Month: May 2019

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20 As I was on a long drive recently, I contemplated the idea of wanting God to take control of my life. In my addiction, I begged God to just run things.…
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When you fast . . . Matthew 6:17 I don’t like fasting. I’m always hungry anyway, and when I skip a meal, I’m more than doubly hungry. Because this passage was coming up today though, I did try to fast yesterday, making it until only about mid-afternoon before I fell apart. During that brief fast I…
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Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13 It wasn’t easy to attain several years of sobriety, but after several years, it’s easy to become overconfident in my recovery. As I was recently speaking in a local treatment facility, I realized sadly, that most of the addicts there would return to a…
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Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12 It doesn’t take much honesty to admit that I’ve required a lot of forgiveness in my life. Through destructive, selfish behavior, I’ve indebted myself to both God and man, consuming more than my share of grace and mercy. The first thing I do…
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Give us this day our daily bread . . . Matthew 6:11 Like most who are attempting to eat healthy these days, I’ve read much on the evils of sugar and refined carbohydrates. White flour bread is out, and donuts – with sugar, fat, and flour – are from the devil himself. Unfortunately, I crave simple carbohydrates…
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Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 Over a cup of coffee, a friend and I recently recounted our stories of recovery. The details of our addiction were different, until it came to that point where we both realized we were going a new direction. For both…
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Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Matthew 6:9 Most AA meetings begin with a reading of the 12 steps and other customary AA writings. When I first began attending meetings, I paid attention as it was all new. As time passed and as the readings became routine, I started…
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When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Matthew 6:5 Whenever I speak at some function, there’s always one or two encouragers who approach me after to tell me what a…
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When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Matthew 6:2 Occasionally, someone struggling with quitting drinking or using, will, out of frustration, ask for advice. I usually ask them what they are doing to quit.…
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You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 I’ve always struggled with being a little – sometimes a lot – overweight. It’s honestly been good for me. I want to be fit, so I’ve had to work at eating right, failing often, and I’ve needed to exercise. I now honestly…
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