Month: January 2019

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 As addicts, new to recovery, we tend to oversimplify things, clinging to passages that we find comforting or helpful, while ignoring the…
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But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel . . . Micah 5:2 The addict, new to recovery, often finds crippling shame. As the haze of the addiction fades, he begins to see more…
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Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor . . . Micah 4:10 This winter, a buddy and I, along with our sons, formed a curling team and signed up for weekly curling league. We naively hoped that we would be naturals and hopefuls for the 2022 Olympics. Reality has since set…
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They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Micah 4:3 As a Christian addict, living in recovery, I spend a lot of time thinking about right and wrong. Of course, I’m egocentric enough to think that…
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Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us. Micah 3:11 Often, while engaged in a discussion at home that I feel isn’t going my way, whether it’s regarding house paint or gardening, I pull out this conversation stopper: Who’s the Doctor? It’s supposed to remind whoever I’m arguing with…
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You who hate the good and love the evil . . . who eat the flesh of my people . . . and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron. Micah 3:2-3 In his destructive behavior, the addict inflicts tremendous misery, not only on himself, but on those around him.…
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Does the Lord become inpatient? Does he do such things? Micah 2:7 (NIV) Looking back, I can see that anytime I encountered leniency and mercy in my addiction, it didn’t motivate me to change, but rather, only encouraged my behavior. When I was first forced to address my problem, I wanted transformation, but because I suffered…
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Thus says the Lord: behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster. Micah 2:3 It’s become a satirical inside joke in our family. When I ask the kids if they understand why I’m concerned about some…
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If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people! Micah 2:11 When I went through medical training, nearly 20 years ago, we were taught to be quite liberal with opiate pain medications. Studies had supposedly…
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Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. Micah 2:1 Admittedly, I have an obsessive personality. When an idea takes hold in my mind, it’s tough to get out. When I find an activity I enjoy,…
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