June 23

“But they also have erred through wine…” Isaiah 28:7

Judah had fallen prey like Israel to the mind-robbing, sin-encouraging vice of drunkenness. Sadly the enslaving habit had found its mark even with the priests and the prophets who were intended to be beacons of God’s direction to the people. Their erring while in this intoxicated condition, included failing to discern the direction of God, and being unable to correctly judge matters. What an indictment against God’s people that Isaiah should be able to point at their lives being so devastated by sin, initiated and continued while under the influence and in the stupor of strong drink! Drunkenness is forbidden and deemed a sin in the bible, and for good reason! It robs reason from the mind and causes many to pursue and fulfil the sinful tendency of their flesh even more readily. It has always been at the centre of social deterioration in every culture and civilization of the past, and accompanied every degradation and moral failure that humans are capable of. In our present modern and so-called civilised western world, it is one of the main contributors to social problems. Alcoholism is associated with many serious and life threatening medical conditions; responsible for poor performance in the work place, and creating a host of complications and severe setbacks for people in various relationships. It is often at the centre of domestic violence, driving offences and many other crimes and socially abusive behaviours. It pollutes every area of organised, societal living, ruining and destroying the fabric of our cultures and undermining our ability to work and behave responsibly. Alcohol abuse affects the drinker’s life, his immediate environment, family and work, and the overall society the drinker is a part of. God visited stern judgement on His people for their abuse of strong drink and the resulting sinfulness. It is important as Christians, that we take note of the things which caused God’s hand to fall in punishment in the past, both in our lives and in the lives of others, learn from those mistakes and lessons, and determine to stand strong against anything that can be offensive to the Lord. As believers we have been given the Spirit of a sound mind - God’s Holy Spirit, which causes us to live holy and grants us a clear and sober mind as to moral and spiritual issues. Anything that can cloud, inebriate, intoxicate and distort our thinking and emotions is not holy, and cannot be tolerable before the Lord! We are to avoid such aberrations and keep to the trueness of love, faith and holiness God has prescribed for us. When we present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable unto Him, we are acting in a manner pleasing unto the Lord and are doing what is our ‘reasonable service’ to God!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

June 14

 “…Abide not in the hold…” 1 Samuel 22:5

There is a time for everything. David had been escaping Saul and hiding among foreign people. This supplied relative protection for a while, but the advice came from God through the prophet not to abide ‘in the hold’, meaning in hiding, any longer. It was time for David and his band, to be among his own people, where he might be known, recognised and eventually accepted as national leader. God has a plan, and when a man is willing to follow God’s direction and advice, he usually finds out that the Lord’s plan, however different, inconvenient or unusual it may be, is always the best course of action. David could have reasoned it was unwise or inexpedient, to expose himself at this time, when his life was in serious danger; when he was considered a fugitive, and when his associations amounted mostly to those who were in debt, discontented and distressed! Yet God’s direction was clear and David was accustomed to obeying and following God. He trusted God’s reasons and plans. He was confident that God would not direct him into action, without due protection and purpose. Among the people of Judah, David would be able to show his love, interest and protection for his brethren, a fact which would later prove significant in his days as king. Also in the open and in his own country, he would not be seen by his fellow citizens, as the deserter and conspirator he had been made out to be, and Saul would be less likely to pursue David and threaten his life here among his own people. There had been an appropriate time for escape and obscurity, but now God was directing otherwise. We may not always understand all the details of God’s will and direction from the onset, but if we remain sensitive to the guidance of His Holy Spirit, we are sure in due course to understand more of God’s will and purpose. By following Him in faith and obedience, and walking a holy and yielded life, we are best positioned to receive the blessings and rewards He has in store for us.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion