Carried By His Wings© -- Sexual Purity Recovery

Wings Devotional Recovery ... October 11, 2010

We are starting October month ten, Daily Personal Inventory sometimes called Maintenance Step …

How is your Recovery Journey coming along …

When I do my Personal Daily Inventory … Make a list and Make it Right!!! …

BE AWARE OF THE TRUTH

Step Ten -- Is about maintaining progress in recovery.

I continue to take a daily personal inventory, and when I am wrong, I will try to promptly admit it.

“So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall.” -- I Corinthians 10:12

Just For Today – Step Ten -- Balance

"We AA’s find we need something much better in order to keep our balance. We can’t stand it if we hate deeply.  The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody, has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time."

© 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pgs. 92-93 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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What the above talks about is excess.  We can not have excess, be it drink, drugs, shopping, food, it has to be a balance.  With Step Ten – we learn balance, we learn to do the inventory to see where and how we are off balance, where we need to realign.

Do not work Step Ten thinking you are now in recovery, walking with God in the lead, and doing things correctly.  We must realize that recovery and our faith walk are processes, places where we begin and then we grow with each STEP we take.  Yes, we can still have excesses in our lives, we can still have emotions or character traits that are unhealthy, that are bad, but as long as we faithfully and prayerfully seek God first, and process the Steps He as given to us for recovery, then we are assured of the peace that will come to us knowing we are ‘a masterpiece that God is developing’.

The Steps of recovery act as our shields for the battle as we march through daily life.  God uses in His Word many times references to the ‘battle, the armor’, etc.  The most famous passage is Ephesians 6:10-19, concerning the armor of God.  The Word of God is our best weapon – all truth for life is contained in the Bible. Utilize that tool in al your Step Work – because it will always keep you on the correct path.

Major change in mass amounts could be overwhelming to us and probably not very lasting.  It takes a little work each and every moment of our lives, just a little change at a time – remembering never to have large expectations – no excesses -- a little at a time.

Let God take the lead, follow Him and you will never walk in the wrong path or alone.

3 "Prepare your shields, both large and small,
and march out for battle!

4 Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polish your spears,
put on your armor!

5 What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They flee in haste
without looking back,
and there is terror on every side,"
declares the LORD.
 -- Jeremiah 46:  3-5

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Step Ten

Practice taking your personal inventory nightly-did you harm anyone, had you done something wrong?  Do you deserve a gold star or a black mark?  Ask forgiveness honestly, and all is forgiven by the Lord-clean slate.

If you were wrong, try to promptly admit it.  Try to deal with your life by using the Four Absolutes; Absolute Honesty, Absolute Love, Absolute Unselfishness, Absolute Purity.

·        Were you honest? 

·        Did you act out of love? 

·        Were you unselfish? 

·        Were your motives pure?

Remember, we still have free will and the right to choose.  We can bring back any of our character defects that God had healed us of in the Seventh Step. The purpose of this step is to recognize them as quickly as possible when they do occur.

Take a look at the character defect list again.  Put a positive attribute next to them.  These are the things you should be striving for in your relationships.

We should have no fear of doing this. Our growth as individuals has depended upon this healthy process of trial and error.  And good intentions, good thoughts, and good acts are also there for us to see.  Even when we have tried hard and failed, we may see this as one of the best things of all.

Tenth Step Prayer

I pray I may continue:

To grow in understanding & effectiveness; 

To take daily spot check inventories of myself;

To correct mistakes when I make them;

To take responsibility for my actions;

To be ever aware of my negative & self-defeating attitudes & behaviors; 

To keep my willfulness in check; 

To always remember I need Your help; 

To keep love & tolerance of others as my code; &

To continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You, 

My Lord and My God

.

Tenth Step Bible Reading

Romans 5:3-5

Ephesians 4:26-27

I Timothy 4:7-8

II Timothy 2;1-8

James 1:21-25

I John 1:8-10

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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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