Month: December 2020

It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial. Acts 23:6 I wrote recently of how powerful it is to say to the one still struggling, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like. Simply having been there isn’t all it takes though. To truly help,…
Read more

And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” Acts 23:5 Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, the addict still thinks he knows the right way. Frequently, in treatment centers, I’ll explain a principle…
Read more

And he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” Acts 22:21 I don’t love large social gatherings. I prefer small groups of people. If I were invited to a dinner party of 20 or 30 people, I’d rather not go. The weird thing is, I’d want to be…
Read more

And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.” Acts 22:19 Whenever I’ve got a chore that I don’t want to do, I put it off, making excuses as to why I shouldn’t do it yet. If I’ve got some free time…
Read more

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Acts 22:16 In my drug addiction, I just always planned to quit using – tomorrow. Every bottle I got and every pill I took was supposed to be the last one. I’d tell myself that I’d…
Read more

What shall I do, Lord? Acts 22:10 I’ve known those whom God instantly and miraculously delivered from their addiction. Those I know who’ve experienced this would be the first to tell you that they still have other struggles – they aren’t perfect – but God did perform an instantaneous miracle regarding a specific addiction. This…
Read more

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women . . . Acts 22:4 To truly find recovery, I had to stop using drugs, but that wasn’t all. If I really wanted to live by faith, experiencing authentic recovery from the old life, I had to turn from…
Read more

After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Acts 21:19 I still attend a weekly recovery meeting. It helps keep me on track and it’s one way in which I can also help others. When we meet, we discuss our successes and failures…
Read more

And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” Acts 21:14 Whenever I see someone going through a trial, it’s usually my first impulse to want to relieve the discomfort. In the clinic, it’s my job to help those in front of me. In other…
Read more

For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 21:13 Before I had a drug addiction, I had other self-destructive appetites that needed to change if I truly wanted to live by faith. The problem with those other problems though, is…
Read more