Month: June 2018

Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.  2 Chronicles 18:12 Integral to sobriety is a family/social support structure that encourages recovery. Watching men leave prison then, only to go back to a drug-filled environment, is painful. I know their chances of staying sober – and out of prison…
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You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak. 2 Chronicles 12:5 Whenever I have followed some destructive desire, my conscience has initially objected. Don’t do this. Because I want it though, I override my conscience with excuses. The protest of my conscience is uncomfortable, but I need not worry. With repetitive…
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If my people humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 A friend recently asked me if God changes our appetites. As we follow God, do our destructive desires go away? Or…
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If they repent with all their heart and with all their soul . . . 2 Chronicles 6:38 I have desired to change something about myself – and prayed about it – a thousand times. I’ve actually succeeded at changing habitual, destructive behavior only a handful of times. If I want to be successful in future…
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If you seek him, he will be found by you . . .1 Chronicles 28:9 The simple story of my life, is that I usually find whatever I pursue. When I chase the twisted desires of my own nature, I find its destructive consequences. Indulging in my appetite for drugs led to addiction, loss, and…
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It is I who have sinned and done great evil.” 1 Chronicles 21:17 Whenever I have been confronted with my destructive behavior, I have always attempted to minimize, justify and deflect, in an effort to avoid responsibility. When my first chemical dependency counselor told me then, that my addiction was a disease, just like brain cancer,…
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Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1 There I was again the other night, in the kitchen, with a handful of M&Ms. You’re going to exercise in the morning. You deserve this. You know you want it. Just one handful. Eat it. Though it’s funny with M&Ms, that same…
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Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  1 Chronicles 16:23,24 In the throes of my addiction, if you had tried to help me, I would likely have pointed out your flaws. Why don’t you…
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Go and tell my servant David, “Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in.” 1 Chronicles 17:4 Suffering from nostalgia, I experience some grief when almost anything ends. I love to visit childhood haunts and I tell my poor family the same stories over and over. I…
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Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you. 1 Chronicles 17:2 Does God want us to be happy? I’ve encountered two answers to this in church. I’ve heard some well-meaning Christians insist that we should pursue our desires because ultimately, God just wants us to be happy. Contrarily, I’ve heard others…
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