No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matthew 6:24
As we consider this question, let's turn to the Bible for our answer. Matthew 6:24 says, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The first line tells us that man cannot serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. The Biblical answer to the question is an obvious NO! But for me, that wasn't always the case.
I drank my first sip of alcohol at the age of 13. Like a fish hooked to a line, helpless and doomed, I became addicted to this new idol in my life. Everywhere I went, I would attempt to have my older friends or acquaintances get me a drink. My parents did not approve, so I kept it a secret to the best of my ability. By the age of 16, I had a steady stream of friends who would buy whatever I wanted. The wages I made from my first job largely supported my newfound habit.
The mornings after each intoxicated evening (mainly weekends), I would wake up with a pounding headache, an irritable demeanor, sleep exhaustion, horrible breath and body odor, smelly clothes, etc. In the misery of those moments, I would think to myself, "This needs to stop!" Yet I turned back again, and again, and again, and again, and again throughout the years, following me into marriage and fatherhood.
By and large, in our marriage, the drinking had slowed considerably, but I still drank steadily; after work, on weekends, when friends came over, etc. There was a desire by this point to be free from the bondage, mainly for financial reasons, but the peer pressure to fit in with my friends was great!
I had begun reading my Bible daily, and slowly but surely, the Word of God began to have effects on my whole life. And yes, that included my alcohol habit. I could no longer not be guilty when I had a drink! So I got rid of 95% of my stock, thinking that would help my guilt, but I kept one bottle of Captain Morgan in a secret hiding place in the closet. I stopped drinking regularly- only drinking occasionally- and even began speaking out against it publicly. I thought this would appease God, because surely God doesn't think just one drink is a sin. After all, Jesus turned water into wine, right? I understand now that I felt this way because my heart still secretly enjoyed these sinful desires.
One evening, as I sat reading my Bible before bed, I came across Proverbs 23. The very moment I read from verses 29-35, God opened my eyes and allowed me to see myself. These verses compare the sting of alcohol to the bite of a poisonous snake, which will make a man to lust after other women and speak perverse things. I saw very clearly that evening that no matter how I tried to twist what I read, I was exactly what those verses describe. No matter how I looked at it, drinking alcohol fueled my lustful eyes, similar to gasoline being poured onto a fire! With my heart pounding in fear and trembling at what I had read, I immediately rose to my feet and went to the hiding place. I grabbed the bottle of Captain Morgan and showed it to my wife. We renounced it in the name of Jesus and poured it down the drain before discarding the bottle in the trash!
I praise God today for opening my eyes and showing me how He sees the sinful nature that is associated with alcohol! I give God the glory for delivering me from this bondage; without Him, I was a walking blind man.
As you read this proverb, do you ponder why the writer would refer to a serpent? The cunning beast that the devil used to deceive Eve, now writhingly slithers into the hearts of humanity, deceiving them with "Oh, it is OK, Jesus turned water into wine." My friend, how similar does this sound to the deception offered to Eve? "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened..." (Genesis 3:4-5)
I have a question I would like you to ponder as you consider yourself before the judgment seat of God after this life is past: Are you willing to allow a fleshly desire to determine your eternal destiny? 1 Corinthians 15:50 is very clear, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
I do understand that this means more than alcohol. This means our old sinful flesh must be crucified, and we must have a new birth that replaces the carnal desires of our old sinful heart with a newfound desire to serve God!
Here is what the Word of God says about this subject.
Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”
Isaiah 28:7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”
Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!”
1 Corinthians 6:10 “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3,5-7 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God....Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
I trust you can find this to be an encouragement, and if it brings any conviction to you, I encourage you to repent and give your heart to God!
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