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Growing in God and Sobriety!

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!!!!

Opening Prayer
"Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ-I humbly pray that you have mercy on us today. That you strengthen our faith, our reliance, our trust, our glorification and love of You Father. Father, I pray for all those who are affected by alcoholism and dry drunks...The children, the spouses, the friends, the families, the employers-all those who suffered because of our choices and refusal to face the real problem-us.
In Jesus name-Amen"

 Bible Study
1 Corinthians Part 5
2:11-16


  • For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
(The apostle deals with three vital doctrines. In verse 10 he touches on the doctrine of revelation. The truth Paul is talking about is contained in the record God has given to us—the Bible. This is the eternal and unchanging truth of God. Verse 11 deals with the doctrine of illumination, which has to do with human understanding of divine truth. The subject of verses 12 and 13 is the doctrine of inspiration. In verse 12 Paul talks about the content of inspiration. In verse 13 his concern is with the communication of inspiration. Paul’s message was not of human contrivance. He was a channel, simply communicating God’s truth (cf. Gal. 1:11, 12). Comparing spiritual things with spiritual: The term comparing occurs only here and in 2 Corinthians 10:12 where the meaning is clearly “compare.” However, in classical Greek, the term was always used in a sense of “to compound” or “to interpret.” Probably the most satisfactory interpretation is “combining spiritual things with spiritual words.” After speaking of spiritual “things,” (vv. 11–13), Paul now speaks of the “forms” in which they are conveyed. Spiritual truth is conveyed in language that is given by God’s Spirit.)


  • But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
( Natural man (lit., “unspiritual man”) is unreceptive. He does not admit the truth into his heart. As spiritual discernment is generated only by the Holy Spirit, the capacity to know spiritual truth is beyond the innate powers of the natural man. Spiritually discerned: The fundamental idea of discerned is that of “examination” or “scrutiny.” It is used only by Paul and Luke, and mostly of “judicial examination”. On the spiritual plane, the natural man does not have the ability to sift the facts.)


  • But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
(The difference between the natural man and the spiritual man is primarily that the spiritual man has founded his faith on God’s revelation. He can judge now both earthly and heavenly things. He can discern what is and what is not of the gospel and salvation, and whether a man truly preaches the truth of God.)

  • For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
(We have the mind of Christ means that Christians possess the Lord’s own understanding, that is, His thoughts, opinions, judgments, plans, and so on. This answers the question that Paul puts in the same verse, Who hath known the mind of the Lord? The answer is, “We do!” The term we includes the apostle Paul and to some extent all true believers, though believers today are prudent to acknowledge the superiority of apostolic insight into spiritual matters to that of their own.)
My Prayer
"Heavenly Father, please strengthen my spiritual discernment. Help me to break through the noise of worldly wisdom that my ego feeds upon.  Help me to live based off the wisdom of the Holy Spirit that comes from the heart and the gut. Help me to set aside all that I have been conditioned to believe to be open to receiving more of You. In Jesus name-Amen"

Todays Action
  • Today I will ask myself  before I speak:
 "Is this what God would have me say...or is this to feed my ego, hurt someones feelings, create a reaction because I need a little "excitement", brag, lie, gossip, make someone look inferior to make me feel better?????"
  • Today before I take action based upon a thought I will ask myself:
"By me doing this who am I serving? God or ego? I can't serve two masters."
  • Today before I react to someone that may NOT have the tools I have or to know to ask these questions of themselves I will:
See them as spiritual sick, just as I was-"How could I possible  personalize or be upset someone else's sick soul? Would I personalize/get angry with someone who had cancer? Why is body sickness acceptable but soul sickness isn't? How can I help this person who has a sick soul? If all I can do is humbly myself enough to just walk away, with no personalization, reaction or replay then I am serving God. That person will justify his behavior, blame you, curse you in your head or to your face...Can you be ok with that??? Can you be ok with his/her sick soul/mind being angry at you? Once you can really see them as sick, and be ok with them thinking badly of you-you are free. This bondage of personalizing other peoples perception enslaves us in their head! How ridiculous is that??" 



2nd STEP
God, I'm standing at the turning point right now. Give me your protection and care as I abandon myself to you and give up my old ways and my old ideas just for today. AMEN 
(p. 59 BB)

3rd STEP
"God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" (p. 63 BB) God, Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live. AMEN 
(the step on p. 59 BB)

4th STEP
WHEN I AM DISTURBED BY THE CONDUCT (SYMPTOMS) OF OTHERS
"This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done."
(p. 67 BB)

God help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that I would Cheerfully grant a sick friend. This is a sick person, how can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.
(see above and p. 141 of 12&12)

Podcast of the Day
Youtube
AA Myths & Misconceptions Billy N


Big Book
How It Works...conclusion.
"If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people. We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can.

 In this book you read again and again that faith did
for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself."