Practice in ALL my affairs

If we to be truly recovered, we must make every attempt to practice what we have learned in everything we do.
Our lives in the world should be shining examples of what recovery means and should be a consistent demonstration of God's love for us.
Everyone is a leader. Anyone can lead by example. Show people the way...by how you act.

Freedom

The entire program of recovery has but one primary purpose; to help free you and the next person from bondage.
The only way we can keep our freedom, is to freely give what we have to the next person, in the sharing of our experience, strength, and hope.
Be Free!

Willingness

Change is not easy. But in order to fully participate in our new life, a recovered life, we must always be willing to change.

Change represents growth and trying different things. It has been said that if you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got.

Today I pray to God for the willingness to grow. I will welcome change that comes from God, because He only wants the best for me.

If I let God in... He will change me.

Gratitude and Thankfulness

As we begin a new life in recovery from our pain and our addiction, we get busy again with the things of life. With this new life also come challenges, some of which seem very difficult.

When faced with difficulty we must remember to continue to be thankful for the good things that God has given us. We must walk in gratitude as we get through our challenges. For if we did not have challenges in recovery, we would not have a testimony to help others. Any challenges I have today are a direct result of  the gift of recovery. I have good problems today because I can learn from them instead of blaming others for them. I am especially thankful that the God of my understanding will help me to get through and solve my problems.

Getting well and helping others to get well is what we strive toward. When we help others we show our gratitude for what we have so freely received.

I am grateful for the life I have today!

I am not perfect

I know that I will never be perfect in my actions, but I am a perfect creation in your eyes, my Lord, my God.
If I have a willingness in my heart to do better and to be better, that is the beginning. I must always be open to allow God in to change me. In my daily prayer, I ask God every day to care for me and to guide me. If I honestly and truly let HIM in, I am allowing the spirit of God to show me ways in which I might improve.
Spiritual progress, not perfection is my goal. In order to move forward and keep moving forward each day, I must demonstrate a willingness to grow.
God will change my thinking. He will plant seeds that I must nurture to be better today than I was yesterday. God will change my heart. Things that I used to do that were perhaps not very productive, will fade away and be replaced with new ways of looking at things, which leads me to new action, thus leading me to growth.

Thank you almighty God for helping to raise me up!

Training from God

If you want to run a marathon, you must train first or the road will seem very long and perhaps you may not make it. But if you run a few miles a day and gradually increase the mileage, you have a much better chance of finishing. As a matter of fact, runners will train to a point beyond the distance of the marathon, so that when they run the actual marathon they have some energy in reserve to help them get past the finish line.

I find that God trains me in a similar fashion. I get to go through some challenges, some more difficult than the last, to get ready for more challenges in the future. As I go through my training, my body, my mind, and my spirit are tested. I seem to get a little stronger each time. When I am past a challenge, I often look back and even though it may have been painful, I got through it a little easier because the challenge before it got me "ready" for the current one.

God really wants me to succeed and I have faith that he has me covered in all I go through. The trick is to get through it with a good attitude as a student would get through a test.

I often ask God, "What am I supposed to learn from this?"

When I am feeling weak or empty, I cry out to God and ask His help. It always seems to come. He has never let me down.

Prayer:  Thank you almighty Father for loving me enough to help me get through anything. I praise you and give you thanks for all of my blessings. I thank you for loving me enough to teach me new things, though sometimes painful, I realize that my training is needed so that I can win the race. I know that you want me to be a winner.
I pray that I will have the strength to run many marathons as a result of your training. Thank you for my teaching.