Proverbs 23:29-35

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes?
Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.
Do not look on the wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly.
Afterward it bites like a snake,
and stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind will speak perverse things.
And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging.
You will say, “They have struck me, but I am not harmed!
They beat me, but I did not know it!
When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”

Do you know any successful alcoholics? Do you know any successful addicts of any kind? I don’t. I’m guessing that there could be. I’m sure there are those who are alcoholics that are successful. But, the chances of that are pretty small. The chances aren’t real high that there is an addict who is successful.

I’m sure there are some reading this who think they are the exception. They think that they will be the one that proves everyone wrong. They think they are stronger. But, they’re not.

Now, I’m not saying that alcohol and wine are bad things. If they were bad, Paul wouldn’t have recommended it to Timothy. However, while he recommends wine for Timothy’s stomach, he is also very clear about being controlled by wine.

Which is what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about the one that drinks so much that they lose control of themselves. Their eyesight gets blurry. They start to see things. Their minds will tell them very perverse things. They will feel like they are sleeping in the ocean. They will get into fights, take a beating and not remember any of it.

That’s what happens when you give control of your body away to something else. That’s what happens when you allow yourself to be controlled by wine.

You may think you’re strong. You may think you’re strong enough to control yourself while you’re under the influence. But you’re not.

Do you want to have sorrow and woe? Do you want to have people complain about you and be contentious toward you? Do you want to lose everything you’ve worked hard for? If so, then allow yourself to be controlled by wine.

However, if you don’t want that and you see yourself going there, then stop. Do whatever it takes to stop now before it gets worse. Find help. Find a treatment plan. Get a sponsor. Talk to friends who are recovering addicts. I’ve seen the results of someone being controlled by a substance, and it’s not good. It can totally destroy your life and the lives of those around you.

This is the one time you should not surrender control. The only thing that you should allow to have complete control of you and your mind and body is the Holy Spirit. That’s it. Don’t surrender control of your life to anything less than that.