Carried By His Wings© -- Sexual Purity Recovery

Wings Devotional Recovery ... April 30, 2010

The Month of April brings us to Step Four ...

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 -- Looking in the Mirror Inventory

From "How It Works":

"A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke.  Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process.  It is an effort to find the truth about the stock-in-trade.  One object is to disclose damaged or unsaleable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret.  If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values."

©  2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 64  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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An excellent application of why an inventory is necessary.  As we begin the work of Step Four, we are looking for traits in us that are damaged and working to replace that trait with a positive process.

Finding the truth about ourselves is always a hard process, most of us take a long time to jump in with both feet, but if we do not process the fourth step, we will continue to carry around unhealthy behavior, we will never get rid of damaged feelings and behaviors and they may lead us to a relapse if they are not addressed.

As God leads us through the inventory process, we must be willing to face all things with honesty.  We must also look at the good inventory that we do have and work to strengthen those traits.

There is an old saying that a little leaven spoils the whole loaf.  As recovering addicts and believers in Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, we must strive to remove the sinful ways in our lives and replace those ways with the good things that God has given to us and has intended for us to utilize.

It has always been likened to refining silver.  The silversmith holds the silver over the fire, increasing the heat to melt away the impurities.  If the fire gets too hot, then the silver will be damaged, so the silversmith must watch the silver and the fire continuously.  He knows the silver is ready when he can see his reflection.  So our Lord too puts us through the fire, burning the way the impurities as we process Step Four, until we begin to reflect His image.

So there is nothing to fear in Step Four, with God in the lead, He will only give us enough to make us better, He is the great refiner.  And as in the taking of inventory for business, it is a process that gets repeated frequently depending on the type of business.  So this Step Four will not be completed once and forgotten, it is a continuing process we must work each time God brings it to mind. 

Do not fear, we have the best Silversmith in the universe.

“And many of those who understand shall stumble, to refine and purge them, and to make white, to the time of the end because it is still for the appointed time.” -- Daniel 11:35

6 “Come now you may greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if must be, you are in heaviness through a myriad of temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Yeshua the Messiah.” -- I Peter 1:6-7

The Man in the Glass

Author Unknown

When you get what you want in your struggles for self

And the world makes you king for a day,

Just go to a mirror and look at yourself

And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife

Whose judgment upon you must pass,

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people might think you're a straight-shooting chum

And call you a wonderful guy.

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest

For he's with you clear to the end

And you've passed your most dangerous test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you've cheated the man in the glass.

The Story goes that this poem was scrawled on the walls of death row in an American prison.  With these type of affirmations firmly in our minds, we can assure ourselves that it doesn’t matter how many mistakes we make along the way – we will never really fail.  For a of us, “People Pleasing” and “Peer Group Pressure” were a couple of reasons that began our Journey On the Highway To Hell in the first place.  If we outwardly appear to be “wonderful”, yet our hearts become full of resentment, bitterness and hatred; Hatred will act as a cancer and destroy whatever we have built.

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.

The Twelve Rewards

1. Hope instead of desperation.

2. Faith instead of despair.

3. Courage instead of fear.

4. Peace of mind instead of confusion.

5. Self-respect instead of self-contempt.

6. Self-confidence instead of helplessness.

7. The respect of others instead of their pity and contempt.

8. A clean conscience instead of a sense of guilt.

9. Real friendships instead of loneliness.

10. A clean pattern of life instead of a purposeless existence.

11. The love and understanding of our families instead of their doubts and fears.

12. The freedom of a happy life instead of the bondage of an alcoholic obsession.

TO "LET GO"

To "let go" does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.

To "let go" is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.

To "let go" is not to enable,
but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To "let go" is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another,
it’s to make the most of myself.

To "let go" is not to care for, but care about.

To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To "let go" is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To "let go" is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To "let go" is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality.

To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept.

To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires
but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it.

To "let go" is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.

To "let go" is to fear less and love more..."

            author unknown

GOALS FOR STEP FOUR

· Describe a moral inventory.

· Write an inventory of dishonesty and resentment.

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

· Write and inventory of criticism and destructive anger.

· Write and 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!

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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When Things Are Tough

These times are hard but challenge and adversity can push people toward their own greatness.  It can launch you on a deeper personal journey toward happiness, fulfillment, and a life of meaning.  As you look at ways to gather strength and improve self-esteem, remember it is not so much about what you have, but who you are:

Broke Is Not Broken

Being broke is not the same thing as being broken, losing money is not the same as being lost, and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet.

Having Less Doesn’t Mean You Are Less

Don’t confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are.

Savor Life and Slow Down

          When you are in a hurry, go slowly.  The faster you go in life the sooner it is a blur.

Prayer Creates a New Path

          Prayer creates a path where there is none and turns your stumbling blocks into building blocks.

Courage Is Not Absence of Fear

Put your faith, and not your fears, in charge.  Courage isn’t the absence of fears but how you wrestle with them.

Embrace the Future

If you are busy hugging the past, you can’t embrace the future.  Don’t let the past kidnap your future.

Change Is the Only Constant

This too shall pass.  Change is the only constant.  In order to take a breath, you must release your breath.

Make a Difference

Do what you can, but never forget that letting go is very different from giving up.  Of all the things you can make in life, remember that you make all the difference in your life.

Embrace Happiness

Tough times do not require you to be tough on yourself.  Find the courage to embrace happiness.

You Are Great

          Things don’t have to be good for you to be great.

Prayer of commitment to GOD:

Dear Jesus,

Thank YOU for making me and loving me,

even when I ignored you and gone my own way. 

I realize I need You in my life

and I’m sorry for my past behavior. 

I ask You to forgive me. 

As much as I know how, I want to follow You from now on.

Please come into my life and

make me a new person inside. 

I accept Your gift of salvation. 

Please help me to grow now as a Christian.

Amen.

* 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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