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And Saul was very angry . . . He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands . . . ”I Samuel 18:8 While in college, I once listened to a popular athlete brag that he could date any woman on campus. They all want me. I was…
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You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts . . . I Samuel 17:45 As I was contemplating today’s passage about David and Goliath – imagining some contrived metaphor about giants and addiction – a friend…
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The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. I Samuel 16:7 Life is short. Eat the cake. Now, I’m all for embracing life, but I’m pretty sure that this is the kind of thinking that got me into chemical dependency treatment. I lived for…
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The Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:35 Though I never really doubted my responsibility in my addiction, I did see the attraction of believing that God’s sovereignty absolved me of accountability. If God is in complete control, then He chose for me to be an addict. I am not responsible…
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To obey is better than sacrifice . . .I Samuel 15:22 When my addiction came to light, it was painful . . . but liberating. I could finally talk about it without worrying if everyone knew, because everyone knew. Previously, I felt that I was the only struggling Christian, but as I opened up about…
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The Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering. I Samuel 13:12 When in high school, I had a bible verse t-shirt that I wore to wrestling matches. It was my way of doing some advertising for…
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Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them . . .I Samuel 8:9 I can recall several discreet instances, while pursuing my destructive behaviors, that God used others to warn me. You are headed for disaster. You must turn around. I had various responses: I lied, I made excuses, and I told…
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Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. I Samuel 8:5 In the throes of my addiction, I often sought to change the wrong things. Because I was using, I was miserable and depressed, so I went to my doctor to get something for my depression. I hated my life and…
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If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods . . . and direct your heart to the Lord . . .I Samuel 7:3 When I first encountered recovery, my commitment was less than stellar. I sort-of wanted sobriety, but I still wanted to be able to…
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And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 1 Samuel 3:10 Early in my career, we moved into a shiny new Emergency Room, complete with too many bells and whistles. At first, all the alarms were unnerving. Each time one went off, which…
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