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Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Matthew 6:9 Most AA meetings begin with a reading of the 12 steps and other customary AA writings. When I first began attending meetings, I paid attention as it was all new. As time passed and as the readings became routine, I started…
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When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Matthew 6:5 Whenever I speak at some function, there’s always one or two encouragers who approach me after to tell me what a…
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When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Matthew 6:2 Occasionally, someone struggling with quitting drinking or using, will, out of frustration, ask for advice. I usually ask them what they are doing to quit.…
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You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 I’ve always struggled with being a little – sometimes a lot – overweight. It’s honestly been good for me. I want to be fit, so I’ve had to work at eating right, failing often, and I’ve needed to exercise. I now honestly…
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He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 I admit it. I’ve asked God to help my football team win. He certainly knows they need the help. At the time of my prayer, winning was just such an important…
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Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:44,46 In high school, I had a lot of friends and was pretty likeable, but still, I was socially awkward.…
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You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38-39 In any addiction, the one enslaved is intensely…
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And do not take an oath . . . Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”. Matthew 5:36-37 Once, during an encounter with an addict who was trying to sell me on some business transaction, I realized that almost everything he said was a lie. I wasn’t offended, I was just incredulous as…
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It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery . . . Matthew 5:31-32 It’s not uncommon to hear Christians discussing this passage, speculating on whether…
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If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29 To know addiction is to know despair. Whether it’s food, drugs, pornography, or affirmation, the thing we once enjoyed…
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