Why Do I Do What I Don't Want to Do?Sýnishorn

Have you ever wondered why they call liquor “spirits”? Because when you are drunk, it is another spirit in control. The same goes for recreational drugs.

While you are absolutely responsible for everything you do, you are not in control when you are drunk or high. The Bible says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (verse 18). This scripture presents a dichotomy for believers: either we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, or we are controlled by some other spirit. The spirit of tequila, rosé, bourbon, IPA, or something else.

I’ve done many things I regret under the control of those other spirits. In my own B.C. (before Christ) days, I have had pregnancy scares, had knives pulled on me, had guns pulled on me, gotten in fights, ended up in handcuffs a couple of times, and even spent the night in jail once, all because of those other spirits and my submission to them. That list doesn’t even include the many times I prayed to die while hugging some nasty toilet, covered in my own vomit, with only a raging headache to look forward to the next morning.

With the Bible so clear about the choice between control by spirits and control by the Spirit, I am surprised by how many people who claim to be Christians are OK with getting drunk and high. It’s like we hide behind the question, Where’s the line, really? And if we don’t have a clear answer to that question, we feel free to cross it. I want to be clear: although I don’t think the Bible condemns alcohol altogether, it absolutely condemns getting drunk.

The Holy Spirit calls us all to be alert and sober-minded (1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). That’s the line to remember: remain sober-minded.

Is your use of substances in any way getting in the way of being “alert and sober-minded”?