[Discoveries] 08-14-08 Better than a buzz -- Ephesians 5:18

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*Do not get drunk ... Instead, be filled with the Spirit. -- Ephesians 
5:18*/

God has a better alternative.

Why do people drink? I'm not a drinker, but, from what I've observed, 
alcohol erases fear, shame and worries. It provides a kind of freedom 
and courage. It creates a bond between drinking buddies that probably 
wouldn't be there otherwise.

But, of course, we all know what happens when the alcohol is gone. 
Drinkers wake up to discover more things to worry about and more 
transgressions to be ashamed of. So the urge to escape into the fantasy 
world of alcohol becomes even stronger.

God has a better idea. Be filled with the Spirit. He didn't say, 
"Straighten up," or "Quit drinking," or "Act your age." He said, "I know 
you are empty inside, so let Me fill that emptiness."

For many years I went around asking people what it meant to be filled 
with the Spirit. I never really got an answer that satisfied me. So let 
me give you the answer I finally came up with. We are filled with the 
Spirit to the extent that we have welcomed the Spirit of Christ into 
every part of our lives. That means if God wants to enter our places of 
fear, shame and emptiness, we throw the door wide open and say, "Come on 
in!"

Guess what happens when God enters our places of fear, shame and worry? 
That pain is erased. Courage and freedom are granted. We don't have to 
worry that we will wake up to discover we've done something wrong, 
because we are more awake with the Spirit of God filling us than we ever 
were before.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
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