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But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was…
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Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21 My wife loves those home renovation shows where they take an old, dilapidated house and, in the span of 60 minutes, transform it into something new and amazing. I see the…
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Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19 I once nearly got into a physical altercation with a buddy . . . while arguing about church politics. The problem – beyond our collective stubbornness – was…
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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:17-18 I…
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Author’s Note: Today is a first. Today, I’ve got a guest writer – My wonderful wife Barb. Thanks for writing Barb!   The house was clean, the kids were playing quietly, I had a beautiful table set and dinner smelled delicious. We were just waiting for the guest to arrive. The doorbell rang, and as…
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But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  James 1:14-15 Back in my teenage years I had a mullet. My mom wanted me to cut it for my…
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But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. James 1:14 After eight years of sobriety, I’m occasionally asked if I still struggle with cravings for my old pills. Particularly when I speak of the power that drugs once had over me, others want to know if some…
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Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 In my addiction, I prayed for God to take away my self-destructive appetite for pills. My idea of faith and recovery was that I would ask…
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The sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. James 1:11 When I was four or five years old, my older siblings and I went to stay with my grandparents on their…
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But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8…
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