Good morning, my friends! Even though it’s 0-dark:30, I feel great this morning. Right before I fell asleep last night, I asked God to put on my heart the subject he wanted me to write about today. And in typical fashion, when I opened my eyes this morning, his directive was clear. I’m not surprised this subject was illuminated because I have been talking about its importance recently with my clients. But as you will see, the profundity of the message can be viewed as a scriptural truth as well as Step 11 in the Twelve Step recovery program. Standing on this truth as part of our platform of faith will always serve us all well.
“We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.” Every time I read this, as well as the other eleven steps, I am convinced that Bob Smith and Bill Wilson (the founders of AA) were also inspired by the Holy Spirit as they put this program together. The order of the steps, the scriptural foundation of each step, and the methodology contained therein is virtually flawless, as substantiated by the millions of people who have turned their lives around as a result of this approach.
Let’s examine in detail the truths contained in this step. “We sought” means we took the initiative to get into action. God tells us “if you seek me you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:13) And again in John 15:4, “Abide in me and I will abide in you.” In other words, it’s up to us to initiate the process, but God states very clearly that he will join us in our endeavor.
And the way we connect with God is “through prayer and meditation.” Prayer is a time to praise God, a time to give thanks for his many blessings, a time to repent, a time to ask for his wisdom and guidance. The Bible has much to say about prayer. We are told in 1Thessalonians 5:16-17, “Always be joyful. Pray without ceasing.” James tells us, “when you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” (James 4:10); and again in 5:16 he tells us, “the prayers of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.”
Prayer is our way of communicating with a loving God who wants nothing more than to hear from us. But communication is a two way endeavor. We pray to him giving thanks; asking for wisdom and guidance, or perhaps we are petitioning God. That’s our half of the endeavor. But the second part of the engagement is “meditation” – taking time to listen to what God has to say. And how many of us actually take time to do that? We are told in Joshua 1:8: “God says to meditate on His word day and night so we will obey it.” The psalmist says “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). It is imperative that we also take time to listen as well as to speak, as directed in Psalm 46:10, “Just be still and know that I am God.”
The step goes on saying “to improve our conscious contact with God”. I believe the key word here is “conscious”, meaning we initiate the communication with a purpose in mind. Perhaps we are facing a problem that needs attention. But the good news is…now we know where our source of wisdom and strength is found. We turn to God because we have established a relationship with him through prayer and meditation, and we have experienced the positive results. The enlightened perspective concerning this relationship can be found in John 3:30, “He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.” Wow! How powerful is that? But when we rely on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be, that is exactly how it happens.
Next we are focused on “praying only for knowledge of His will for us”. Back in Step III of the Twelve Step program, “we made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God, as we understood him.” We did that after admitting our powerlessness in dealing with our addiction (or any other life issues that contributes to our life being “unmanageable”), AND we came to realize our need for a higher power. When the reality sets in that the problem we are facing is most likely the result of our “self-will” run amuck, the more willing we are to surrender our will for His will. But you ask…how do we know what His will is?
Well, it begins in a state of humility (admitting our own insufficiency) and our willingness to seek His truth as found the Holy Bible. In this Book, God reveals himself to humanity; who he is, what he says, what he says about us, what his standard is, what his promises are, and how we achieve those promises. This book is the source of all truth and knowledge as stated by Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:2: “I want you to have full confidence because you have complete understanding (knowledge) of God’s plan, which is Christ himself. In him lay hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And Paul reiterates that same message in Ephesians 17-18: “I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised…”
The more we grow in our knowledge of God’s unfathomable love for us and his desire for a relationship – an eternal relationship, the more crystal clear His will becomes. God’s will for all mankind is to accept his “Gift of Grace”, which is Jesus Christ. Being in-Christ is the answer to living the life God has called all us to live TODAY, and it is the only way to experience eternal life! Being in-Christ is the only answer. (Ref. Ephesians 1:3-14)
And the fourth and final part of Step 11 is “the power to carry it out.” God’s salvation plan for us is perfect. Not only are we assured eternal life with God, Jesus and all other Christ-followers, but he has empowered us to begin experiencing His Kingdom on Earth right here, right now. And how do we do that? We now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who empowers us to become the person God created us to be. That is how we overcome addictions; gain confidence and courage; rearrange our priorities in life; redefine our self-image; and become the “masterpiece” referred to in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are now God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” This is also how we begin experiencing the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly (to the fullest. NLT)
For clarity sake, Jesus is referring to a life that is spirit-driven. Paul defines this life-style in Galatians 5:22,“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this is us; love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Let’s contrast that with the life we all lived before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:19-21 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature (human nature), your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, hatred, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambitions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.” Any of that sound familiar?
Step 11 is built on such solid Biblical principles, I believe it should be a staple in every Christ-followers platform of faith. Because we are in Christ, we are already assured victory over the world. 1John 4:4 tells us “the Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan). If you accept that verse as God’s truth, it’s time to step out in faith and begin living the abundant life Jesus promised all of his followers. It’s an awesome way to live!
Belated Merry Christmas to one and all, and Happy New Year too! Feel free to share this posting with your other social media friends, and feel free to respond to me regarding this posting.
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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