“Never Become Weighed Down”

 
 What else can we do to resist the spirit of the world? When Jesus admonished his disciples to “keep awake,” he had just warned them of some specific dangers. “Pay attention to yourselves,” he said, “that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare.”—Luke 21:34, 35.
 
 Think about that warning. Did Jesus condemn the enjoyment of food and drink? No! He was aware of Solomon’s words: “I have come to know that there is nothing better for [the sons of mankind] than to rejoice and to do good during one’s life; and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.” (Eccl. 3:12, 13) Yet, Jesus knew that the spirit of the world promotes a lack of self-control in those areas.
 
 How can we be sure that the world’s spirit has not poisoned our senses as to the dangers of overeating or heavy drinking? We might ask ourselves: ‘How do I react upon reading counsel in the Bible or in our publications about gluttony? Am I inclined to dismiss this admonition as irrelevant or extreme, perhaps offering excuses or justification for my ways? What is my view of the advice about alcohol, using it—if at all—in moderation and definitely avoiding “drunken bouts”? Do I minimize such advice, feeling that it for some reason does not apply to me? If others express concern about my drinking, do I become defensive or angry? Do I encourage others to downplay such Bible counsel?’ Yes, a person’s attitude is a gauge as to whether he is succumbing to the world’s spirit.—Compare Romans 13:11-14.