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So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Jeremiah 18:3-4 There is a well-known phrase that addicts use…
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The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 Yesterday, at jail Bible study, I floated this idea to the guys. Just follow your heart. They all laughed, but it was not a funny-laugh. It was a that is stupid-laugh. They know what Jeremiah knew when he wrote today’s passage:…
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Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength . . . Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord . . . Jeremiah 17:5-8 The problem with the addict or alcoholic is that he follows his diseased appetite above all. Enslaved to his flawed desires, his addiction makes the decisions,…
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Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy . . . Jeremiah 15:16 Every day, when I step on the scale, it measures the sum of dietary choices, for my entire life, leading up to that point. What I weigh today is a product of what I’ve eaten…
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Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? . . . They are both stupid and foolish . . . Jeremiah 10:7-8 As an addict living in recovery, it’s easy to become frustrated with those who are still addicted. Believing that I’ve dealt with all my problems, I tend to look down on those…
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Let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me . . . Jeremiah 9:23-24 Four years ago yesterday, I left chemical dependency treatment with questions about who I was. Was I a doctor…
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Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Jeremiah 6:15 When you talk about attempting to eat right as much as I do, people notice what you eat. At work, when I lose control and eat a donut, I hear about it from everyone…
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They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us’ . . . Jeremiah 5:12 None of us starts out searching for the painful consequences that follow our destructive addictions to drugs, porn, food, anger, or money. In the beginning, we indulge just a little, knowing…
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Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God . . . Jeremiah 3:12-13 I can’t read today’s passage without remembering my own childhood experience…
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You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:1 As a Christian and physician, I feel that I should speak the truth in love, always being professional and kind. There are times though that loving, kind words just don’t get through. In my addiction, polite did…
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