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On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst . . .Zephaniah 3:11 The addict spends a tremendous amount of time wallowing in his own shame. He hides his destructive behavior and when he’s around…
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The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail . . . Zephaniah 3:5 For the addict, waking up every day to the same wretched reality, simply becomes routine. What was once voluntary and pleasurable, has now, like a cancer, consumed all…
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Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. Zephaniah 3:4 I heard this line the other day. God put this desire in my heart. I won’t go into details, but I was pretty sure this desire came, not from God, but from this individual’s fallen nature.…
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Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction . . . Zephaniah 3:1-2 On a recent winter hike in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I found myself in unfamiliar territory, underdressed, contending with a recent snow. The trail was well-marked though, and…
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Before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility . . . Zephaniah 2:2-3 As a teenager, I recall thinking that the adults around me were naturally mature and that I would automatically get…
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I will punish the men who are complacent . . . Zephaniah 1:12 Those who find a genuine recovery, but then go on to relapse, often have a similar story to tell. At first, in the midst of some misery, the addict vows to change, and he does . . . for a while. He may…
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I will stretch out my hand against Judah . . . those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom . . . Zephaniah 1:4-5 In my addiction, I claimed to believe one thing, while behaving in a manner completely contrary to that belief. I would love to say that my hypocrisy…
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Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines . . . yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18 For most of us, when we’ve caused ourselves some significant misery, turning to God in that misery is natural. When in…
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What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Habakkuk 2:18 Step two of the Twelve Steps states that as addicts, we must come to believe that only a power greater than us can…
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Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink. Habakkuk 2:15 By the time I left college, I’d been wrestling for most of my life, being instructed by someone else on when and how to exercise. Frankly, I was tired of it. I looked forward to doing what I wanted, when I wanted. As it turns out…
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