Invaders in the Temple

The Bible teaches us to be sober-minded, and to not allow ourselves to be controlled by something other than the Spirit of God. In Ephesians 5, we can read:
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...

It is helpful to consider what we are allowing to control us - if our lives are not under the control of the Holy Spirit, then we become vulnerable to the schemes of the enemy, who comes to steal our life, to kill our joy, and destroy our witness.  God calls us to live the surrendered life, submitting our decisions to His Lordship and applying His principles to the actions we take.  He wants to free us from a polluted heart, soul, and body so that we might enjoy the glorious liberty that He offers.

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To setup the statistics that I will be sharing on this "Survey Thursday," I wanted to share a passage
from Proverbs 23, which describe potentially harmful effects from alcohol consumption:
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things.

Ephesians tells us to not be drunk with wine, but filled with the Spirit.

There is a recent survey that examines the degree to which residents of cities across America consume alcohol.  A ChristianHeadlines.com story examines the findings.

The story says that this "new study by 24/7 Wall Street" "examined the percentage of adults who report binge or heavy drinking within the past 30 days."  Here are the definitions:

Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks on a single occasion for women and five or more for men. Heavy drinking is “eight or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more for men,” according to the study.

There were 381 metro areas that were part of the survey.  The Midwest section of the country had the highest number of "drunkest" cities, and the South had the fewest.  In fact, 4 out of the top 5 "drunkest" cities were in Wisconsin:  Green Bay at #1, where 26.5 of adults drink to excess, followed by Eau Claire, Appleton, and Madison.  The Fargo, ND-MN metro area was fifth.

According to the report, the metro area of Provo-Orem, Utah was first among the "driest" cities, with 8.5 of adults drinking to excess.  That area was followed by St. George, UT, Beckley, WV, Jackson,  TN, and Charleston, WV.  In Alabama, Gadsden placed #12 among the driest and Dothan was at number 20.

The Bible, especially in the Proverbs, addresses harmful effects associated with alcohol.  And, current statistics bear those out.  The article says:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 18 percent of American adults regularly binge drink. According to the CDC, bring drinking is associated with more than average unintentional injuries, car crashes, violence, sexual assault, STDs, chronic diseases, cancer, and memory and learning problems.

This study can cause us to think about certain elements of the Christian life.  The Bible teaches that we are to be controlled by the Spirit of God, and we must be careful to not let something else take control of our faculties.  Ephesians 5 directs us to be filled with the Spirit.

1st Corinthians 6 teaches us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We can be careful to consider the effects of what we place into our bodies and even our minds.  Again, if we allow something to control us other than God's Spirit, we become vulnerable to impulses and actions that are not consistent with the truth of God.   And, furthermore, our devotion to care of the temple involves a commitment to a healthy diet and God-honoring lifestyle.  We are called to be stewards of what has been entrusted to us.

Finally, as the CDC indicates, the violation of Biblical principles leads to personal and communal degradation.  Those who have suffered loss as the result of alcohol abuse, perhaps at the hands of a drunk driver, or who have seen the deterioration of a marriage or family relationship as the result of alcohol, can testify to the importance of following the principles of the Scriptures regarding this notion of caring for our temples, our "house" that God desires to inhabit and control.