Month: January 2022

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Philippians 1:14 While stuck in my addiction, I knew what it would take to get sober, yet I remained completely unwilling to do it. I knew I would need to confess…
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I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. Philippians 1:12-13 Over the years, I’ve met a lot of men who felt they…
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And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ . . . Philippians 1:9-10 While treating those with substance use disorders, it’s easy to err in either…
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It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart . . . Philippians 1:7 Honestly, working in addiction medicine can be frustrating. Patients often don’t show up for their appointments. Relapse and failure are daily realities. It seems that the only clean time that some…
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And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 It can be tempting to believe that because it’s my nature to do something, that it must be right. If God made me like this, he wanted…
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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus . . . Philippians 1:1 It’s not uncommon for the one struggling with addiction to have a distorted self-image. Early on, to avoid his problem, he will dismiss it. I’m not an alcoholic, I just like to drink. Later, when he’s caused a spectacular amount of destruction, he’ll…
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Praying . . . also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:18-20 I can remember asking my father where babies…
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  . . . Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . . Ephesians 6:18 When my kids were little, they thought I could fix anything. Fixing something though, was usually synonymous with simply replacing…
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. . . And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God . . . Ephesians 6:17 Every day, I have a multitude of voices speaking into my head. I must look at my phone a hundred times a day. I sit in front of our TV for at least an…
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. . . And take the helmet of salvation . . . Ephesians 6:17 When I got out of treatment, I was going to go into addiction medicine and save the world. I was naive. I’d just lost a job in the ER due to my addiction. My life and career were a total disaster.…
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