Step 11

Step 11 by Randolph Jason for Gospel News Network

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous

The amount of time a person spends in prayer is directly correlated to their joy, their happiness and their overall well being. Are all people well adjusted, stable and ready-for-prime-time? Of course not. But what we will see is that a vast majority of mentally, emotionally stable people that pray multiple times a day to God, the Christian God, through Jesus Christ, will be well adjusted.

Once a person has traversed Steps 1 through 10 there has been a massive change in their life. Surrendering to God, praying on a daily basis. Becoming earnestly accountable to others, byway of attending meetings regularly, talking to others about our situations as they come up and taking time to help others; being genuinely concerned for other people.

Let’s take a look at a couple of major situations that impact our lives as we walk through the Steps. A lot of us may have heard of repenting but may not have understood what it is, how it works and the impact it has on our lives. We then repent on a scale we did not know existed, nor had ever experienced. This is the first time in our life that we can feel the chains of slavery fall to the floor. We are no longer owned by our addictive, compulsive behavior and we can see there is another way of living.

As all of this is happening we then come to seeing others in our life as having meaning, as being beautiful brothers and sisters in Christ. We see our siblings as incredible people instead of a nuisance or a hater. We see our Mom and Dad as people of honor, and not the enemy. We begin to experience the power of making amends to the ones we have hurt. Steps 8 and 9 bring us, once again, to our knees as we come face-to-face with those we have hurt, owning all the pain we have inflicted on others. Making restitution where we can. Leaving the “apology” at the door and showing the people in our life that we are not the person they used to know.

Step 11 – Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out, is how we draw near to God, multiple times a day. Prayer and seeking Counsel and Comfort from the Holy Spirit is what becomes the cornerstone of our mental health, our emotional health and allows us to continue to grow in our family, in our community and in our place of employment. Everyone can see a completely different person, a new creature. People hear words and language they had never heard from us in the past. It is because of prayer that we are able to do this. It is staying close to Jesus Christ, through prayer, that our lives continue to morph, continue to grow and continue to reveal, not only to ourselves but to those around us, the glory of God.

Heavenly Father, by the Power of Your Son, Jesus Christ, change this life, bind this mind to the Mind of Christ and strengthen these weary bones. Thank You, Father God, for bringing a glimpse of Heaven to earth as to reveal a small piece of the Wonder and Glory that is Your Home. As we lift the name of Jesus Christ over our lives, over everything that was, that is and that is to come, we thank You for renewing our mercies every morning.
Heavenly Father, wrap Your loving arms around each member of my family, lift them high, Father, and touch their heart, right now, so they too may know Your presence is real, Your love wins all battles and Your Power, through Jesus Christ, is for them, around them and in them.
This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Amen