"We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable." Big book of A.A. (Page 568)
Psalm 51:6
Surely You desire truth in the inner parts....
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place...
I seem to be parked in a place where God is showing me the need for complete honesty in my life. The only way this is going to happen is if I cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Allowing God to reveal my own heart so that I can see what He sees when it comes to the real Michael Bynum. Not always a fun place to go, if you know what I mean.
Part of me wants to ask..."Hey God! Will there ever be a time when this process is over...this seeing the "real" me, I mean?" But the answer that usually comes back to me is a loving, but resounding "No!". Reckon why this is? Because the longer I walk with God, the more aware I am of His holiness. The more aware I am of His righteousness. This awareness of His holy perfection only illuminates my own heart. I see not just the presence of bitterness or jealousy, anger or unforgiveness....but I also see the potential that my heart is capable of producing if I allow my flesh to be involved in my daily decisions. Such is why I need discipline in my life to keep me focused on God.
Galatians 5:16 tells us to "live by the Spirit". And that by doing so, "We will not gratify (or give into) the desires of the sinful nature. News flash!!! We all are born with this nature. Such is the very reason that Christ came to die on a cross. To pay the penalty for the sin debt we run up because we listen and live by the desires of this nature that seeks to direct and control us. Paul goes on to write in the Galatians passage..."For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature." It really is like the cartoons I use to watch growing up....
These two "voices" that run through our thoughts are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
Sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone doesn't it? But if we are capable of listening to the right voice (that of the Holy Spirit) and obey what He is leading us to do, we will see evidence in our behavior that we are on the right track to sustaining this new life we have found in Christ.
Life is hard, is it not? Life is messy, and life is a struggle from time to time. But life doesn't have to weighed down and covered up by the evidence of our history of bad choices. The term "Recovery" is exactly what it means. We think of recovery as the ability to recover from our using. In other words, abstinence from drugs and alcohol. While this is true, real recovery is about the recovery of life. To take the high ground to a life where we can face whatever comes our way without retreating into that dark world of death and destruction that addiction brings to us. Never doubt for one moment that addiction is not a "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DESTROYER". He is.
God on you....
mbb
No comments:
Post a Comment