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Author: Scott

The Long Dark Night

And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 2 Samuel 12:16 When at the bottom of my addiction, in the darkness of realizing that I had killed everything good in my life, it was difficult to see any light. The world was black, and hope was a joke. It was in…
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Forgiveness and Consequences

The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless . . . the child who is born to you shall die. 2 Samuel 12:13,14 Someone recently asked me if forgiving meant forgetting. I don’t think the question was about literally forgetting, but rather, Does forgiveness mean we are supposed to live as…
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Who Is the Villain?

Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” 2 Samuel 12:7 After watching the most recent superhero movie, my son was irritated that the story made us sympathize with the villain. The identity of the villain was never in question to us – he was the one attempting to kill half the world – but from…
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Lie, Cheat and Steal

Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die. 2 Samuel 11:15 For the addict, intoxication is only part of the problem. The drug use is certainly caustic behavior, but for it to continue, the addict usually must lie, cheat and steal.…
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Kryptonite and Compromise

David . . . saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 2 Samuel 11:2 Years ago, I met a retired physician near the end of his life, which was hastened in no small part, by his drug addiction. He did not want to address the issue directly, but still, he…
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Dancing in Church

David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 2 Samuel 6:14 I do not dance. It makes me uncomfortable, not physically uncomfortable, but self-conscious – everyone is looking and pointing – uncomfortable. I just cannot get past the insecurity of feeling like I’m making a spectacle of…
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We All Want the Shortcut

Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul . . . 2 Samuel 4:8 My son and I are planning on running a long race this fall, which requires us to start preparing now. I long to know the fulfilment that will come from training for the next five months. I just don’t…
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Fear of Tomorrow

When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. I Samuel 28:5 As much as I would like to have it all together, I still struggle with this one. In my drug addiction, I was constantly afraid of what tomorrow would bring. Withdrawal, discovery, and consequences were always…
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Resentment and Revenge

Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. I Samuel 24:4 I won’t go into the details, but once, someone whom I felt had previously offended me, came to me, requiring my assistance. I gave it, but inside, I gloated a…
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When God Wants Me to Sin

God has given him into my hand . . .I Samuel 23:7 When I want something badly enough, but my conscience says no, I must either choose not to do the thing or I must manipulate it, selling it to my conscience. In the case of my drug use, it was not that hard. I…
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