OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2021.
THEME: DANGERS OF ALCOHOL III.
MEMORISE:
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! Habakkuk 2:15
READ: Genesis 19:31-38
31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
MESSAGE:
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest hi drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!" Habakkuk2:15
Not only is it sinful to drink alcohol, it is also sinful to offer it to others. I used to think it was alright to give alcohol to other people to drink as long as I was not drinking it until my Father-in-the-Lord preached that It was wrong and he backed it up with the Bible passage above.
The day I heard that message, I got rid of all the alcoholic drinks I kept at home for entertaining visitors because 1 didn't want a curse on my head. In those days, I had friends who were sailors, and whenever they travelled, they brought me all kinds of alcoholic drinks. Some of my other friends knew this and always visited whenever they wanted a drink. Whenever they arrived, they would say " We can't pass the house of the king without saying hello to him". Little did I know that I was the 'king' of alcohol. I thank God that I am now well known for soul winning and holiness.
Habakkuk 2:15 says if a person knows the dangers of alcohol and avoids it, but still gives it to others, then woe unto that person. As such, when you are organizing a party and some people are suggesting that you serve alcohol even though you don't drink, tell them that you don't want any curse on yourself.
If you truly love your neighbors and relatives, you would be persuading them to stop taking alcohol, not offering it to them. The Bible says:
"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts." Proverbs31:6
Are your relatives and friends ready to perish? Do you want to be a tool in the hand of the devil to make anyone perish? If your answer is 'no' then you shouldn't offer anyone alcohol.
When Lot's daughters offered their father alcohol, they thought they were doing him good, but their ill -conceived decision later on created enemies for Israel (Genesis 19:37-38).
KEY POINT:
Offering alcohol to people will bring a curse upon you and ultimately lead to their destruction.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 1-4
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 16: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST.
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.
7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
