Have you ever heard it said that a little wouldn’t hurt you? Have you ever heard it said that moderation is the key?
How many times in your life has moderation lead the way to more?
Drug addicts, alcoholics, and 3 packs-a-day smokers did not start out with a hard to break habit. They mostly all started with moderation. One joint, one drink, or one cigarette was the beginning. The big lie that many believed was that one wouldn’t hurt you, or I can stop any time without a problem.
For many the underlying promise is to fit in, feel better, be cool, or even escape from reality. The lie is the promise that things will be better. The truth is that things won’t be. Things can actually get a lot worse.
The truth is that if you want to fit in or be cool maybe you need to find a different set of friends. If you want to feel better, pick a healthier lifestyle. If you want to escape reality, you really need to spend your time working through it. Jesus can help you to find the true answers to all of it. Consider praying and listening instead of making a bad choice.
Perhaps you want to defend alcohol. Alcoholism is a major destructive force in a family. It often brings with it verbal and physical abuse. When a person drinks too much, they are not themselves. Later, they often don’t even remember what they said or did.
Consider the following passage:
And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
Leviticus 10:8-11
Yes, Aaron was the high priest, and God set a very high standard for him. Perhaps it would be good for us to attempt to live up to it as well.
Perhaps you want to defend smoking. It could be argued that it is not holy or clean because it is destructive to the body. It could be argued that we are to be good stewards, and that smoking is not taking proper care of bodies.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
LIFE APPLICATION
Today’s challenge is to pray about the choices you make. Pray about any recreational drugs, alcohol, and tobacco you are using. Let God tell you what He would have you to do. Then, ask God to help you do it. Ask God to give you a heart for His will.
As an FYI, I used to be a very heavy smoker. Although I did not realize it at the time, I believe God was behind my quitting in 1987. He definitely enabled me to do it. Although for a while I still wanted to smoke, it was definitely more out of habit than need.