Month: September 2020

For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Acts 8:23 A friend was recently telling me of a family member’s struggle with cancer which causes intense pain and will likely take his life. In constant discomfort, he requires heavy pain medications. When I heard the story,…
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Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. Acts 8:22 On my third treatment for chemical dependency, I questioned my faith. Despite claiming that I followed God, I’d followed myself into my addiction. In the midst of my destruction,…
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Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. Acts 8:13 In Christianity, we celebrate transformation. In Christ, our lives are supposed to be changed and we’re then supposed to tell others of that change. What we inadvertently do in church sometimes though, is to give the impression that faith means that…
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But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Acts 8:12 One of the pillars of addiction recovery is meeting regularly with others who are also working on recovery. I know this and I want to…
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But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. Acts 8:9 In the news lately, I’ve read stories about those in positions of significant power who fall victim to their own hubris. Believing they can get…
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So there was much joy in that city. Acts 8:8 We all want to be happy, experiencing a joyful life. No one says, I want to be miserable. Unfortunately, though, many of us do live in a state of chronic discontentment. I would suggest that for most of us who have been miserable, we ourselves…
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And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. Acts 8:6 While in Family Practice residency, I saw my own patients long before I had children. Looking back, I gave out a lot of ignorant advice to young…
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Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. Acts 8:4-5 Early in recovery, when life was still quite a disaster, someone trying – I think – to ease my guilt, told me that my addiction was God’s plan for…
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But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Romans 8:3 After years of struggling with addiction and after multiple treatments and relapses, most of those close to me simply expected me to continue failing. I couldn’t blame them. If my past…
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And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:60 In medicine, when patients say their pain tolerance is quite high, this almost invariably means the exact opposite. Those patients usually have a very…
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