Sober Mind

I got an unfortunate front-row seat, this week, to a real-life demonstration about the effects drunkenness can have on a life. Of course, this wasn’t the first demonstration of this nature that I’ve witnessed, and I’m sure that most of us have similar stories they could recount vividly. It only takes once for a reputation to be ruined, a friendship destroyed, even a life lost. It seems that for most of us, it’s a lesson that must be learned the hard way.

But what if it wasn’t?

Seeing the destruction that one drunken evening caused, I began to look up what the Word had to say. I began to think about way that we can teach our young people (although it’s not just a young-people-problem!) to stay away from those temptations.

I’ve come to believe that being of sober mind is more than just about alcohol. We can lull ourselves to sleep, dull our senses, and deaden our minds in many, many more ways than that!

We were created to rule over and subdue the earth. To worship God and be productive. To use our gifts & talents to help others, in God’s image.

We can’t do any of that, if we’re not sober. Not just physically sober from alcohol and drugs, but also emotionally sober. In control.

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I Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”

Ephesians 5:15-18 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.