Vital Signs: Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Spirits Or The Holy Spirit?

“Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end, it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper.” - ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭23:29–32‬, ‭NLT‬‬

Proverbs accurately describes a person full of “spirits” (alcohol), which is the opposite of being filled with the Holy Spirit. How can the same word, “spirit,” be linked to two very different substances and experiences? Aristotle is credited with associating supernatural spirits with alcohol, believing that when you drank alcohol, you put spirits into your body. In search of fulfillment, many of us have become trapped in counterfeits, such as excessive drinking or pornography, rather than seeking authentic sexual intimacy. Let’s identify our destructive counterfeits and eliminate them, choosing authentic experiences instead.