The Lord says, "This guy is an alcoholic".
There is a first time for everything. About 10 days ago, I met a muslim man and we spoke about alot of significant spiritual issues. At one point during the discussion, he left for a few minutes and when he came back, the Lord says, "This guy is an alcoholic". As a muslim, this guy isn't supposed to drink at all, but I just had a very strong sense from the Lord that he had a major drinking problem.
I didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends, and so I waited until an opportune time to see if I had heard from the Lord correctly. I ran into him again tonight and he was walking alone to go and buy cigarettes. I knew this was the opportunity I had been praying for. I asked if I could walk with him and he agreed.
While walking, I said, "you drink alcohol don't you". He said, "yes, I do". I then asked him if he felt he had a problem with his drinking. He said he didn't. As he began to tell me why he drank, which was to "escape from his problems", I knew that his addiction was real. I explained to him that the Lord had shown me that he had a problem and that if he ever wanted to stop drinking, then I could help him. He said, "Why would I ever want to stop drinking"? Definitely not the response you would expect from a muslim man!!
He didn't think the Lord gave me the insight into his drinking. He thinks I figured it out all by myself, even though I only seen him 3 times in a cafe where the topic was never raised. I made the offer again as we parted that if he ever wants to stop then I could help him. May this offer of freedom capture him. May he ponder it in his heart. May he like a modern day Nicodemus call me "in the night" and know that as a follower of Jesus I've "come from God" to help him (John 3:2) find freedom from his addiction and his sin.
I didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends, and so I waited until an opportune time to see if I had heard from the Lord correctly. I ran into him again tonight and he was walking alone to go and buy cigarettes. I knew this was the opportunity I had been praying for. I asked if I could walk with him and he agreed.
While walking, I said, "you drink alcohol don't you". He said, "yes, I do". I then asked him if he felt he had a problem with his drinking. He said he didn't. As he began to tell me why he drank, which was to "escape from his problems", I knew that his addiction was real. I explained to him that the Lord had shown me that he had a problem and that if he ever wanted to stop drinking, then I could help him. He said, "Why would I ever want to stop drinking"? Definitely not the response you would expect from a muslim man!!
He didn't think the Lord gave me the insight into his drinking. He thinks I figured it out all by myself, even though I only seen him 3 times in a cafe where the topic was never raised. I made the offer again as we parted that if he ever wants to stop then I could help him. May this offer of freedom capture him. May he ponder it in his heart. May he like a modern day Nicodemus call me "in the night" and know that as a follower of Jesus I've "come from God" to help him (John 3:2) find freedom from his addiction and his sin.
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