I am often asked, "HOW will I know what God's will for me is???." The "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous says, "...that it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that as time passes our thinking will be more and more on the plane of inspiration We come to rely on it." Inspiration is defined as, "the thoughts of God implanted in the mind and soul of man." Once the thoughts of God hit our souls we do not need to run it by our intellect to know it is indeed the Truth.
Although we are not yet capable of turning our will and our life over to the care of God in Step Three, we are capable of making a decision - a final choice - to do so. Deciding from this day forward we are willing to overturn our thought processes that are propelled by our human instincts in order that they may be ruled only by the will of God - which is received through inspiration.
If you have already made that decision, may God bless you and may He keep you. If you have not, perhaps now (this moment, right now) would be the time for you to make it... to turn your thoughts and your behaviors over to the care of God and begin to live a life of peace and a life of pure, unimpeachable joy.
Written By Armand
This is a question which, as you point out, is both immediate and ultimate. "Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will for us into all of our activities," The Big Book tells us. But how do we get that vision and from where? In my experience, I have made many mistakes in trying to envision that vision, to create it for myself. Thus, my own will has repeatedly intersected with His Will for me. I was befuddled by ignorance and arrogance. In a sense, I was still powerless even after many years/decades in AA. Only by integrating all Twelve Steps into my life in such a way that they became my life was I able to know anything for sure. The definition of a decision as a "final" choice in The Third Step was the key to unlocking all the gifts of the remaining Steps. It was within that process that I found The Power Within me. Awareness of and conscious contact with That Power is absolutely certain. All that remains is my power to carry it out. A one day at a time commitment.
ReplyDeleteMichael appreciate how you laid out your experience...Thank you...Armand
DeleteGod, could and would if he were sought. I have made a decision to turn my will and life over to the care of God. I am seeking knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry it out. In the uncertainty and difficulty I have to be reminded to trust and know that God is within me. I continue to pray and meditate, to be still and believe.
ReplyDeleteOne day at a time, I am learning how to be, to connect and be present. I know that lack of power is my dilemma and that I need God’s strength and power. I am turning my thoughts and behaviors over to the care God. I ask that he remove what is blocking me and to help me find that inner peace and joy that I know is deep down within me.
Jessica continue your journey, a day at a time...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand, another great topic.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how far along the path I have traveled, Gods will too often seems the diametric opposite of my own. Always inconvenient and never focused on what I think He should think is the right spin for the planet, and... surrounded by an overriding fear of the impending loss of some person, place or thing that I have invariably put in His place and upon the seat of His throne. Although my conscience readily agrees with His revelation I become paralyzed by the fact that to overcome this newly revealed form of slavery requires internal power I simply don't possess.
Devine will requires Devine power and anything less is tantamount to trying to climb a rungless ladder with the expectation of reaching the roof. The source of that power is clearly contained in the back half of Step 11, "praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out." That power has turned out to be, for me, the "grain of a mustard seed of faith" called "willingness." Willingness to leap from the burning building of a misspent life and, more importantly, never trying to reenter it. Willingness to make prayer and devotion the primary fuel for a life now centered on God's eternal paradigm which begins with completely abandoning my own best efforts and humbly seek His..
a Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic love when you wrote " Divine will requires Divine power...Thank you...Armand
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