by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n
You’ve made progress, my friend. You are willing now to admit that you are using drugs. You’ve given up hiding it. That is a step in the right direction, but only a small one because you are still hiding from those who love you truly and sincerely. If you are waiting until you conquer addiction, you’ll fail because you are depending on yourself. If you need proof, look at your “success” in controlling your addiction so far.<\/p>\n
You’re failing because you are going at it alone. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).<\/p>\n When a rope is made each thread wound into a cord is fragile by itself, but supported by other equally fragile cords it becomes strong. Wind three of those cords together and it becomes very hard to break.<\/p>\n Every one of us is fragile in the face of temptation. The strength in being a Christian isn’t found in yourself but in the love and interaction with your brethren. “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:15-16). If you succeed it won’t be because you conquered sin all by yourself.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSearching for My Friend\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All By Myself by Jeffrey W. Hamilton You’ve made progress, my friend. You are willing now to admit that you are using drugs. You’ve given up hiding it. That is a step in the right direction, but only a small one because you are still hiding from those who love you truly and sincerely. If…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25976,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-65663","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65021,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/plot-to-kill-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":0},"title":"Plot to Kill Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Plot to Kill Jesus Text: John 11:47-12:11 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The leading Jews are becoming concerned \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus is performing so many signs that they cannot argue against Jesus \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If it continues they fear the people will believe him, allow the Romans to come in, and they will lose their position. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":936,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/keys-to-understanding\/exclusions-and-hypotheticals\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":1},"title":"Exclusions and Hypotheticals","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Exclusions and Hypothetical Arguments \u00a0 \u201cThe same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: \u2018Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65658,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/perfect\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":2},"title":"Perfect","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Perfect by Jeffrey W. Hamilton In my life, I've met people who never came to God because they demanded perfection of themselves. If they could not be absolutely perfect from the start, then they decided it wasn't worth beginning. They never started because they could never reach perfection. \"If we\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6665,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/job\/elihu\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":3},"title":"Elihu","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Class 9, Chapters 32-34 Chapter 32, Elihu 32:1\u2014even if we are correct on a point or in a discussion, we can render ourselves ineffective with the people we\u2019re talking to if we seem to be righteous in our own eyes. 32:2\u2014Job\u2019s big problem and ultimate dilemma are why Elihu is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65046,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/show-us-the-father\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":4},"title":"Show Us the Father","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Us the Father Text: John 14:7-31 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus stated by knowing him they now can say they know the Father \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Philip stated it would be enough for Jesus to show the Father to them. He preferred first hand evidence. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus scolds Philip for not understanding him, despite being with him\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":917,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/keys-to-understanding\/reasoning-without-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":65663,"position":5},"title":"Reasoning Without Truth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Reasoning Without Truth \"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God\" (II Corinthians 4:2). You can prove anything when you start\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65663\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}