becoming addicted to it. Satan only needs one weak link in order to destroy the entire man, and if wrong habits are not overcome they will cause increasing bleeding of funds and resources until one is brought to poverty.
Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
[3] Unnecessary troubles, sadness, and depressions are just a few of the adverse results of drinking, and these often lead to financial ruin, through the need to spend on rehabilitation and treatment, because alcohol is a gateway to a thousand more evils. It’s a solemn statement of fact that there are some doors which should never be opened because it can be quite difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.
Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
[4] The true effects of alcohol are not immediately, felt, and because of this it is delusionary in nature, being sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly just as it was when Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. Those adverse effects upon the human race we read about which came after man sinned were not immediately felt.
As a general rule of thumb, sin in many cases, needs a gestation period of sorts, or an elapsed period of time from when the first commission of the sin took place, to the time when the full, adverse effects will be realized.
Hence the reason why after one’s first indulgence, and the adverse consequences may not kick in right away, persons are drawn further, and further into the net until the bad habit locks them in an iron grip from which it becomes very difficult to escape. Let’s read:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Proverbs 23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
[5] The use of alcohol opens the gates to adultery and pornography, and it also leads to cursing and the use of inappropriate language on several fronts. There’s a valid reason why it is referred to as spirits.
Very closely associated with flirting and impromptu adultery is the use of spiritous liquors, for it clouds one’s better judgment and inhibits to a great extent our ability to differentiate between right and wrong, as can be observed at bars, carnivals, clubs and such venues at which alcohol is freely indulged.
Proverbs 23:34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not.
[6] Drinking alcohol adveresly affects the brain and one’s nervous system, and the body itself reaps the fruit thereof in a host of unfortunate side effects ranging from dizzy spells to lethargy, to the lack of morale, and the feeling that other people are trying to harm you.
Proverbs 23: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
[7] Worst of all God says that alcohol is addictive in nature, and causes those who use it to eventually become hooked for life if the habit is not overcome.
After Adam and Eve first ate of the forbidden tree, they had erroneously thought that that would be the last time, but since then, the human family has become hooked, and we continue to eat of the tree of good and evil, even in our day, almost 6000 years later.
The problem is that scientific research done by one of the prominent Ivy league universities suggests to us that God was incorrect in His instructions to us on the issue of drunkenness, and in His assessments of the use of alcohol.
Researchers from Harvard had studied the effects of drinking several glasses of red wine per week, and believe it or not, they found it beneficial because of resveratrol, and therefore, according to finite man, The God of heaven had apparently made a mistake. Let’s read:
From Harvard Men’s Health Watch June 17, 2020
Researchers in Seattle collected information about many factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer in men between ages 40 and 64, including alcohol consumption.
At first the results for alcohol consumption seemed similar to the findings of many earlier studies. There was no relationship between overall consumption and risk. But the scientists went one step further by evaluating each type of alcoholic beverage independently.
Here the news was surprising—wine drinking was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%.
But as every member of the human family will soon discover, all the instructions, laws, and restrictions God has given to us as it pertains to food and drink, have always been given with our best good in mind. One day, after all of those conspiracy theories have been laid bare, after all of the fake news, parading under the veneer of science has been exposed, it’ll be seen by all, that God was, and is, always right.
By Amy Woodyatt, CNN, Updated 4:54 AM ET, Thursday May 20, 2021
There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study.
In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans.
The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain's gray matter, regions in the brain that make up "important bits where information is processed," according to lead the author Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at Oxford.
"The more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter," Topiwala said via email. "Brain volume reduces with age and more severely with dementia. Smaller brain volume also predicts worse performance on memory testing," she explained.
They found that there was no "safe" level of drinking -- meaning that consuming any amount of alcohol was worse than not drinking it. "So many people drink 'moderately,' and think this is either harmless or even protective," Topiwala told CNN via email.
Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, accounting for nearly one in 10 deaths, according to a study published in The Lancet in 2018.
"We also shouldn't forget alcohol affects all parts of the body and there are multiple health risks," said Boniface, who was not associated with the Oxford study.
"Previous research has found that subtle changes which demonstrate damage to the brain can present in ways that aren’t immediately detectable in routine testing of intellectual function and can progress unchecked until they present with more noticeable changes in memory," he said.
"Even at levels of low-risk drinking," he said, "there is evidence that alcohol consumption plays a larger role in damage to the brain than previously thought. The (Oxford) study found that this role was greater than many other modifiable risk factors, such as smoking."
It’s good that science has at least begun to concede that The God of heaven was right all along but there is only one problem remaining: Should we wait for Oxford or Harvard to confirm God’s word before we believe, and if so, would we be following God or the so-called experts?
The following therefore is the scriptural way to kick the habit of drinking alcohol permanently. Persons need to remember, that in all things, there are two ways to accomplish that which needs to be done. There is a God-version of victory and there’s a man- version of victory.
We can include the God factor, and thus make the victory permanent, or we can choose to go with the secular version of victory, and be faced with the real possibility of playing whackamole for life.
[1] We will need to take full responsibility for our actions. Blaming other folks, circumstances, or peer pressure will do us no good, for unless we confront the man in the mirror, we will become the sport of circumstances. No one can force us to drink alcohol. We will have to buy the liquor, or the Bud and then use our own hands to put it to our mouths.
[The Desire Of Ages pp 125] While Satan can solicit, he cannot compel to sin. He said to Jesus, “Cast Thyself down,” knowing that he could not cast Him down; for God would interpose to deliver Him. Nor could Satan force Jesus to cast Himself down. Unless Christ should consent to temptation, He could not be overcome. Not all the power of earth or hell could force Him in the slightest degree to depart from the will of His Father.
The tempter can never compel us to do evil. He cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his control. The will must consent, faith must let go its hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power upon us. But every sinful desire we cherish affords him a foothold. Every point in which we fail of meeting the divine standard is an open door by which he can enter to tempt and destroy us.
Confession of sin includes taking full responsibility for our actions, and whenever this is done, God can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But if we offer up excuses, valid or invalid, we take the ball out of our own court and make others or circumstance the reason for our failures. Let’s read:
1st John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1st John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
[2] An integral aspect of overcoming is self-denial by which persons will be pitted against their ownselves as latent tendencies, and dormant propensities may strive for the mastery. Neither is there any easy way to overcome. It takes time to indulge and it will take time and well-directed effort to reverse many years of such indulgence. Let’s read:
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
1st Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
[3] Another important aspect of overcoming alcohol is that we need power from God to live victoriously from day to day. But like with everything else, the world offers up a type of victory that excludes the God factor from the efforts made, and some folks, having adopted such a strategy have sometimes kicked the habit.
But whilst any victory is good, the one that Christ approves, and the one that will endure for eternity is the one that includes the God-factor with persons cooperating with God continually being replenished with Holy Ghost power on a daily basis.
God grants to all who desire to overcome the power to resist the urge to drink. This does not mean that the temptations would not present themselves from time to time, but with the urge will come the power from Christ to resist. Every heaven-born victory will involve a fight, for there is no easy way to win the battles of life. Let’s read:
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Deuteronomy 33:25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
[4] Cooperation with God is a must, for as with any God-centered victory, there will be things for us to do, and there will be places for us to void. We must never needlessly place ourselves in the way of the temptation and then expect God to deliver. This is presumption and effectively negates the working of The Holy Spirit.
Venues which serve up alcohol, and all such places where drinkers do congregate to indulge should be strictly avoided, because the gravitational pull will pose a greater risk, than if we had avoided such a place. Clubs, bars, and every place where alcohol is consumed regularly, have a convergence of devils present, always.
There are specific reasons for their presence where spiritous liquors are being consumed for they aren’t there merely to ensure folks have a good time; they are present to tempt persons to commit grave sins, after a person’s ability to reason rationally has been
compromised by alcohol. Let’s read:
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Mark 6:21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he swore unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
[5] Continual prayer is a must for by doing so we are connected to the source of power in Christ. There is no such thing as bad habits that can’t be overcome, for the scriptures teach us that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Thus, persons are to exercise faith in God, that He is well able to accomplish that which He has promised if the necessary cooperation on our part is put into place. The power to cooperate with God also comes from God, but it is triggered through the prayer of faith, by which we show our total dependence on Him. Let’s read:
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Let us therefore zip up our boots, and shake off the blues and let us rather take hold of the arm of God’s omnipotence, for there is nothing impossible with God. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us to check in with the only source of life and power daily, for it is by so doing that folks will be enabled to overcome alchol, and every other sin, permanently Let’s read:
Zechariah 4: 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
God Bless!