Month: September 2021

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Every time I used pills, I promised myself it was the last time. Consumed by guilt as the high wore off, I’d sink into this remorseful, shameful state where I’d clench my fists,…
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Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 2 Corinthians 12:8 There’s no reason I should feel depressed. I’ve got a great life. I feel guilty for feeling this way. I’ve heard statements like these many times from those who wrestle with depression or anxiety for no apparent reason.…
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If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 2 Corinthians 11:30 In general, boasting is an annoying behavior and most of us find it off-putting when someone tells us how wonderful they are. Pride is an ugly thing that we despise in others, even while we indulge in it…
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 Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13 One of my greatest life problems is that I’ve often impulsively followed my appetite without considering the cost. In high school and college, I’d overeat because I wanted to, and then I’d struggle to make weight for wrestling. I understood that overeating would be a…
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For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 When I ask the guy in jail or treatment about his last relapse, he usually admits it began long before he consumed the first drug.…
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Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 2 Corinthians 11:7 Working in addiction medicine, I regularly meet those who desire recovery but who also don’t want to change too much. They want to be sober, but when…
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But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Looking back to the first time I obtained and abused opiate pain medications, I had no idea of the calamity that I’d create in my…
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For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2 As with most weddings you’ve attended, my wife and I exchanged vows when we got married. We can’t go back and watch it, because we accidentally taped a…
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Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:17 Seven years ago today, I was sitting in treatment for my addiction to opiate pain medications. Someone recently asking about the story suggested that…
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But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. 2 Corinthians 10:12 While in high school, I was the tallest one in my family. My son now towers over me, but back then, I was the tallest. So, if I compared myself to my immediate household…
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