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Questioning Alcohol as a Christian | Is it Actually Wrong · Heaven & Healing Podcast

0:00
I'm just going to say it straight
0:01
because this is a question I get asked
0:03
all the time. No, drinking alcohol is
0:06
not a sin. And yet, I cannot see myself
0:10
ever consuming it again. Which I know
0:13
that already messes with people because
0:14
it's like, okay, well, if it's not a
0:17
sin, then why draw such a hard line,
0:21
right? Like, why be so extreme about
0:23
something that the Bible does not
0:26
explicitly forbid? Now, I think that
0:30
right there, that mindset
0:34
is what actually exposes the deeper
0:37
issue with this conversation. Because
0:40
the question most Christians are asking
0:44
isn't really, hey, what leads me closer
0:48
to God. It's, hey, how close can I get
0:53
to the line without crossing it?
0:57
And those are two completely different
0:59
postures
1:01
because when you start asking, "Is this
1:04
a sin?" What you're really saying,
1:08
whether you realize it or not, is
1:12
what can I get away with?
1:14
And guess how I know that? It's not
1:16
because I'm trying to condemn you. It's
1:18
because I used to live there, too. I was
1:22
what you would call a bit of a sipping
1:25
saint myself.
1:27
Okay. I didn't get drunk. I wasn't out
1:30
of control. I didn't have a problem. I
1:33
could have a glass of wine at dinner, an
1:36
appperal spritz on a date night and I
1:40
would really enjoy it and I would feel
1:41
totally justified in it because well
1:44
technically no, it's not a sin.
1:47
But the thing is, okay,
1:50
the more I have grown in my walk with
1:54
God,
1:56
the more I began to realize that not
2:00
sinning [laughter]
2:01
is actually a very low bar for the life
2:07
that's supposed to be set apart, which I
2:09
am called to live.
2:11
Like, you know, if the goal is just to
2:14
avoid crossing a line, the thing is
2:17
you're going to spend your entire life
2:21
standing as close to it as possible. And
2:25
eventually that line starts to blur. And
2:28
also, your eyes aren't supposed to be on
2:30
the line.
2:32
Your eyes are supposed to be on the
2:34
cross.
2:36
So, with that being said, I think we
2:39
need to start with a reframe here
2:42
because I'm telling you, is drinking a
2:45
sin? In my opinion, it's it's asking the
2:48
wrong question because biblically, no,
2:51
it's not. Drunkenness is a sin, yes, but
2:53
not the drink itself. So, instead of us
2:56
asking, is this a sin? I think we are
3:00
much better off asking ourselves, why do
3:03
we even want it?
3:06
And further, why are we so quick to
3:11
defend something that at best, let's be
3:15
honest, adds nothing spiritually to our
3:18
lives or physically to our lives on that
3:21
account. So why are we so quick to
3:23
defend something at best that adds
3:25
nothing and at worst opens doors that we
3:28
don't even fully understand?
3:31
Okay. Honestly, there are more layers to
3:33
this than people are willing to admit.
3:36
From biblical truth to personal
3:37
conviction to spiritual implications to
3:40
the reality that just because something
3:41
is permissible does not mean it's
3:43
profitable. Right? And if we're actually
3:46
serious about living a spiritfilled
3:48
life,
3:50
then we have to just be willing to ask
3:52
ourselves better question, guys. We we
3:54
we [laughter]
3:56
have to be willing to go further than is
3:58
this a sin?
4:00
So, what I want to do now is lay the
4:04
foundation here with the word of God.
4:06
Surprise. Because I want this to be
4:10
rooted in what scripture says before we
4:12
navigate those other layers. Okay. So,
4:15
again, no, the Bible does not explicitly
4:18
forbid the consumption of alcohol.
4:21
You see it present all throughout
4:23
scripture in different context, right?
4:24
You see, celebration, covenant meals,
4:28
daily life,
4:30
you do. However, at the same time,
4:34
what the Bible does explicitly and
4:37
consistently condemn over and over is
4:39
drunkenness. And it's not like a once or
4:41
twice off kind of thing. It's over and
4:44
over again with very strong language
4:46
attached to it. Okay. In Ephesians 5:18,
4:49
Paul draws a contrast when he says, "Do
4:52
not get drunk with wine, for that is
4:54
debouchery, but be filled with the
4:58
spirit." So in other words, there is
5:01
something about drunkenness that
5:03
directly opposes what it means to live
5:05
under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
5:09
Obviously, right? One dulls you, one
5:11
sharpens you, one numbs you, one fills
5:13
you. One leads to a self of control, the
5:17
other produces self-control as a fruit
5:20
of abiding. Right? And then you see the
5:23
warnings in places like Proverbs 21.
5:27
Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging
5:31
and whoever is deceived by it is not
5:34
wise. That's not like, oh, be careful.
5:38
You might overdo it. No, that is a
5:39
warning about deception
5:42
and a nice way of calling you a fool.
5:46
Right? So,
5:48
the point is is that alcohol has the
5:50
ability to make something look harmless
5:53
while just
5:55
quietly leading you astray somewhere
5:57
that you didn't intend to go and making
5:59
a fool of you while it does it. Right?
6:02
Even in Isaiah 5:11, there is a rebuke
6:05
against those who rise early to pursue
6:08
strong drink and stay up late inflamed
6:11
by wine.
6:13
And what that's doing is by and large
6:16
it's painting a picture of people whose
6:18
lives are being oriented around it,
6:21
right? Like as a pattern sort of thing
6:23
and an appetite of dependency sort of
6:25
thing. Then in Habac 2:15, it goes even
6:29
further than that by pronouncing well on
6:32
those who give drink to others in a way
6:34
that leads to their shame.
6:38
So now it's not just about your own
6:41
consumption, it's about how your actions
6:43
can impact someone else's vulnerability.
6:46
And of course, right, like these are
6:47
just four examples and it's very few
6:50
examples of the many that we see
6:51
throughout scripture. But the point is
6:54
when you take all of them together, it's
6:57
actually easy to see very quickly here
7:00
that there is not a casual biblical
7:05
stance about alcohol.
7:08
It's a cautious one, okay? It's not just
7:11
don't cross the line into drunkenness.
7:14
It's actually, hey, be aware of what
7:16
this does. Be aware of where this leads
7:19
and be aware of how easily it can
7:22
deceive you and others. Which is why I
7:25
think it's really important to be super
7:26
clear about this because yes, you can
7:28
technically drink without sinning, but
7:30
can and should
7:33
are two very different things, right?
7:35
And the fact of the matter is scripture
7:37
never presents alcohol as something to
7:40
casually play with. It presents it as
7:43
something that requires wisdom and
7:45
discernment. And honestly,
7:49
a level of caution that if we're being
7:51
honest,
7:52
most people aren't approaching it with.
7:55
Like the word doesn't just warn against
7:58
drunkenness.
8:00
What you see is that it also warns about
8:03
the trajectory that gets you there.
8:06
Which means that we really need to press
8:09
in and understand why. We need to
8:12
understand why that is.
8:14
See, because again, the goal of the
8:18
Christian life isn't just to avoid sin
8:23
in like a black and white kind of
8:25
dogmatic behavior modification type
8:27
mindset. No, it is to walk in the things
8:30
of the spirit.
8:32
So, anything that even begins to pull
8:34
you out of that posture is something
8:36
worth examining a lot more seriously
8:39
than just asking whether or not that
8:40
line is crossed. That's the point. Okay.
8:44
Because what I've come to realize over
8:46
the last year especially is that with
8:47
this conversation around alcohol, what
8:49
it actually reveals is something a lot
8:52
deeper than just that behavior
8:55
modification thing. It exposes in fact
8:58
the framework
9:00
we're using to make decisions as
9:02
believers. I mean,
9:06
when your primary filter for decision-m
9:10
is the technicality,
9:12
you're not being led by transformation.
9:16
You're not you're being led by
9:18
permission.
9:21
And those are two different leadings
9:22
because one is rooted in genuine
9:25
relationship and the other is just
9:28
rooted in boundaries and rules. And so
9:31
instead of approaching with the posture
9:33
or the question of what glorifies God,
9:36
you're asking what can I justify that
9:39
God might not get mad at me for today?
9:42
Which again,
9:45
I was there as someone who walked this
9:47
line. I know how like subtle of a shift
9:49
that is, but more often than not, okay,
9:52
it is those covert reasonings that are
9:56
way more dangerous than like the overt
9:58
rebellious ones because the covert way
10:02
trains you to approach your walk with
10:04
God like a negotiation instead of a
10:07
surrender. Does that make sense? And so
10:10
what can happen is you start building a
10:12
life that's not around conviction, but
10:14
it's about loopholes.
10:17
Now the problem with that is
10:20
you can stay within the letter of the
10:21
law while doing it. You can stay within
10:24
the letter of the law while completely
10:26
drifting from the spirit of it. Okay?
10:30
You can avoid obvious sin in the
10:32
technicalities while still cultivating
10:34
appetites that pull your heart in the
10:37
wrong direction. And what happens with
10:40
that over time is your standard becomes
10:43
not what is holy and not what is wise
10:46
and not what is beneficial but simply
10:49
what is permissible which hello
10:51
scripture directly speaks in contrast to
10:55
that mindset in 1 Corinthians 10:23.
10:58
All things are lawful but not all things
11:01
are helpful.
11:03
All things are lawful but not all things
11:07
build up. So really I believe the
11:10
conversation shifts here from legality
11:14
to maturity.
11:17
And this is where we move from the am I
11:19
allowed to into the is this actually
11:23
forming me into who I'm called to be?
11:25
Because truly like
11:28
guys, the goal should not be to see how
11:30
much of the world you can keep while
11:33
still claiming Christ.
11:36
The goal is to be transformed by him,
11:38
right? To be set apart in him and to
11:42
have your desires reshaped through him,
11:46
not just your behavior managed through
11:49
your own means to appease him. That's
11:53
not it. And I think if we're honest, a
11:55
lot of the time we're not asking these
11:57
questions out of genuine curiosity. We
11:59
are asking because we have already like
12:05
formed an idol of something
12:08
and we have that thing in mind that we
12:10
want to keep, right? So in that we're
12:13
then just looking for reassurance more
12:16
than we're looking for truth because
12:18
what we want is permission. We don't
12:20
want conviction.
12:22
I say this all the time, okay? If you
12:23
can't say amen, say ouch. I'll go first.
12:26
Ouch. Because guys, genuinely,
12:29
when I tell you I lived here, I can't I
12:31
can state that enough. I've lived here.
12:33
Trust me, I know what it's like to want
12:35
something to be okay and to search for
12:39
the interpretation that lets you hold on
12:41
to it. But the thing is, real spiritual
12:44
maturity does not look like finding ways
12:46
to keep things that might hinder you.
12:50
What it looks like is actually having
12:52
the willingness to lay them down even
12:54
when you technically don't have to. See,
12:58
because at the end of the day, this
12:59
isn't about alcohol. This is about the
13:01
posture of your heart.
13:04
Are you living in a way that's
13:05
constantly asking, "What can I get away
13:07
with?" Or are you living in a way that
13:08
says, "God, if this pulls me even
13:11
slightly away from you, it's not worth
13:14
it, and I don't want it. Take it from
13:16
me." Because the latter is obviously a
13:18
much higher standard than just avoiding
13:21
sin. But see, the paradox in that is
13:23
that it's also a much freer way to live
13:27
because now your life isn't defined by
13:30
lines you're not trying to cross. It's
13:33
defined by a relationship you are
13:36
interested in yielding to.
13:39
And for me, this stopped being
13:41
theoretical the moment it became
13:43
personal. Okay? when it became about my
13:47
relationship to God, not just him and I
13:51
one-on-one, as if that's not enough, but
13:54
actually through our cord of three
13:56
strands, not easily broken,
13:59
Ecclesiastes says, and that's my
14:01
marriage covenant.
14:03
You see, this whole thing with alcohol,
14:06
right, the shoulds and the shouldn't.
14:08
This wasn't just about a glass of wine
14:11
at dinner or whether something was
14:13
technically acceptable. This was for me
14:17
about what was happening inside my own
14:19
home, inside my own marriage right in
14:22
front of me. Now, a lot of you know
14:24
this, but some of you may not, that my
14:25
husband struggled with alcoholism. Okay?
14:27
He's been very open about that. He's
14:29
shared that testimony. And I want to be
14:32
clear about something because I think
14:34
this is where people misunderstand what
14:36
bondage can actually look like.
14:38
He wasn't out of control, okay? He
14:42
wasn't constantly like falling apart. He
14:45
wasn't unable to function. In fact, a
14:48
lot of the time he could manage it,
14:50
which in a lot of ways is more
14:52
terrifying, okay? how well he could
14:54
regulate it and how he could keep it
14:56
within certain limits and still show up
15:00
and still operate and still be present
15:03
in ways that you know didn't immediately
15:05
present themselves as this is a problem.
15:09
But that's what made it so deceptive
15:11
because when something can be managed,
15:14
it actually becomes easier to justify,
15:17
right? Like it becomes easier to
15:19
normalize.
15:21
It becomes something that you learn to
15:23
live around instead of something you
15:26
confront directly. And I genuinely
15:30
believe you can have a stronghold in
15:33
your life that you've learned to manage
15:35
well enough that it doesn't disrupt
15:37
everything. But that doesn't mean it's
15:40
not still there influencing you and
15:43
keeping you bound.
15:45
Matter of fact, I I I don't just believe
15:47
that. I know that because I was watching
15:49
that play out in real time. And look, I
15:51
wanted him to be free. I prayed for his
15:53
freedom. I knew that alcohol wasn't
15:57
God's best for him. But at the same
15:59
time,
16:01
I had to confront something in myself
16:03
that I didn't want to look at. Because
16:06
even though I wanted his freedom, I
16:08
wanted my husband's freedom. The truth
16:10
is, I wasn't fully willing to remove my
16:12
participation from the environment that
16:15
made his struggle feel normal. Why?
16:17
Because I could sit at dinner and enjoy
16:19
a drink.
16:21
I could still enjoy it casually and tell
16:24
myself, "Oh, this isn't the same thing.
16:26
This isn't a problem for me. I'm not the
16:28
one struggling." And yes, that may have
16:31
been true on the surface, but it didn't
16:33
mean that it was right in that context
16:36
because there's a difference between not
16:38
having a personal issue with something
16:40
and being completely unaware of how your
16:43
choices affect someone else who does. So
16:47
I started asking myself, well really the
16:50
Holy Spirit started asking me, "Okay,
16:52
Angela, what do you want now versus what
16:55
do you want most?
16:57
You really want an apperal spritz?" That
16:59
was my drink of choice if you can't
17:00
tell. You want this moment? You want the
17:02
experience? You want the normaly of just
17:04
enjoying a drink with your husband like
17:06
it's no big deal. Just want to be
17:09
normal.
17:10
Or
17:13
do you want to be someone whose life
17:16
actually aligns with what you've been
17:17
praying for?
17:20
Ouch.
17:22
Cuz I couldn't just keep praying for him
17:24
to be set free while simultaneously
17:26
participating in the very thing that was
17:28
keeping him bound. Even if my
17:30
involvement looked harmless on the
17:33
surface, it was still an enablement.
17:36
And let me say this to that point that
17:37
no, his freedom ultimately did not come
17:39
from me. It came from his own
17:42
willingness to fully surrender. Okay,
17:45
we've shared this before. He encountered
17:48
God at the breakers conference in a way
17:50
that he never quite has before in a
17:52
moment of repentance and full humility
17:54
and full surrender and transparency
17:56
where he was delivered from a spirit of
17:58
alcoholism
18:00
which like none of us neither of us
18:03
expected that. Neither of us
18:05
manufactured that. Like he literally
18:08
felt the hand of God come and take
18:10
something out of his sternum. And
18:12
everything has been different since
18:13
then. He has not touched alcohol since.
18:15
And what's even more powerful is that
18:16
now what used to feel like an internal
18:19
drive for him, you know, felt like
18:23
intrinsically who he was. He has told me
18:26
he recognizes as like an external
18:28
temptation now where he says it's like
18:31
he witnesses the attempting to tempt But
18:34
it really can't now because it's no
18:36
longer a soul influence. And he's
18:38
armored up. Hallelujah. You know, he can
18:41
discern the difference between the
18:42
voices on the outside trying to gain
18:44
re-entry and the compulsion that before
18:49
didn't really have to pull his arm too
18:51
hard to get him to agree. Like he can
18:53
see it clearly different now for what it
18:56
is because he was delivered from that
18:58
spirit. So, I say that to say that I'm
19:00
not standing here saying that my actions
19:03
were the thing that set him free. Some
19:05
wives need to hear that. Okay? Jesus did
19:08
it.
19:09
But what I am saying is this.
19:12
Scripture still instructs me as a wife
19:16
to win my husband through my conduct.
19:19
And when I look back, I had to be honest
19:21
that I wasn't fully living in alignment
19:23
with that because I had an opportunity
19:27
to remove anything in my life that could
19:30
even
19:32
slightly reinforce
19:34
what he needed to break free from. And
19:36
instead, I was holding on to what I felt
19:39
comfortable with. And that's when the
19:42
conviction hit me. You know, it became
19:44
less about whether I was allowed to
19:45
drink and more about my willingness to
19:47
keep doing it.
19:49
What then what that revealed about my
19:51
priorities in my marriage because if I
19:53
truly,
19:55
you know, wanted God to make him free
20:00
and I truly believe that God wanted him
20:02
free, then my life and my actions should
20:05
have reflected that belief in a tangible
20:07
way. So, you know,
20:11
when I really allowed the Holy Spirit to
20:13
hit me with that and when I sat with
20:14
that, when I pray with that, I had to be
20:16
honest that I was not surrendered
20:19
or really I wasn't as surrendered in
20:22
that area as I thought it was. And maybe
20:23
it was an idol to me too after all.
20:26
Because if I w if I was surrendered, if
20:28
I truly didn't care, then I wouldn't
20:31
have had to like justify it so hard to
20:32
let it go myself.
20:34
So that's what exposed it for me. Wasn't
20:37
about the drink itself for me. It was
20:38
about the attachment to it. Wasn't about
20:40
the technicality.
20:44
It was about the heart posture. And it
20:46
was layered there, too. Okay. There were
20:48
more convictions I was ignoring aside
20:49
from just this thing with him, which I'm
20:51
going to get into as well. But
20:54
ultimately, I chose to completely remove
20:56
alcohol from my life. Not because I was
20:59
forced to or because I was under some
21:01
kind of rule or because God was going to
21:03
be mad at me if I didn't, but because I
21:05
refused to let something so small stand
21:08
in the way of something I knew God
21:10
wanted to do with the person I love more
21:12
than anything in this world.
21:16
And so what I've come to understand
21:18
through that is this.
21:22
Sometimes the things that are hardest to
21:24
let go of aren't the things that are
21:26
obviously sinful.
21:28
They're the little foxes.
21:31
They're the things that feel harmless
21:33
enough to keep, but those are often the
21:36
very things that God will put his finger
21:38
on and press because they reveal where
21:41
your heart is divided.
21:45
So, what that whole experience started
21:48
to show me is that this wasn't just
21:50
about my marriage and it wasn't just
21:52
about personal conviction. And it was
21:53
actually about something deeper like
21:54
I've been saying about how we are called
21:56
to live as believers in general. Because
21:58
when you really zoom out, scripture
22:00
doesn't just talk about avoiding sin.
22:05
It talks about staying sober and staying
22:07
alert and staying discerning. And look,
22:10
let me preface a bit as I pivot here on
22:12
that accord because I'm not interested
22:14
in being dramatic or making claims that
22:15
scripture doesn't support. But I am
22:17
interested in taking seriously what
22:18
scripture says about sobriety. Not just
22:21
as a physical state, but as a spiritual
22:23
posture. Okay. 1 Peter 5:8 says to be
22:27
sober minded and alert because your
22:29
adversary, the devil, prowls around like
22:31
a roaring lion seeking someone to
22:32
devour.
22:34
That's not like casual imagery.
22:37
That is a warning. That is directly tied
22:39
to awareness and to vigilance and to
22:42
discernment. So the point is sobbriety
22:47
isn't just avoiding excess. It is about
22:50
maintaining clarity and about being in a
22:53
state where your judgment isn't dulled
22:55
and your awareness isn't lowered and
22:57
your ability to discern what's happening
22:59
both naturally and spiritually is not
23:01
compromised in the slightest. Right? Now
23:04
take that and think about alcohol. Even
23:06
in the smallest traceable amounts, what
23:09
does it do? It lowers your inhibition.
23:11
It relaxes your guard. It softens your
23:14
awareness. And while the world
23:16
celebrates all of the above as a way to
23:18
take the edge off, scripture tells us to
23:20
do the opposite of take the edge off.
23:21
Scripture says you remain watchful. You
23:23
remain steady. You remain clear. So
23:25
again, this isn't about fear so much as
23:28
it is about the function. Because if
23:30
your mind is even slightly impaired,
23:32
your discernment is going to be
23:34
affected. And if your discernment is
23:36
affected, you're not operating at full
23:39
spiritual awareness, which makes you
23:42
vulnerable. It makes you susceptible to
23:45
the type of particular influence I was
23:48
just talking about with my husband.
23:49
Okay,
23:52
spiritual influence,
23:54
demonic influence. You know, there's
23:56
also something historically interesting
23:58
here that I think is worth mentioning.
24:00
The word spirits.
24:02
Hello, alcohol. It's been long
24:05
associated with alcohol. And I'm not
24:07
saying like I'm not one of those people
24:10
that every drink is a demon or that
24:12
there's something inherently
24:14
supernatural in the liquid itself. But I
24:18
am saying that language is purposeful
24:21
and that the language reflects something
24:23
that people have recognized for a long
24:26
time which is that when you alter your
24:28
state of mind, you become more
24:30
impressionable
24:32
and more open and less guarded. And
24:34
spiritually speaking, that's not a
24:36
position that scripture ever encourages
24:39
us to be in.
24:41
Because the thing is, you don't have to
24:42
be completely out of control to be
24:45
influenced, right? You don't have to be
24:48
possessed to be vulnerable. All it takes
24:50
is a lowered guard. All it takes is a
24:53
foothold, which I think a lot of people
24:55
underestimate that
24:58
when nothing about it feels dangerous in
25:00
the moment. You know, it feels normal.
25:02
It feels social to drink. It feels like
25:04
something everyone is doing. Hey, even
25:06
other Christians are doing it. But
25:07
that's exactly how deception works. It's
25:09
like it doesn't present itself as
25:11
something obviously destructive. It
25:12
presents itself as something manageable,
25:16
something you can handle.
25:18
But the reality is anything that
25:21
compromises your sobriety
25:24
even slightly, okay, is moving you in
25:27
the opposite direction of what scripture
25:29
consistently calls you to, which is that
25:33
clarity, alertness, and self-control.
25:35
And that's why for me this became less
25:38
about whether I could participate in it
25:40
responsibly and more about whether I,
25:42
you know, it was worth it for me to
25:44
engage with something that is by its
25:46
very nature
25:48
working against the state that I'm
25:50
actually called to live in.
25:52
Because if I'm called to be spiritually
25:54
sharp, aware, and discerning, why would
25:56
I willingly step into something that
25:58
dulls that even a little? And you know,
26:00
another thing that has to be addressed
26:02
in this conversation, and I think it's
26:04
actually super overlooked, one of the
26:05
most overlooked pieces is that when
26:07
people read about wine in the Bible,
26:09
like they automatically assume it's the
26:11
wine we're drinking today, and so they
26:12
justify it. But guys, it's literally
26:14
not. Like, you can look this up. Okay?
26:16
It's just true, historically true, that
26:19
in the time of Jesus Christ, wine
26:22
functioned so much differently than it
26:24
does in our modern culture. Okay? It
26:26
wasn't designed for intoxication.
26:29
It wasn't consumed in the same
26:31
concentrations and it was not encroached
26:33
with the same mindset that we see today.
26:37
Historically, wine was diluted sometimes
26:39
like quite heavily, right? Like it was
26:42
mixed with water not only to reduce the
26:44
potency but also because it made the
26:47
water safer to drink.
26:50
So, you know, what people were consuming
26:52
then wasn't equivalent to modern wine,
26:56
let alone hard liquor or cocktails or
26:58
drinks that are specifically engineered
27:00
to have a stronger effect. Right? And
27:02
that matters if you ask me, because
27:04
context changes how we interpret what we
27:07
are reading.
27:09
Because what we've done in modern
27:10
culture is take something that existed
27:12
in a completely different form, in a
27:14
completely different context, and then
27:15
use it to justify something that
27:17
operates super differently today.
27:20
and we've turned it into a recreational
27:22
tool. We've we've turned it into
27:24
something associated with relaxation and
27:26
escape and social ease and honestly an
27:29
alteration of mood.
27:32
And that
27:34
that's just simply a very different
27:36
function than what you see modeled in
27:37
scripture. So when people are like,
27:39
"Well, Jesus turned water into wine."
27:41
The assumption underneath that is that
27:44
what he created is directly comparable
27:46
to what we're consuming now. And that's
27:49
just not historically or culturally
27:51
accurate. I mean, even beyond the
27:53
historical and cultural differences, you
27:55
also have to look at what that
27:57
particular moment actually represents
27:59
because, oh, Jesus turned water into
28:01
wine. It's often used as just like this
28:03
blanket justification without any
28:05
consideration for the context or
28:07
intention behind him doing that. Okay?
28:09
When he did that, he wasn't endorsing
28:12
excess. He wasn't modeling a lifestyle
28:14
centered around the consumption of wine.
28:16
The miracle took place in the context of
28:18
a wedding celebration as a sign,
28:23
new wine,
28:25
right? Something that was revealing his
28:27
glory,
28:28
not something that was establishing a
28:30
pattern of behavior for people to
28:32
replicate without discernment.
28:34
I mean, you know, if we're going to use
28:36
that logic consistently, right? Then we
28:39
would also have to say that when he
28:41
multiplied bread and fish, he was
28:43
endorsing overconumption,
28:45
you know, and gluttony of food.
28:48
But we know that's not the point of that
28:49
either.
28:51
So provision is not permission for
28:54
indulgence. And I think that's where
28:56
people kind of like just cherrypick this
28:58
account to pacify their own conscience,
29:01
you know, by taking a moment that
29:02
reveals something about who Jesus is and
29:04
then turning it into a justification, a
29:07
justification for something they really
29:09
want to do. But the thing is like
29:11
nothing about that miracle suggests that
29:14
the purpose was intoxication
29:17
or about altering people's states or
29:19
about meeting a need within a cultural
29:21
setting in a way that honored the
29:23
moment. It was about meeting a need
29:26
within a cultural setting in a way that
29:27
honored the moment without promoting
29:30
excess.
29:31
Not about you being a wine mom who's
29:33
just entitled to it after a hard day.
29:36
You know, and obviously at no point in
29:39
scripture do you ever see Jesus leading
29:41
people into anything that would dull
29:43
their awareness, right? He would never
29:45
want to compromise your clarity or move
29:47
you away from self-control.
29:50
Everything about his ministry points in
29:52
the total opposite direction. So to take
29:55
that one moment
29:57
and use it as a defense for modern
30:00
drinking without accounting for the
30:02
difference in substance and the
30:04
difference in purpose and the difference
30:05
in outcome
30:07
is frankly just to read something that
30:09
that the text simply does not present.
30:12
Especially when again the alcohol
30:14
content itself was totally different in
30:16
the miracle he produced
30:18
then rather than whatever we're
30:21
consuming that's being manufactured
30:23
today.
30:25
Which you know
30:27
that fact really speaks to all the more
30:30
reason
30:32
why
30:33
what we consume in this day and age does
30:36
in fact make you spiritually vulnerable
30:38
and open doors to demonic influence.
30:40
Because no, it's not the same wine that
30:42
Jesus transformed from water.
30:45
Biochemically, it's just not. And I
30:47
mean, beyond the composition, you have
30:49
to look at the intent. Nothing in
30:51
scripture presents alcohol as a means of
30:53
escape. Nothing presents it as something
30:55
you use to cope or take the edge off or
30:57
to loosen up or to alter your emotions.
30:59
Like, and if we're being honest, that's
31:01
exactly how it's used now, even in its
31:04
most socially acceptable forms.
31:07
So, it's not about what it is or isn't.
31:09
It's about what it is being used for.
31:12
Right? You can take something that
31:14
existed in a neutral or even functional
31:16
context and then repurpose it into
31:19
something that serves a completely
31:21
different role in your life. And to that
31:23
point, you're no longer just dealing
31:26
with a biblical precedent. You are
31:27
dealing with a modern practice that
31:29
needs to be evaluated on its own terms.
31:31
So again, this isn't about denying that
31:33
wine existed in scripture or that they
31:35
drank it in scripture. It's about being
31:36
honest about the fact that what we're
31:39
interacting with today is not the same
31:41
in strength or the same in purpose or
31:43
the same in cultural function. Right? So
31:45
the point is if we're going to use
31:46
scripture as our standard, then we have
31:49
to be careful to not project our current
31:51
habits back onto the text in a way that
31:54
makes it say something that was never
31:55
intended to say in that way. Which even
31:59
still
32:02
doesn't necessarily make that cocktail
32:04
at dinner a sin. No.
32:07
But I think that would beg the question,
32:10
well, how much is too much then?
32:13
What counts as crossing into something
32:15
you shouldn't? Is it a certain number of
32:17
drinks? Is it a feeling? Is it a level
32:19
of impairment? And what I have found is
32:21
the more you try and answer that, the
32:23
more you start to realize there's not a
32:24
clean objective line. There really
32:26
isn't. Because what feels like a little
32:28
too much to one person might be a whole
32:32
lot to someone else.
32:35
One drink for someone might make them
32:37
drunk. One drink for someone else might
32:39
not. So like you know what one person
32:41
tolerates
32:43
might impact someone else immediately.
32:44
Biochemistry is just different.
32:47
Tolerance is different. Environments are
32:49
different. All these things are
32:51
different. So now you're dealing with
32:53
something that's
32:55
really subjective, but you're trying to
32:57
treat it like it's a fixed boundary.
32:59
Back to the fact that drunkenness is the
33:01
technicality here, right? So this is
33:03
where I'm like
33:05
feels like kind of just breaks down a
33:08
bit, right? Because if the standard is
33:09
something that you have to constantly
33:10
measure and interpret and adjust in the
33:12
moment, then you're not operating from
33:14
clarity. You're not operating from that
33:16
place of vigilance that we've been
33:17
talking about. You're operating from
33:19
estimation. Like you're literally
33:21
guessing.
33:23
You are relying on your own perspective
33:25
in a state where your perception is the
33:28
very thing that's being effective. So,
33:29
like that just creates a situation where
33:33
the line doesn't sit as clearly as you
33:35
wish it would in front of you. It just
33:37
kind of moves. It kind of shifts. And
33:40
so, it becomes easier to justify
33:42
crossing because you can always tell
33:43
yourself you're still within a
33:44
reasonable range until suddenly you're
33:46
not. And by the time you recognize that,
33:48
well, like too late. You're past the
33:50
point you've been trying to avoid. So
33:53
that's why this idea of trying to live
33:55
right up against a boundary like that
33:57
just it just doesn't hold up in practice
33:59
because you're building your standard
34:00
around something that just isn't stable
34:02
to begin with. And more than that,
34:05
you're placing a lot of trust in your
34:07
own ability to self-regulate in a
34:09
context that by its very nature makes
34:12
self-regulation harder. You know, that's
34:15
the paradox is that you're depending on
34:17
your judgment at the exact moment that
34:18
your judgment is being biochemically
34:21
altered. And when you really think about
34:23
it like that, it stops feeling wise to
34:26
build any consistent lifestyle around
34:28
it, right? Because now the question is
34:30
not can I stay within the line. Now the
34:32
question is why am I comfortable putting
34:34
myself in a position where the line is
34:36
actually really super duper unclear to
34:39
begin with?
34:41
Especially when the cost of getting it
34:43
wrong isn't like theoretical. It's real.
34:46
It is a sin and it does affect your
34:47
clarity and your decisions and your
34:49
responses and your awareness in a way
34:50
that you don't always fully recognize in
34:52
the moment which again can open doors to
34:54
demonic influence. And that's why for me
34:56
this stopped being something that was
34:57
even worth navigating anymore. Not
34:59
because I couldn't figure it out, but
35:01
because I I I don't need to. It's a
35:03
waste of time. You know, when something
35:05
requires that much constant cal like
35:08
calibration just to stay on the safe
35:11
side, it's probably not something that's
35:13
actually contributing to my life in any
35:15
meaningful way.
35:18
Let's just call a spade a spade.
35:21
I know so many of you hate hearing this
35:22
and I totally get it because there was a
35:24
time I didn't want to hear any of it
35:26
either. But man, when you just break
35:28
down the layers beyond is it a sin? I
35:30
mean, you really just like what does it
35:33
leave you with other than conviction.
35:35
Honestly,
35:36
speaking of conviction, kind of coming
35:38
back around the barn, the whole thing
35:39
with my husband, you know, another one
35:41
of these huge layers within the
35:43
conversation regarding alcohol is the
35:46
reality that your your decisions don't
35:48
exist in isolation. You know, whether
35:49
you realize it or not, the way you live
35:51
is constantly communicating something to
35:53
the people around you. And it's not just
35:55
in what you say, it's in what you
35:56
normalize. And scripture does take that
35:59
seriously. You know, in Romans 14 and in
36:02
1 Corinthians 8, there's this repeated
36:04
emphasis that even if something isn't or
36:08
is rather even if something is
36:10
technically permissible, that doesn't
36:12
make it beneficial in every context,
36:14
especially if it has the potential to be
36:18
a stumbling block for something else. So
36:21
now, whoops, the standard expands
36:23
because it's not about what you're okay
36:26
with doing. It's about what it may be
36:28
reinforcing in someone else
36:31
because not everyone's coming from the
36:33
same place, right? Not everyone has the
36:35
same history or the same vulnerabilities
36:36
or the same levels of freedom. and and
36:39
something that feels completely
36:40
manageable for you could be the very
36:42
thing that someone else is trying to get
36:43
free from which means your harmless
36:46
participation may not be harmless in the
36:49
bigger picture which I mean like that
36:52
requires a level of maturity that goes
36:54
beyond personal liberty because real
36:57
maturity isn't just knowing what you're
37:00
allowed to do. It's knowing when to not
37:02
exercise that freedom for the sake of
37:04
someone else.
37:06
It's literally choosing love over
37:09
preference and recognizing that your
37:10
influence whether large or small carries
37:13
weight. And this became real, really,
37:15
really real for me, not just in my
37:17
marriage, but in my walk with God.
37:19
Because like I said earlier, there was
37:20
already convictions forming in me
37:22
internally, even outside of what I was
37:24
navigating with my husband, right? There
37:26
was already this like quiet awareness
37:29
that this wasn't something I needed in
37:31
my life, even if I could technically
37:33
justify it.
37:36
And that me as a leader, as a teacher, I
37:38
am held to a higher standard. That's
37:40
what the Bible says. And my maturity in
37:42
the faith wasn't measured whether or not
37:46
this was an issue that violated my own
37:48
consciousness.
37:49
It was measured by whether I was
37:52
actively loving my neighbor as myself
37:54
and being a good example to my brothers
37:56
and sisters in the faith. You know,
37:58
someone could see me out and not know if
38:00
that was my first or my third.
38:03
They see me, Angelus Scaffiti, host of
38:05
Heaven and Healing Podcast, the
38:06
Christian YouTuber who casts demons out
38:08
of people and baptizes 50 people once a
38:11
month drinking at dinner.
38:16
And they might think, "Oh, maybe it's
38:18
not that big of a deal. She's like so
38:19
godly."
38:21
That could lead them down their own road
38:22
of destruction. All because I didn't
38:24
care whether or not I was the example by
38:29
which someone else stumbled.
38:33
Like the Lord really showed me how much
38:35
that matters to him.
38:38
It matters a lot to him. We're called
38:40
brothers and sisters. We're called a
38:42
body. We're called to exhort and uplift
38:44
one another and build each other up and
38:45
to not be stumbling blocks for another.
38:48
And so because it matters to him, it
38:49
started to matter a lot to me. Like at
38:52
the end of the day, I just have too
38:53
great a responsibility to my brothers
38:55
and sisters to have an apperal spritz at
38:56
dinner. Like I just do.
38:59
And so when you pair that internal
39:01
conviction with the reality that my
39:03
choices could indeed impact someone
39:06
else, I I couldn't hold on to it
39:08
anymore. There was a decision required
39:11
of me because I had to ask myself like,
39:12
am I committed to my own preferences or
39:14
justifications or am I committed to
39:16
walking in a way that protects other
39:18
people and leads by example? Like again,
39:22
James 3 makes it clear that those who
39:23
teach will be judged more strictly,
39:25
which means it's not just about avoiding
39:27
obvious wrongdoing. It's to not even
39:29
give off the appearance of evil like
39:31
Thessalonians says. It's about being
39:32
It's about the example that you're
39:34
setting whether you intend to or not
39:36
because people don't just listen to what
39:38
you say. They watch what you permit and
39:40
they take cues from what you do and what
39:42
you normalize. So yeah, I had to be
39:44
honest that even if I didn't personally
39:46
struggle with alcohol, even if I could
39:48
just stop at one, even if I if it I
39:50
could just do that at dinner without
39:51
becoming an issue for me across the
39:53
board, that doesn't mean it wouldn't
39:55
become an issue for someone else that
39:57
saw me out in public doing it. Someone
39:59
that's new to the faith, someone that's
40:00
coming out of addiction, someone who
40:02
hasn't yet developed the discernment to
40:04
navigate these kind of gray areas. And I
40:05
never want to be the reason someone
40:08
feels justified stepping back into
40:11
something that God is trying to pull
40:12
them out of. And that matters to me more
40:16
than a moment of enjoyment.
40:18
It matters way more than a moment that
40:20
my flesh loves.
40:22
Cuz at the end of the day, like it's not
40:24
just about what I'm free to do. It's
40:26
about what my freedom might cost someone
40:28
else. And if the cost is even
40:31
potentially that high, then for me, no,
40:33
not worth it. So yeah, all of this this
40:38
is where for me
40:40
it stopped being about what I was giving
40:42
up and started becoming about what I was
40:44
choosing
40:45
cuz at the end of the day alcohol it
40:47
does not just exist as a neutral thing
40:49
sitting on the table. It it actually
40:51
offers something and that's why people
40:53
go to it right and and I don't mean that
40:55
it offers you something
40:58
functionally or or or or culturally or
41:02
socially. It offers you something
41:05
intrinsically
41:07
as a promise to take the edge off, to
41:09
help you relax, to make you feel more at
41:12
ease, more confident, more confident,
41:14
more open, more free, more whatever.
41:17
It's a false identity. It's a
41:19
counterfeit. And and if we're being
41:21
honest, that's the real reason most
41:23
people defend it so strongly is because
41:25
they've experienced the effect. I've
41:28
experienced the effect. Okay, but here's
41:30
the problem. Everything it offers is
41:32
temporary, right? A and everything it
41:34
mimics is something the Holy Spirit is
41:36
meant to produce authentically and
41:38
sustainably. Peace and rest and joy and
41:41
boldness and freedom.
41:44
Alcohol doesn't create those things. It
41:46
stim it simulates them rather. And it
41:49
does so in a way that bypasses
41:51
transformation entirely because instead
41:54
of actually becoming more patient, you
41:57
just feel less irritated, right? Instead
41:59
of becoming more confident, you just
42:01
feel less self-conscious. Instead of
42:03
becoming more at peace, you just feel
42:05
less aware. And not only that, but it
42:07
also counterfeits connection with
42:09
whomever you're sharing the experience
42:11
of drinking with because you're being
42:14
bonded over the chemical reaction, not
42:16
the spirit of God. So, it's producing a
42:19
false sense of relational awareness that
42:21
actually cannot exist without that
42:23
emotional lubricant. Right?
42:26
Like alcohol doesn't actually change
42:27
you. It just dulls you. And that's a
42:29
completely different mechanism than what
42:32
God is trying to do in your life because
42:34
the work of the spirit is to renew your
42:36
mind and to strengthen your inner man
42:38
and to produce real fruit that remains
42:40
even when your circumstances don't
42:42
change. But alcohol works in the
42:44
opposite direction 10 times out of 10
42:46
because it alters your state without
42:48
ever transforming your nature. which is
42:50
exactly why it's so appealing because it
42:52
gives you a shortcut to a feeling
42:55
without requiring the formation that
42:57
actually sustains it. But you see,
43:00
anything that gives you the appearance
43:03
of something God wants to produce in you
43:06
without actually leading you to him is a
43:08
counterfeit.
43:10
So, this is where it all connects back
43:13
to what we've been talking about because
43:14
now it's it's not just about wisdom or
43:17
boundaries or influence. It's about
43:19
substitution.
43:21
What are you turning to? What are you
43:23
relying on? What are you using to
43:27
regulate your emotions or your stress or
43:29
your comfort? Because if there's
43:30
anything in your life that you
43:31
instinctively reach for to take the edge
43:33
off instead of going to God, that's
43:36
something worth examining a lot more
43:38
seriously. And again, I'm not saying
43:39
this from a place of judgment. I am
43:40
saying it from a place of clarity, from
43:42
a place of been there, done that. And
43:44
once I began to see this for what it
43:46
was, it changed how I saw the whole
43:48
thing.
43:50
Alcohol wasn't just unnecessary in my
43:53
life. It was competing in my life.
43:57
But I don't want substitutes.
44:00
I don't want something that mimics what
44:02
God can give me when I have access to
44:04
the real thing. And I think that's where
44:06
this ultimately lands because when
44:08
you've truly encountered the presence of
44:10
God, you realize you don't need
44:12
something external to help you feel what
44:14
he already produces internally. And to
44:16
that point, it's not about restriction.
44:19
It's about recognition
44:21
because when you see it differently, it
44:23
loses its appeal.
44:26
Hey, all that said,
44:30
none of it has even began to mention the
44:32
terrible health effects it has on your
44:33
body, which God calls the temple of the
44:35
Holy Spirit, which you are called to
44:37
steward and honor and glorify him
44:38
through. Because this isn't just
44:40
spiritual in theory, like this is in
44:42
like physical in reality, too, that what
44:45
you put in your body matters and how you
44:46
treat it matters. And the way you care
44:47
for it or neglect it says something
44:50
about how you view what God has given
44:52
you. And alcohol, no matter how
44:54
normalized it is culturally, has very
44:56
real, very measurable consequences on
44:58
your brain and your liver and your
45:00
nervous system and your hormones, like
45:01
it's not neutral. So now you look at it
45:03
from every angle. Spiritually, it dulls
45:05
you. Physically, it or practically it
45:08
blurs boundaries. Relationally, it
45:10
becomes a stumbling block. Physically,
45:12
it works against your body. So at some
45:14
point, you have to ask yourself like,
45:16
what am I holding on to?
45:19
This is a lot bigger than is it a sin?
45:21
Okay. it's not building you up. And if
45:23
it's not building you up, if it's not
45:25
drawing you closer to God, if it's not
45:27
strengthening your mind or your body or
45:28
your temple or your spirit, then what is
45:30
the real benefit? And more importantly,
45:33
why is it so hard to let go of?
45:36
Because that question will reveal more
45:38
than anything else. Not the question of
45:40
is it a sin, but why can't I let it go?
45:44
Why do I feel the need to defend it? Why
45:45
do I want to justify it? Why does the
45:48
idea of laying it down feel like a loss
45:50
rather than a gain?
45:53
And whatever your answer is, that's
45:56
where the real conversation is. So,
46:00
there's that. Okay. This isn't about
46:02
creating a new rule or drawing some
46:04
man-made line that everyone has to
46:06
follow. This is about inviting you right
46:08
now watching this into a higher level of
46:09
awareness, a higher level of conviction,
46:11
and ultimately a higher level of
46:13
freedom. Okay? Because when you stop
46:16
looking for permission and you start
46:18
pursuing alignment, everything changes.
46:22
You stop negotiating with things that
46:24
don't serve you. You stop holding on to
46:26
things that compete with what God is
46:27
doing in your life. And you stop
46:29
settling for substitutes. And so
46:31
therefore, you start walking in a way
46:34
that's actually clear and steady and set
46:37
apart. Because guys, at the end of the
46:39
day, you don't need anything external to
46:41
take the edge off of what you've already
46:43
been filled with the Holy Spirit.
46:47
You don't need something to relax when
46:49
your peace comes from him. You don't
46:51
need something to make you feel free
46:52
when you've already been made free. And
46:54
once you really understand that, not
46:55
just in your head, but in your life,
46:56
this stops being a hard decision and it
46:59
becomes an obvious one. Amen.
47:02
So, I want to pray for you. I want to
47:05
pray for you on this matter. I want to
47:07
pray against the spirit of addiction and
47:08
I want to pray for your freedom. But
47:09
first, I want to encourage you. Please
47:11
like this video. Please help this video,
47:13
hype this video, please subscribe to the
47:15
channel because it does help the
47:17
channel. It does help get this into more
47:19
eyes and ears. And please comment your
47:22
thoughts down below and keep this
47:24
conversation flowing and share it with
47:25
someone that needs to watch it too. If
47:28
you are blessed by this platform, if you
47:30
are blessed by the mission of heaven and
47:32
healing to help people to to just break
47:36
off these demonic chains in the name of
47:38
Jesus Christ, then you can become a
47:39
monthly partner by scanning the QR code
47:42
on the screen. Or you can sew a onetime
47:44
financial seed through Venmo, Cash App,
47:46
PayPal, or Stripe. And you're going to
47:48
find all those links down below in the
47:49
pinned comment. If you grow here, then
47:53
sew here. That's all I'll say. Instagram
47:55
is Angela Marice Kafiti where you can
47:57
find me most of the time. Let me pray
47:59
for you. If you're ready to renounce
48:01
this, just just repeat after me. Say,
48:02
"Lord Jesus, I repent for I repent for
48:05
substituting what you have given me with
48:07
the counterfeit of alcohol.
48:11
I renounce every spirit of addiction.
48:15
I renounce every spirit of alcoholism.
48:18
And I renounce every generational curse
48:20
of addiction and alcoholism."
48:24
Any door that I have opened through my
48:28
participation in drinking, I close now
48:30
in the name of Jesus. And God, I ask
48:33
that you would take it from me. I
48:35
surrender it to you, Lord. I lay it on
48:36
the altar before your feet now in the
48:39
name of Jesus.
48:43
Now, I'm just going to call this out
48:44
really quick in you. Spirit of
48:46
addiction, spirit of alcoholism, you
48:49
have been renounced. I bind you and I
48:51
command you to come out in the name of
48:53
Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord. I want
48:55
you to say this now, too. Say, I
48:57
renounce every spirit of self-rejection
49:00
and I renounce every spirit of
49:02
rejection.
49:04
Cuz often times, we don't realize it,
49:06
but it's those spirits that open the
49:08
doors for vices like this.
49:12
So, say, "Spirit of rejection, spirit of
49:14
self-rejection, get out of my life. I am
49:16
adopted. I am chosen. I am loved by the
49:18
most high God.
49:24
Spirit of self-rejection out in the name
49:26
of Jesus. Every spirit of rejection I
49:28
command you out in the name of Jesus.
49:31
All rejection, self-rejection,
49:32
alcoholism and addiction, I bind you in
49:34
one place and I command you to come up
49:36
and out of the belly right now in the
49:38
name of Jesus Christ. And you, some of
49:41
you are like heaving. You just need to
49:43
let it out. You just need to let it
49:44
happen. Let it come out.
49:48
All rejection go in Jesus' name. All
49:51
addiction go in Jesus name. Who the son
49:53
sets free is free indeed. Holy Spirit,
49:55
would you just come and anoint your
49:57
child with a fresh filling, a fresh
49:59
baptism of your spirit, of peace, of joy
50:02
that surpasses all understanding.
50:06
Seal the work that you've done today,
50:08
Lord.
50:09
Thank you for the fruit of self-control.
50:11
Thank you for the fruit of love and
50:13
kindness and gentleness that abounds in
50:15
them as they abide in you, Lord.
50:18
We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
50:20
Amen. Thank you guys for watching.