To the ALCOHOLIC, the Potter loves you.

To the ALCOHOLIC, the Potter loves you.

Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. (NIV)

            Noah, a preacher of righteousness, had been saved along with his wife, three sons and their wives, from the destruction of the earth when God sent a massive flood. Man had become increasingly wicked from the time when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden. Some of the angels, who had been kicked out of Heaven along with Lucifer, took for themselves human wives. The offspring that were created by this union were known as the Nephilim, otherwise known as giants. Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (NIV) This type of union was never supposed to take place. This devil’s intentions were to have a planet full of corrupted DNA because he knew that promise of the Savior to come to earth through a human bloodline. God felt that His only option was to wipe out the entire earth, with the exception of Noah and his family to start all over again.

            Upon leaving the confines of the ark, Noah farmed the land and planted a vineyard. When the grapes became ripe, Noah made himself some wine but became drunk. The drunkenness had overtaken him where he laid naked and exposed in his tent. Genesis 9:21 When He drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. (NIV) Ham, one of Noah’s sons and the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and spread the word to his brothers. The other brothers went inside the tent and covered up their father without looking at his compromised position. Upon waking and finding out that Ham had spread the word of his father’s shame, Noah pronounced a curse upon him. Genesis 9:25 …he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (NIV) Ham was cursed not only for what he had done, but because of what Noah had done to himself. Drunkenness caused a curse to be upon Noah’s own descendants, for at which he too was to blame.

          Many people suffer from the sinful effects of alcoholism. Drinking too much alcohol has caused many problems in today’s society. Families have been torn apart, innocent people have been killed, careers with promise have been lost, babies with alcohol related birth defects have been born, and the list goes on and on. Those who suffer from alcoholism not only do a disservice to themselves, but to those with whom they are connected to. Proverbs 23:30-31 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! (NIV) The bottle is often used to drown out inner pain, only to add to their problems instead of solving them. This has led to many seeking treatment from rehabilitation centers, therapists, Alcoholic Anonymous, and other services that offer to give them the help that they need to recover.

            For many, the services rendered are helpful in aiding the alcoholic’s rehabilitation and then for some, they go through the process only to return to the bottle again. Each time they slip back into former habits, it may become harder and harder for them to recover. As a result, they slip back into the darkness to find themselves lower than they were before. Proverbs 23:32-33 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind will imagine confusing things. (NIV)  Yet, there is help! The Potter aims to restore the alcoholic where the need of dependency is no longer in a bottle, but total reliance upon HIM.

            If you or someone you know is an alcoholic, the Potter does not wish to beat you or that person up for your mistakes and weaknesses. He desires to help you understand that whatever ails you, He can heal. Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (NIV) If you are suffering from pains of the past, the Potter can help you forgive. If you do not feel good about yourself, the Potter wants you to know that He created you to be unique and if you look through HIS lenses, you will see the excellence that He placed on the inside of you. Should you feel that you are not loved, the Potter wants you to know that He loved you so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for you. That’s how much He loves you. If you feel lonely, the Potter is there to walk life’s journey beside you and many times, when you felt as if you were walking alone…He was carrying you. Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (NIV)

            The enemy uses alcohol for many people to keep your mind in a delirium where the Holy Spirit cannot enter. He wants your mind to stay as far away from God as possible so that he can keep you bound to sin. John 8:34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (NIV) Alcoholism is like a chain with a ball – you can never be free until you decide to break the chains and let go of the ball, which in this case, is alcohol. The Potter can help you with the restoration process once you decide to let Him into your heart. You cannot do this alone. Your faith has to be in God in order to bring order once again to your life. Alcohol cannot fill the void and heal the pain like the Potter can. He will pick up your broken pieces and restore you like new. All you have to do is reach out to Him, ask Him for His help, and allow Him to do the rest. Will the process be easy? No! No type of rehabilitation ever is, BUT with God, all things are possible. Once you submit fully to the Potter and allow Him to replace your taste of alcohol for that taste of Living Water, your life will never be the same. Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. (NIV)