Ephesians 5:8-20 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ok, I just was about to send today's devotional and it disappeared off into cyberspace and is irretrievable.
So, I'm going to Keep It Simple.
Debauchery doesn't just mean sexual sin (like I original thought). Since, I like to look up words - I took my Funk and Wagnalls and looked up the word. It actually meant extreme indulgence in anything - including things like gluttony, but it also meant, not giving allegiance to someone (as a servant). Interesting to me. I'm going from memory, so bear with me ;)
Come on, Jesus turned water into wine, right? Jesus used wine to represent His Blood during His Last Supper with His disciples. John told Timothy to drink a little wine to settle his stomach. Doctors even say one glass or red wine a day is actually good for you. Some people can drink socially - have one or two drinks and stop. Some people cannot go near alcohol without setting off an abnormal chain reaction in their minds, and actually if they would have that one drink it someone alters the brain chemistry in such a way that they cannot stop. That one or two drinks that the social drinker can have within a period of a couple hours, this person would have gone in 60 seconds.... maybe a little longer.
But the question here is not 'to drink or not to drink'. The question here is are we filling our minds with anything so much that it would cause us to sin (to take our allegiance away from God to whatever it is)? Drugs and alcohol are only two items that can produce passivity in our minds that allows the enemy access to influence us to do really stupid things sometimes. 'Wait a second, here, what about meditation?' Well, what are we meditating on? Is it the Word of God, Jesus, the fruits of the Spirit, breathing in the Spirit of the Giver of Life and breathing out the stress and tension and decay within us? Or are we meditating on other concepts that are not in line with the Word of God? If it's the latter or if we're using some other mind-altering drug or practice, then those should be renounced so that Father can fill us with the Spirit of our Lord Jesus. He doesn't want us to fill ourselves with anything other than Himself. He's kinda jealous that way, because He loves us more than if you put everyone in the word together and their love for whoever they love and bottled it.... it wouldn't even compare to how much He loves us and pursue us.
Ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you right where you are.... and even though your circumstances might not change, you will.
I believe there is a song-writer (or at least a song-singer) in all of us. The Lord has put it there - not in our minds, not in our will, not in our emotions, but in our spirits to encourage ourselves and others. When we sing to the Lord - it may start out, just singing to the Lord (like some sort of act of obedience), but something changes if we have open hearts to the Lord. The music starts coming from our love for Him, our devotion to Him, our need for Him. The enemy hates that, and personally, I like to do what the enemy hates (sometimes with mild kicking and screaming). But generally, it ends up making me quite happy that I'm doing something he hates ;) Because, I'm doing some God loves - praising Him, thanking Him.
So, let's ask the Lord to reveal to us anything that makes our minds passive enough to allow demonic influences into our lives and then repent and renounce them.
Bring the Rain - MercyMe
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