Carried By His Wings© -- Sexual Purity Recovery

Wings Devotional Recovery ... April 20, 2009

The Month of April brings us to Step Four ... We will have Step Devotionals every Monday and Friday and sometimes on Wednesday ... Tuesdays and Thursdays is for Sobriety Devotionals ...

Involves Honest Self-Examination.

There is a saying in the Recovery program that recovery is a process, not an event.  The same can be said for this step -- more will surely be revealed.

MY MORAL INVENTORY - SEARCH WITHIN

My Moral Inventory – Search Within

Rigorous Honesty

STEP FOUR: Involves Self-Examination.

STEP FOUR: I Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. 

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord”. -- Lamentations 3:40

Just For Today – Step Four -- Accounting

Step Four: I Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. 

"We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us.  We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves.  Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith which really works in daily living is still out of reach."

C 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 43 Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, and the Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.  Just For Today is neither endorsed by, approved by, associated, nor affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., or The AA Grapevine, Inc.

Wings Devotional© Daily Meditation Translation

is property of Wings Of Eagles Recovery©

Just for Today -- A Daily Devotional

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Step Four - a process to find ourselves.  Many times over the years we have tended to blame others for our demise.

We have an agenda on how things should shake out.  We want our husbands to act a certain way, our kids, our parents, (and some of those desires are accurate) but we must start the cleansing within ourselves.  Taking our inventory, not someone else's.  We begin with us, with an honest look inside us, and desire to make the change that God wills us to make, then we will see that changes in the "others" in our lives.  That is when we see the 'faith that works' in us, and the daily life we seek in normalcy comes to fruition.

We cannot conquer the world in one day, it starts in a small circle and goes to farther places. Jesus when he was departing the earth commissioned the Apostles to start in Jerusalem, then go to Judea, Samaria, then all of the ends of the earth -- we too should use this in our 4th Step starting in ourselves (Jerusalem) - and go from there.

Acts 1:7-9 (New International Version)

7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9 after he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

GOALS FOR STEP FOUR

· Describe a moral inventory.

· Write an inventory of dishonesty and resentment.

· Write an inventory of self-pity and false pride.

· Write an inventory of criticism and destructive anger.

· Write an inventory of fear and impatience.

· When writing your, inventory give specific examples for each behavior and attitude. 

· Search the Bible for how God views each behavior and how we are to counteract the behavior through the examples in the Bible. 

· Record insights and Scripture references.  Remember be honest.  God created you as you are and loves you unconditionally. 

· Remember that prayer before I begin invites the LORD into this process with me and will help me to see what areas GOD needs to cleanse in me.  Use my sponsor’s support, s/he is praying for me as I go through this process. 

·  Not to be discouraged, when it gets tough.  Even when I feel like walking away from the process, persevere, in the end, you are healed.

Remember you are loved!

MY MORAL INVENTORY - SEARCH WITHIN

My Moral Inventory – Search Within

Rigorous Honesty

STEP FOUR: Involves Self-Examination.

STEP FOUR: I Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. 

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord”. -- Lamentations 3:40

Fourth Step Prayer:

Dear God,

It is I who has made my life a mess.
I have done it, but I cannot undo it.

My mistakes are mine & I will begin a
searching & fearless moral inventory.

I will write down my wrongs,
but I will also include that which is good.

I pray for the strength to complete the task.

Amen

RECOVERY MEDITATIONS

To help you understand what the Scriptures say about the personal inventorying of our lives, 

·        Numbers 23:18-24

·        Deuteronomy 30:15-20

·        Psalm 61:1-8

·        Proverbs 5:3-6

·        Proverbs 16:2,3

·        Isaiah 54:4-8

·        Matthew 11:27-30

·        Matthew 23:23-28

·        Luke 12:1-6

·        Romans 13:11-14

·        Acts 17:23-28

·        I Corinthians 4:19, 20

·        Galatians 6:3-5

·        James 4:7-10

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* As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

·        greater personal discipline,

·        worldwide persecuted Christians,

·        Hedge of protection to our children

·        Blessings to our spouses

·        Godly men in Government

·        Rest and Peace to our pastors

·        Your activities for the day.

Love One Another

Stand Together

Fight this war, no matter the cost

Pray for our children

Turn our hearts toward heaven

Seek to be one nation under God.

God Bless and Guide You in your Christian Walk Today

“The Lord bless you and keep you,
the Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
-- Numbers 6:24-27

You can help when no one else can."
  -- c. 2001, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 89
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