Drinking
This is a topic that will relate to many youth of this time. As for me, I do not drink. I have never set hands on a beer with the intention to drink it, and I do not plan on doing it. Actually, I think the smell of beer is repulsive (Not to mention the effects.).
I have been led by God to put together this page. I have made this page for the hope of helping someone with a drinking problem, and also if you have questions about drinking that this will clear everything up.
I here it all the time. My classmates talk of partying and drinking. I even here my “Christian” friends talking about how they ‘party’. I don’t see the thrill (by what I hear) of drinking. I know that drinking makes you act foolish and unusual. Someone once put it: “Why would I want to make friends with a toilet?” (In other words, they drink and later... throw up in the nearest toilet available.) Also, they go and have “the time of their lives”, and, the next day, they have no clue as to what happened. Many people not only lose their minds and vehicles, but also lose their lives because of drinking. Now, I really don’t see all of the pleasure in this. It seems to me ridiculous... and dangerous in more ways than one!
You may be wondering what the Bible says about drinking... Well, let’s see:
What is wrong with drinking?
Titus 3:1/ Remind your people to obey the rulers and authorities and not to be rebellious...
First of all, if you are under age then you are breaking the law. The only time it is okay to break the law is whenever it is in conflict with God’s Law. See, we should obey God before the government, but the government before our desires. In the case of drinking, we should obey the government. (For an example of obeying God before the government read the third chapter of Daniel.)
Proverbs 20:1/It isn’t smart to get drunk! Drinking makes a fool of you and leads to fights.
Second of all, drinking does you no good. It can be put into this small saying: “Drinking leads to drunkenness.” When you take that first sip, then the second, then the third you start to change. You don’t act normal and normally wouldn’t do the things that you would regularly do. Ephesians 4:27 says to not give the devil a chance. Why then would you take just a sip of a drink when that sip can more than likely persuade you to drink more and more... until you are drunk? Don’t tempt yourself. James 1:14-15 says that “We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.” Don’t give into your desires, but “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
Titus 2:7/ Always set a good example for others...
Third of all, you should set an example for the “Lost”. (This applies for true Christians.) When others see “Christians” acting the same way they do (without a change...2 Corinthians 5:17; without light... Matthew 5:16), and they see us behaving as everyone else then they say to themselves, “What is the difference between them and me? What good is to be a Christian when they are just like me? There is no difference.” And when you call yourself a “Christian” and get drunk then you have just ruined your whole purpose of what God wants you to do, which is to be a light unto the world. To be blunt: Instead of others seeing that you are different and awesome (and therefore wanting to be a true “Christian”), they see a hypocritical person who claims to be a “Christian”.
But what about wine?
1 Timothy 5:23/ Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you always have.
Well, let’s look at this verse. First of all, notice why it says to take this wine. It is “to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses.” It is not so that you can go crazy, but to help you feel better when you are sick. Second of all notice that it says “a little wine”. (The Bible doesn’t say that drinking wine is a sin, although it does say clearly that drunkenness is sin. You will come to find that a little wine isn’t harmful (and actually helpful) but too much can be devastating. It can ruin you.) “Little” is the key. Too much of something, even a good thing, can be dangerous!
Take chocolate for example. It sure is good! What if all you did was eat chocolate? First of all, you would probably gain weight. Secondly, you would probably become lazy and sick because you would not be keeping your body up with the proper nutrients that your body needs. Thirdly, you would eventually (most likely) have tooth decay... So, remember: Too much of a good thing can be dangerous.
Proverbs 23:29-34/ Who is always in trouble? Who argues and fights? Who has cuts and bruises? Whose eyes are red? Everyone who stays up late, having just one more drink. Don’t even look at the colorful stuff bubbling up in the glass! It goes down so easily, but later it bites like a poisonous snake. You will see weird things, and your mind will play tricks on you. You will feel tossed about like someone trying to sleep on a ship in a storm. You will be bruised all over, without even remembering how it all happened.
According to these verses drinking leads to trouble, arguments, fights, harm to your body, confusion, and forgetfulness. We know that all of these things are not good. They are bad, and should be carefully avoided. Just as we should keep away from trouble, arguments, etc. we should, in the same way, keep away from things that lead to them.
Romans 13:13/ So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don’t go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent...
Wild parties and alcohol go hand in hand. Where there is one, you can usually find the other. If you are want to stop drinking, then don’t go to the source of temptation. Stay away from parties where alcohol is present. If you surround yourself with chocolate cakes and ice cream when you are on a diet, do you think that is wise? No! It is the same with alcohol. Stay away from it, and your temptation to drink will be greatly decreased. (This goes with drugs and many other bad habits.)
Ephesians 5:18/ Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.
I once heard a testimony on television of a man who, in the early years of his life, was caught-up in all kinds of drugs. He took drugs “to get high”. He loved the feeling. This man got addicted to drugs, and it pretty much ruined his life and his family. He started with small drugs, such as cigarettes and drinking, and then he needed more... So, he started to take stronger drugs, such as heroine and marijuana. He was an addict and he knew it! The problem he had was that he could not stop. One day, a man witnessed to this guy, and he at first thought that this Christian was crazy. Perhaps, crazier than him! But this drug addict, as time went on and the Christian told him about Jesus, was starting to realize he needed Jesus. He gave his life over to Christ, and you know what he said? He said this: “Of all the drugs that I have ever took in my life, I have never felt ‘higher’ than I did when I trusted in Christ!.” (The man, with the help of the Holy Spirit, overcame his addiction to drugs.)... Isn’t that amazing? It’s true. The Holy Spirit, when he fills your life, can make you feel “higher” than anything that this world can offer you! I have felt the radical feeling of the Holy Spirit, and believe me: “It is far better than anything this world has to offer you!” No amount of beer, drugs, pre-marital sex, or money can fill you. It all leaves you empty. Jesus Christ is what we all need. Jesus is what fills us up, the only thing that can. I have Jesus, and it is the greatest feeling in the world!
How can I stop drinking?
Romans 13:14/ Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won’t try to satisfy your selfish desires.
Focus on Jesus! If you put him first, before everything in your life, and seek to living as Jesus did then you won’t desire to drink. You will have the help to overcome anything that is wrong. If you are a Christian then you have the Holy Spirit, and he will help you through your temptation! God will always provide for you a way to escape from wrongdoing. Use the Holy Spirit by asking him to help you! (If you are not a Christian, then there is a link on the main page that you an click on to find out more.)
It is your decision to drink or not. You’ve read what God says, and you know what he thinks about it. Don’t ignore God, because if you do then you will be just like a puzzle that is missing a piece. You won’t be complete. I hope that you make the right choice!
Jesus said, “And you are my friends, if you obey me.” (John 15:14)