Ephesians 5:1818 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit
Many people wonder about the Church and it's stance on wine. And it's amazing when I hear sermons that condone drinking even a glass of wine as a ticket straight to hell. In fact, this legalistic type of preaching really makes me sad as a Christian. Sermons like this are taking scripture out of context.
Hold on -- I know this is a devo blog for addictions..keep reading and I'll get to my point.
This verse says that drinking in excess is wrong. Jesus himself performed his first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding. There are many things that the Bible clearly says are wrong: adultery, stealing, drinking to excess, making things into idols.
When we use things such as alcohol or drugs or view pornography to escape the world then they have become an idol. An idol is anything that we use to replace our need for God in our lives with something else. So for some it can be watching too much TV, playing video games, our desire to be the best at any cost, over-exercising, collecting items, fantasizing, laziness - these are things that just aren't so obvious.. And that's when it would be wise to create a new healthy habit to replace the bad habit that we have chosen to deal with our deep feelings such as anxiety and feelings of no self-worth, boredom, etc.
For someone dealing with an addiction, it's a choice to totally get rid of the unhealthy habit. For some addictions such as alcohol, drugs, viewing porn it's obvious that total abstinence is going to be key for recovery. But for other addictions such playing video games, using devices, exercising, working - it isn't as clear cut. We can't just get rid of these things from our lives because they are part of every day life. And so this is where today's verse hits the nail on the head. We are being warned of not being obsessive - as that's the addiction.
So, whatever your addiction is, you have to be the one (hopefully with the guidance of a sponsor or accountability partner) to set what your limits need to be and a plan to develop new habits to replace the old habits.
