#soberminded

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Verse of the Day - 1 Peter 5:8-9

[rootedmedic95]

“But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” ~2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are 4 powerful statements here.

1.) Always be sober-minded.

A sober, clear mind is primarily the result of Holy Spirit at work in my life.

Without Holy Spirit’s influence, I will be governed by a deceitfully wicked heart, out of which flows all sorts of big, messy emotions that can easily twist me up in lust, anger, depression, foolishness, etc in accordance with the priorities and desires of my flesh and the world around me. On my own, my mind will be intoxicated with every whim and desire that feels good and seems right, “but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:25, Isaiah 53:6).

By contrast, Holy Spirit produces things like peace, patience, gentleness, self control, wisdom, and understanding. A sober mind is the result of Godly wisdom in light of God’s Truth.

2.) Endure suffering.

The NLT says “Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.” Suffering is such an integral part of following Jesus. If I am not suffering—either from crucifying my flesh daily (Luke 9:23, Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Galatians 2:20) or from being persecuted for the cause of Christ (2 Timothy 3:12, Matthew 5:10, 1 Peter 4:12-14, Luke 6:22, John 15:20)—then I should stop and evaluate if I am actually following Jesus.

3.) Do the work of an evangelist.

This refers to the vocation of a full-time evangelist, which is what Timothy was. Not every Believer is called to be a vocational evangelist, but every Believer has been commissioned to be a witness of Jesus Christ and herald the message of the Gospel through our words, actions, and lifestyles. When people interact with me, do they recognize Jesus in me? They should. Do I praise God for His blessings in my life, or do I assign credit to my own efforts, luck, fortune, my boss, etc?

4.) Fulfill your ministry.

The word ministry here refers to active service done with a willing, voluntary attitude; Spirit-empowered service guided by faith for the benefit of others and the glory of Christ. God designed us to serve in His Kingdom through things like

good works (Ephesians 2:10)

gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 1 Peter 4:10)

vocations (Colossians 3:23)

praise and worship (Psalm 100:2-4, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 13:15, Revelation 19:5)

giving thanks and showing gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Hebrews 12:28, Psalm 95:2, Psalm 136:1, 2 Corinthians 4:15)

holiness and sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9)

surrendering every aspect of life to be used by God for the glory of God (Colossians 3:17,23; James 4:15, 1 Corinthians 10:31)

Whatever task or ministry God has assigned us, we should do it wholeheartedly and carry out to the fullest extent of the assignment according to our capacity. “Well done” is not based on how my performance compares with my neighbor or my rival. “Well done” is based on how intimately I know Jesus, and how fully I surrendered my life to His service.

[discoveringmedrinkfree]

Day 17

Day 17. It feels like forever since I’ve had a glass of wine, and at the same time, it feels like I just quit yesterday. It’s weird, there’s a small window of every day when I want it so bad. I have this internal dialogue with myself going back and forth about why I shouldn’t drink each day. I have to remind myself of what happens after “a glass of wine”. 

I miss it when I get dinner started mainly. I’m usually alone prepping and cooking, which is totally fine, I love it. But that’s when I’d also love my wine. It’s my decompression time, a zone where I can create a lovely meal and actively do something nurturing for my family. And having wine somehow made me feel like I was (and I know this sounds stupid) cultured, or mature, or just a normal adult cooking in her kitchen and enjoying a beautiful glass of wine. 

Trouble is, for me, that glass would turn to two glasses, then three... then I wouldn’t be hungry anymore. I’d want to keep drinking instead. I’d watch my family eat and feel satisfied that they enjoyed my creation. But I wouldn’t eat it. After they were done, I’d finish the bottle. Then open another. I may eat later, or just snack on crappy chips instead. This happened all the time. Never could I simply enjoy a glass or even two of wine, with dinner. Nope. I had to drink the entire bottle, and then some, in lieu of dinner.

So that’s what I remind myself everyday when I crave it. I ask myself if I really want to go down that rabbit hole of drinking the bottle, maybe more, then waking up at 3 am full of anxiety and regret (along with a headache, dry mouth, and queasy tummy), and having to start all over again with Day 1. 

No. I absolutely do NOT want to go down that rabbit hole. I do not. 

I’m hoping that over time, that craving hour will subside, no longer exist. Right now it feels scary and doubtful that I’ll never drink again. So I tell myself, at LEAST make it through January and reassess. At the very least. But I’m shooting for 100 days.... which I do hope that by that time, I will be at a point where I can see how good it is without wine at all, and not want to ever invite it back in. 

I’m not a moderator. I can’t imagine ever just drinking one glass of anything. I just don’t see the point, to be honest. 

So day by day, one day at a time, I will choose my new herbal teas in my new Ninja coffee/tea maker. I’ll enjoy sweets. I’ll enjoy hot yoga. I’ll do anything at all that will keep my mind off that glass of wine. Because it does pass. The craving comes but it does also go, and so I have grown to trust that, even with just 17 Days. 

[discoveringmedrinkfree]

Old Habits Die Hard

36 years.

It was 36 years ago I started drinking. I remember it quite clearly. Although I don’t recall exactly what prompted the action, I do remember the actual drinking part.

In 8th grade I was really tight with a few friends. We hung out most days, all weekends, and talked constantly. On one particular Friday we were at one of their houses and for whatever reason, we dared ourselves to raid her parents’ liquor cabinet. I remember us running to it and falling over each other in excitement and fear as we opened the doors. We looked for the bottles most full so it would be harder to tell anything was missing.

Can you guess what we tried first? 

Gag. Peach Schnapps. And I think a little bit of whiskey. Double gag.

But we liked it! Something about the warmth going down, the tingle in our throat. The lightheadedness it caused. We giggled, OH how we giggled. Lol. 

Her mom would be returning home soon, so we packed up our stuff and walked down to our other friend’s house knowing these parents would be out on the town. We wanted to keep the liquor cabinet raid going, and so we did.

From that point on, stealing and stocking up liquor and beer from our houses became our secret mission. We would save up for parties, weekends, or nights hanging out at the school playground. We had so much fun! The laughter and pee our pants memories are times I’ll never forget. 

I didn’t realize it then, nor do I think I’d care if I had, but that behavior so early on would leave a blueprint on my brain for years to come. To me, to us, drinking made things fun, created laughter and wild memories, and formed bonds that couldn’t be broken. It also gave me courage in social situations, allowed me to speak and move freely in public where otherwise I was so incredibly and painfully shy I could barely breath. Sure, in the safe privacy of homes with my closest friends I could be my silly, goofy self. But at parties or with other kids from school I didn’t know well, it’s like a cat literally had my tongue and I felt oh so self-conscious. 

Alcohol became my crutch for anything social from then on. There was no question of whether or not I would drink, it would simply be a decision of what and how much.

I was thinking of this today as I read “Blackout. Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget” by Sarah Hepola. Much of her story felt so familiar, and I found myself thinking back to how my drinking habit started. I’ve beat myself up many times for not being able to say no to a glass of wine. After promising myself NO MORE at 3 am but at 5 pm twisting the cork off a fresh bottle. Today, thinking, gee I have no early plans tomorrow, it would be a good night to drink. But no. I’m not ready to throw the towel in just yet. It’s only Day 4. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been too hard yet. But I know it’ll get there.

I’m just noticing how easy it is for me to revert to old ways of thinking though. Not only with drinking, but so much else. Today I noticed my anxious brain thinking of 1. Starting a new diet (after years of recovering from disordered eating, dieting and over exercising), 2. Starting a new program for a new career  3. Becoming a yoga instructor (??) and 4. impulsively opening a bottle of wine. 

I tend to be all or nothing. Starting big feats are my old go-to. Intense dieting was my jam. When I calmed those things down, drinking showed up more. 

What’s all that about??  I guess that’s what I’m attempting to find out. Who am I without all the things to take up my mind space? Who am I in this moment? Why must I jump forward and think of things to keep me busy and occupied? Why do I hate on myself for not doing enough, accomplishing enough? Ever? 

36 years. This is gonna be a hard habit to break. Those brain grooves are DEEP. But I’m hanging in there today. 

[jtull777]

Just got to this part as I'm reading through the Bible in #luke21 and it's great timing really... I appreciate being #soberminded tonight because the alternative can take you off track too easily. Gotta stay focused and in the right mode to get the stuff done that needs a doin! Reminds me of that verse of 'who the Son sets free is free indeed'... #john836 Also, love that 2nd part of after Jesus was done in the day at the Temple he was hanging out at the Mount of Olives at night...lol...makes me think of our @olive.church nights :) https://www.instagram.com/jtull777/p/CXFslCWLZ5F/?utm_medium=tumblr

[pinkcloudcoach]

I am a proponent for the true meaning of sober. . Sober is not defined by abstinence but by being . .Steadfast .Calm .Good-sense .Sound mind .Temperence . And of course that would mean not being drunk and unavailable to common sense. . We are not given notice ahead of time that we are needed or that an event is about to take place which will need our full attention and ability to navigate details that could be life-altering. . You can make peace with the seductive desire to just. shut. down. without leaving you constantly thinking about drinking or not drinking. Again, a preoccupied mind is not clear. . Sobriety - addiction, alcoholism, abstinence, and recovery are not required to “BE SOBER.” . #soberrevolution #besober #soberminded #whollysober #soberintentions #lifecoach #author #theprimeddrinker #spiritualwarfare #beawake https://www.instagram.com/p/B40VTxvJsma/?igshid=1vz9d2v05t9t

[anaprose]

You Do You. I'll worry about Me. Thx. Eternally, an outsider. 🌹 ❤️ 🌎 🎶 🐾 ☕ ⚽ 📸 #besober #sober #soberminded #outsider

[ciscobegay]

#sobriety #alcohol #soberminded #mindovermatter #leader #mission #power #overcomer #livinglife