Should Christians Drink?

Is it a sin to drink alcohol? There is a controversy on this subject. Some denominations have outlawed drinking altogether. Others use it in their communion rituals. Most believe, though, that Christians should not drink.

The writer of Ephesians 5:18 advises his readers not to be drunk with wine and the Nazarites, those who set themselves apart for the service of God, such as Samson, were not to touch strong drink (Judges 13:7).

The issue is whether your purpose in drinking is to get drunk. If you purpose to drink to excess, then other problems are occurring in your life. There is a reason for your excessive drinking, and it has nothing to do with the bottle.

A glass of wine a day will help your heart. Antioxidants in wine have healing properties, if you drink it in moderation.

If, however, you are drinking to excess, you could have liver damage. Especially if you do it day after day, month after month, year after year.

In my experience, people who drink excessively do so because they are trying to forget or avoid feeling something. It would have to be bad because no one drinks to forget something good. These people are covering up some hidden drama that they have hidden deep in their hearts that has wounded them deeply.

It all comes down to addiction. If you are prone to becoming addicted to things, such as prescription drugs or cigarettes, then alcohol is off-limits. If you intend to only have one glass of wine at the end of the night, but it turns into three or four, you are addicted.

What do you do when you are addicted to something? You hide it. You do your work and tasks quickly to get back to your addiction. You look forward to being alone with it.

Addictions aren't just alcohol-related. They can be smoking, drugs, soap operas, even worry. They are things that you can't stop doing no matter how hard you try. And the more you want to stop, the more enticing the activity becomes.

Addictions are like the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).

You know you shouldn't eat the fruit, but the devil, or whatever person he is using, tells you, "Look, how shiny it is. Smell it. Doesn't it smell good? And if you think it's good to look at and smell, imagine how good it would be to sink your teeth into! Don't worry, it isn't going to hurt you...and no one will know...it will be our little secret." By that time, you are sold on this lies.

He has sold you a rotten bill of goods. You find out that addiction isn't as attractive as it once was. It is at first, but then it turns on you. And the devil has a strict "No Return" policy. He leaves you to deal with the aftermath of your purchase.

Your only hope, after many failed attempts to save yourself, after reading self-help books, watching pop psychologists on television and maybe even visiting a therapist, is God.

When you become desperate enough, knowing that you can't kick this addiction on you own, call out to God. The only One who can help you.

He knows you, and He still loves you. Even in those times when you thought no one saw you using, God was there, watching and waiting for you to call out to Him.

The only good inside your heart is the good that Jesus brought when you became Born-again. You cannot change yourself. You cannot be good on your own. You need to include God in your process of change.

How do you change? Ask for the Holy Spirit's help.

When the Holy Spirit convicts you in an area, or points out a problem, He doesn't expect you to deal with it on your own. It is the Holy Spirit that does the work through you because you are not capable of such work.

This life is not about you. It is about what Jesus did for you on the Cross. He took addictions, your bondage to alcohol, drugs or whatever you are addicted to. He took them. If you are living with them, you are not living the life that God intended for you.

Turn to God and ask Him to help you. Call on the Name of Jesus, which is above every other name that is named on the earth, and that includes the names of addictions, sicknesses, diseases or anything else that can come against you.

Take your Bible. Find every Scripture you can on the subject of addiction. Write them down. Speak the list out loud three times a day.

Addictions are a serious matter, and the only way to overcome them effectively is through God and His Word.

Alcohol, used in moderation, is not a sin. When it becomes an addiction, it has crossed the line and must be dealt with according to the Word of God. Knock out the addiction's power in your life by calling out to God today!