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Day 334, or November the 30th. Always be under

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the influence. Our thoughts today come from Ephesians

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chapter 5, verse 18. Do not get drunk on wine

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which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled

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with the Spirit. First, the big picture surrounding

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this verse. Paul gives us loads of great practical

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advice towards the end of his letter to the church

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in Ephesus. He tells us to be united and gifted

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by God, to get rid of the old self and put on

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the new self, given to us by Christ. We are to

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be filled with the Spirit and be godly husbands,

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wives, parents and children. In the last chapter,

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Paul gives us those marvellous words describing

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the armour of God that will protect us from the

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evil one. But only when we put it on. And now

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today's action step. It seems drunkenness is

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a big problem in 21st century Britain, but frankly

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I can remember growing up in the 1950s when I

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regularly witnessed men staggering home after

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a good night out. I suppose the main difference

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between then and now are that it's not televised

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or printed in the newspapers, and it was primarily

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men, whereas it's both male and female now. I

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have deliberately not said men and women, because

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many of the offenders are too young to be described

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as such. Why is it that particularly today people

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drink cheap alcohol in order to get drunk and

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then go to the pubs and clubs for a good time?

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I believe it's because everyone knows that we

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are not complete. We are not all we should be,

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and something needs to be added. I'm sure you

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will have heard what I heard years ago that we

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all have a god -shaped holiness that can only

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be filled completely by god we believers need

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to be filled with his spirit and under his influence

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in order to be complete we brits usually like

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to be in control of ourselves but that's not

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what god wants he wants us to be so influenced

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by him that we will live a richer life than we

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could ever live without him. Whose control are

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you under today?