"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God."
BOOK
REFERENCES:
AA: How it Works - Pages 58 to 64, From: Page 60, line 21: "Being convinced... Thru: Page 63, line 31: ...was felt at once."
12 & 12: Step 3
ACTION PAGES: Page 63, Paragraph 2, Lines 1 to 8
NA: NA Basic Text Pages 24 to 26
NA: It Works How and Why Pages 26 to 35.
How do I get a Higher Power of my own Understanding?
When I do the third step
with people, I share with them my story. Before
I left rehab, I took pen to paper, and acted as if I was taking out an add in
the Newspaper:
FOR
SALE: One Higher Power that
is Demanding, condemning, unkind, unloving, controlling, believes in perfection,
etc.
Directly following that I
acted as if I was taking out another add in the Newspaper:
WANTED:
One Higher Power that is Kind, considerate, loving, forgiving, believes
in progress, powerful, etc.
After the letters, I assumed that the second one, the one from the WANTED add was a Higher Power and now, that was my Higher Power. I believed it was possible for God to be this way, and that he loved me.
ANOTHER'S EXPERIENCE:
Take a piece of paper and draw a
line down the middle. On the left side list all you were taught, or all you believe what God is. If you have no idea, then write down the word
"Nothing." On the right side list what you want God to be for
you, (best friend, loving, trustful, forgiving, non-judgmental, or whatever you like). When you are done, tear it down the middle, from top to bottom, and throw away the left side. You are now left with a God of your understanding; one you will feel comfortable praying to.
Read, We Agnostics pgs. 44 - 60
Write, Any doubts, questions, or words that you don't understand, and then discuss these with another alcoholic. Once completed, you are then ready to move on.
AND YET ANOTHER'S EXPERIENCE:
1. List on the left side what you were taught, thought God was. 2. List on the right side what you want God to be for you personally. 3. When you are done tear it in half, from top to bottom, and throw away the left side. 4. What you are left with is you're personal understanding of a Higher Power- one you can feel comfortable praying to.
We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~
Since this book was first published, A.A. has released thousands of alcoholics from asylums and hospitals of every kind. The majority have never returned. The power of God goes deep!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, pg. 114~
God
Beliefs:
"Everybody
nowadays, believes in scores of assumptions for which
there is good evidence, but no perfect visual proof. And does not
science demonstrate that visual proof is the weakest proof? It is
being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material world,
that outward appearances are not inward reality at all."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 48~
We make a DECISION, Just a DECISION, nothing more, to go in search of that POWER, IN WHOM YOU COULD ENTRUST YOUR WILL AND YOUR LIFE> Whether or not you even believe in a Higher Power at this point has nothing to do with it.
This step doesn’t mean we give up personal responsibility, but rather that we are taking responsibility! You are responsible for how you understand God…it’s truly a personal decision and journey.
SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS - My Story
THIRD STEP DECISION
God, I’d like to make the decision with You, that the Third Step calls for. Take and receive, O Lord, all my liberty, take my memory, my understanding, and my entire self-centered self-will. Whatsoever I have or gold, You have given me. I give it all back to You and surrender it wholly, completely, unconditionally ---to be put in Your care ---to be governed by Your Will.
So take my desire to run things, to-dominate people, influence events, manipulate, con, turn, twist, arrange, rearrange, and direct. Take the “I want what I want, when I want it.” Take that passion for control, to tell others what, when where and how much of everything to do.
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Some Higher Power Homework - Interesting site, good stuff. This is for the members that are interested in knowing how the steps relate to the bible. Dick B. Part1 |
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Dicks pdf for 12 step homework
Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
"When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out
mentally and physically."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~
"The only suggested guidelines are that this Power be loving, caring, and greater than ourselves. We don't have to be religious to accept this idea. The point is that we open our minds to believe."
Basic Text, p.24
"If you are as seriously
alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We
were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into
the region from which there is no return through human aide, we had but two
alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our
intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help.
This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~
It doesn't matter who your Higher Power is, as long as it isn't you!
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This Website was last updated on:
January 26, 2007
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