“Why I Stopped Drinking Alcohol”- Osinbajo

Yemi Osinbajo, the former vice-president, has revealed why he stopped drinking alcohol.

At the recent edition of the Biazo leadership and empowerment summit in Maryland, USA, Osinbajo said he once believed he could drink alcohol as a Christian, citing the biblical account of Jesus turning water into wine.

He said he regularly consumed “red wine and beer” despite being born again, and had planned to continue until a personal experience in Mogadishu, Somalia, changed his perspective.

He recounted that after preaching at a fellowship, he planned to take alcohol home but stopped at a restaurant where he met colleagues who quickly hid their drinks after seeing him, saying it was out of respect for his role as a priest.

“I was very convinced that I could drink alcohol. Jesus turned water into wine, so why not? There are many scholars who would say the wine was not alcoholic, but as far as I was concerned, Jesus turned water into wine,” he said.

“So I liked my red wine and beer every once in a while. I had already made up my mind that I would continue taking wine despite the fact that I was born again.

“On this particular Sunday, I was coming back from a fellowship where I had preached, because somehow they made me the pastor of the fellowship. On my way back, I was hoping to buy myself two bottles of Heineken and go to my room to read my Bible.

“So, I was coming back from the fellowship, and there were many restaurants in the UN compound in Mogadishu. I went into a particular restaurant and saw many of my colleagues from different countries sitting down, drinking beer.

“As soon as I came in, they all started hiding their drinks. So I went over to one of the guys in my office, a Danish man, and I said to him, ‘Why are you hiding your whiskey?’ Then he responded, ‘You know you are the priest’.”

Osinbajo said that moment made him reflect on his position and behaviour. He added that it led him to the conclusion that while some things may be permitted, not all are appropriate, and that he stopped drinking from that day.

“It occurred to me immediately that there was nowhere I could be drinking there. It became very clear to me that, without a doubt, God was saying to me that while all things may be lawful, not all things are expedient. From that day, I have not touched alcohol,” he said.

Source: The Cable

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