The Necessity for Christians to Understand the Serious Disadvantages of Constant Alcohol Usage!

18 May 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 May 2026   Ephesians 5:18.

Ephesians 5:18.        And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Oh friends, you won’t believe that it was only late Sunday evening, I realized that this was the Victoria Day long weekend, with cottage country coming alive for the summer and people beginning to plant their gardens. That just goes to show I was totally wrapped up in whatever I was wrapped up in. And don’t ask what that was, because I don’t even know. (smile) Anyway, many of us are blessed to have this Monday off, and with yesterday’s good weather, most likely to be repeated today, I can imagine the celebrations for this long weekend that usually ushers in the summer will be very big and boisterous.

But as always, let’s remember to have a modicum of circumspection as we celebrate, and don’t behave like leggo beasts, or imbibe too much of whatever you plan to imbibe, because you know that kind of behaviour only brings accidents and other heartbreaking stuff, that can often have serious, lifelong negative consequences. End of Sermon! 

And as I was looking through the Bible for something to write on, my eyes caught this section of Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, that seems rather appropriate for today. (smile) He writes: ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully) not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ (Eph. 5:15-18) Now didn’t I say that this passage was rather appropriate for today? (smile) 

And if you don’t want to listen to my warning, then you should at least have the common courtesy to listen to Bruh Paul’s and not get inebriated. And as the scholars explain: ‘This verse gives an example of what is and what is not the Lord’s will (vs. 17). Believers are not allowed to be intoxicated with alcoholic beverages; the reason for this prohibition is wherein is excess; that is, drunkenness leads to moral intemperance.

This is clearly contrary to God’s will. His will is that Christians be filled with (by) the Holy Spirit; that is, they are to allow Him to fill them with God’s own life, character and virtues. The analogy between these two moral states is this: a person filled with wine is under its influence; similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit when he controls his thoughts attitudes, and actions.’ 

And that’s all basic common sense my brethren! Whatever your mind and body are filled with, will influence your behaviour.  Now, if you don’t believe that Bruh Paul and I know what we’re talking about, then listen to the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he warns from Proverbs. ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging (intoxicating drink arouses brawling): and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.’ (Prov. 20:1) And that’s not a lie, because we see it every day in our debauched society, meaning there are a lot of unwise people around us. 

But here’s the real kicker, as Cousin Sol gets right down into the nitty gritty of drunkenness. He earnestly asks: ‘Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? (Prov. 23:29) Now those are very good questions. And can you guess the answer? ‘They that tarry (linger) at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.’ (Prov. 23:30) And that’s the gospel truth!

Cousin Sol then continues with this wise advice. ‘Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour (sparkles) in the cup, when it moveth itself aright (goes smoothly). At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder (viper). Thine eyes shall behold strange women (things), and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst (heart) of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick (hurt); they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it (another drink) yet again.’ (Prov. 23:31-35)

Ah my people, Cousin Sol does know what he’s talking about. And so do many of us, who have either experienced the feeling of inebriation, or seen someone intoxicated, behave rather poorly. And the scholars add their take on the situation. ‘Six rhetorical questions drive home the fact that alcoholism has both physical and psychological effects (vs. 29). These effects are further specified: physical and psychological poisoning (vs. 32); delusion (vs. 33); stumbling (vs. 34); unconscious wounds (vs.35a); and enslavement (vs.35b).’

And isn’t it strange that all this stuff has been happening since Adam was a little boy, and yet we still greatly desire to imbibe the fire water. Fortunes have been made, and still are being made, on its production and sale. The devil certainly has us hooked on that one. But here’s what we should really be doing, as Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians. ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21)

And to help us do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn for some divine help. Altogether:  ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You  this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

And to be able to do that, we must stay away from the fire water this holiday Monday! Much LOVE!

…mankind takes pleasure in the devil’s delights…although they harm him in every possible way… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 May 2022 Psalm 89:15.

23 May 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 89:15.      Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance.

Awright it’s Monday…and many of us are deliriously happy because it’s a public holiday, Victoria Day, in honour of Queen Victoria who ruled the British Empire for almost 64 years from 1837 till her death in 1901. She was the longest reigning British monarch until the present one, Queen Elizabeth II, who is now coming up to her seventieth year on the throne. Victoria Day was once a holiday across the entire British Empire, but now I believe it’s still celebrated only in Canada…Way to go Canada! 

And Victoria Day usually heralds the opening of the summer season, meaning that cottage country will be awash with visitors from now to the end of summer. But please remember friends, that though the regulations on Covid have been relaxed, it’s still around, and still causing havoc, so we still need to be very careful with our comings and goings and how we interact with each other. And remember to go also easy on the fire water in all the gaiety, because tomorrow is work, and you cannot afford to be absent or hung over. End of sermon! (smile) 

But who’s listening eh, on this first long weekend of the summer, after being cooped up for so long on account of Covid and the dreary winter months? Let’s hope and pray that there will be no boating, vehicle or other serious accidents in all the craziness that will take place. That brings us to these interesting and important words of Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David – which talks about a universal problem amongst believers, who wrestle with the faithfulness of God to His promises. 

The psalmist solemnly asks: ‘For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who amongst the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? (Ps. 89:6) And the correct answer to that question is obviously ‘NO ONE!’  Consequently, Ethan continues. ‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:7) And that’s the living truth my brethren! Our God is great and ought to be held in high esteem and be considered faithful to His promises. 

Now, listen to how Ethan describes the Lord later on in the psalm. ‘Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength; and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:13-18) 

Yes friends, with a King, a God, a Creator like the Lord God of Hosts, how could He ever not be faithful to His promises eh?  He created the heavens, the earth and all therein, so He is omnipotent, has all power to do whatever He says. So why do we still doubt Him? Even when we have had personal experience with His faithfulness, whenever problems appear, the first thing that crops up in our hearts is fear, not faith. That’s understandable if the problem comes as a surprise, but it should not last any length of time. 

Remember Bruh Paul’s to Timothy. ‘For the Lord hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined mind).’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Once we’ve taken the measure of the problem, our hearts should be flooded with faith, being fully aware and convinced of God’s promises to help us deal successfully with them. 

But as always, that level of faith can only come with plenty practice and experience. The more you see the Lord’s faithfulness, the easier it becomes, but until such time comes, you need to keep your heart saturated with His word, read and study the promises He made to the men of great faith like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David and see how He kept them when they were obedient to His will. 

Have no fear, we will all be tested, and many times too when we claim that Christ is our Lord and Saviour. And that’s when we must step out boldly and let our faith show. Remember, ‘faith’ like LOVE, is an action word, you have to show it, not merely talk it. And believe me, in these crazy and uncertain times, believers in Christ Jesus need to step up and show oodles of faith and LOVE, because our confused and strife-filled world is desperately calling for those two Christ-filled medications. 

And it all begins with prayer, with sincere communication between us and our Creator. So, let’s take the opportunity to do that right now nuh. Let’s go to Him through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for His divine help with our earthly problems. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And since we are the ones needing help, not God, it only makes sense for us to keep our promises and turn from our evil, unfaithful, ungodly ways so that divine help will be forthcoming. Much LOVE!

…if one holds on to doubt and fear…then faith and LOVE…cannot enter there… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​