Living by the Twelve Steps is essentially agreeing to give up our power—or rather, our powerlessness—in exchange for God’s power. It is becoming willing to do only what God gives me the power to do. But when I offer up my will to God, relying on His power, does this mean that He will give […]
Read More control, power, willpowerHave ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? (Alma 5:27) Keeping myself blameless before God? How in the world can I do that? There are so many ways to sin—in thoughts, words, deeds (Mosiah 4:29-30). How can I possibly watch myself so closely that I can remain blameless? I can’t. It’s an impossible task for […]
Read More atonement, blame, repentanceWhat is Free Step Friday (#freestepfriday)? Click here for details. Scripture: Omni 1:26—Offer your whole souls as an offering unto him. How much plainer can it be stated? Our whole soul—body and spirit. This is the ultimate act of consecration. It is to come full circle back to God and offer to Him all that […]
Read More FreeStepFriday, journaling, scripture study, trust, twelve stepWe, as committed Latter-day Saints, are just as mortal as everyone else on the planet. We are prone to fear, codependency, doubt, worry, sin, and all the other beliefs and behaviors that lead to addiction and compulsion. When we find ourselves in these negative states, we are just as quick to turn to the material […]
Read More Christ, fellowship, honesty, imperfection, mortality, perfectionismAbstinence is not always recovery. What?!? Many people want to believe that abstinence is the end-all of a Twelve Step program. While it’s extremely important, abstinence is the result, not the goal. Recovery is not born of abstinence. Abstinence grows from recovery. Rather than focusing on how long we’ve been abstinent, our emphasis should be […]
Read More abstinence, Christ, pride, recoveryWhat is Free Step Friday (#freestepfriday)? Click here for details. Scripture 1 Nephi 7:12—The Lord is able to do all things… for the children of men, if…they exercise faith in him. As far back as I can remember, even into my earliest childhood years, I have always believed in God and that He could do […]
Read More FreeStepFriday, scripture study, twelve step, writingCould it be that in order to move in the direction of ultimate perfection—toward God, Godliness, Godhood—I must accept myself as being right where I need to be at this moment? In other words, before I can move forward, I need to accept myself just as I am. I need to let go of the […]
Read More acceptance, conscious contact, humility, imperfection, love, perfectionismThere are only two ingredients in the recipe of recovery—conscious contact with God and honesty. Conscious Contact. To make conscious contact with God, you must first believe it is possible. If you’re not sure you believe you can do it, that’s okay. Start where you are and pray for the Lord’s help. Believe that your […]
Read More conscious contact, honestyWhat is Free Step Friday (#freestepfriday)? Click here for details. Scripture Mosiah 27:29—My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss;…My soul was racked with eternal torment. Gall of bitterness? Bonds of iniquity? Darkest abyss? Racked with eternal torment? Have you ever heard a […]
Read More scripture study, twelve step, writingIf you have a copy of the 20th Anniversary Edition of He Did Deliver Me from Bondage, you may have noticed and wondered about some of the quotes in the margins, cited as Patterns of Light I and Patterns of Light II. That was a teaser hinting at two new books! Here at Hearthaven Publishing, […]
Read More FreeStepFriday, journaling, scripture study, twelve step