Blog Archives

Chapter 12- What to Do with Doubt (Charlie)

1/26/2020

Step 11 We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
God allows us to doubt, if that’s what we want. He also gives us enough information to believe. To experience strength and hope of the 12 Step Program we can listen to the testimonies of others. As we hear about what God is doing in their lives, we can see better what God is doing for us. Usually the cause of unbelief is because we desire our addiction more than we desire our freedom that God wants to give us. If we relapse we might think that the 12 step program just doesn’t work. However if we do lose our hope our faith can return. Then we’re able to encourage others who have experienced relapse. We try to see how God has led our lives. As we think on God’s protection and mercy, we realize He will guide us the rest of the way. Education or lack thereof is not a hindrance. We search the Scriptures humbly asking God for truth that will increase our faith. Let us thank God that He is greater than we are. We may not understand everything but there is only one way we can understand anything. God’s Spirit will guide and teach us what we need to know at this time. We are to be humble and ready to learn. We accomplish this by fixing our thoughts on God as we study His Word. We also need to choose to follow His leading. My experience has caused me to trust that God keeps his promises. We receive these promises in faith and then we can see God acting on our behalf. As we continue to grow in our relationship with Christ we can be thankful that God has given us not only faith but a new start in our life.

-Charlie

Chapter 11- The Privilege of Prayer (Charlie)

1/18/2020

Step 11 “We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us in the power to carry that out.”

The Privilege of Prayer Chapter helps us to understand the importance of prayer and meditation. Our minds may be drawn to Him. If we expect God to answer our prayers we have to feel our need of help from Him. We work this step by staying connected to God through prayer and meditation. By being connected to God, He is able to make it possible for us to carry out His will. The strength to live in God’s will depends on our recognizing our weakness and infirmities.
God speaks to us through nature, the Bible, and the influence of his Holy Spirit. As our minds are drawn to Him, we realize we have a need to share with Him or sorrows and our choice that take place in our daily lives. Even Jesus knew He must have God’s help to carry on His work. Since Jesus prayed to the Father, how much more do we as broken people need to follow His example?
For some reason, we are slow to pray. Our hearts have to be open to the influence of the Holy Spirit to
receive God’s blessings. When we don’t pray we’re being careless. It is easy to be influenced to take the wrong path when we are without the Divine presence. Our hearts have to be open to receive the blessings of God. God is faithful concerning his promises. Even if our prayers are being answered the way we would like we need to realize God only wants to bring us good. When we focus on our doubts and fears they grow stronger.
Though we may feel helpless, sincere prayer draws us close to God. If we don’t believe we can receive. We can’t allow anything to keep us from pray. We can’t allow anything to keep us from prayer. We need to stay where we can have the influence of His Spirit.
Families should pray together. We can remain healthy without prayer. We can pray anytime and anyplace. When we lift our hearts to God we closer minds to evil thoughts. As our prayer life grows our hearts will be open to receive the blessings God has for us. As we share our joys and sorrows with Him in prayer we realize that nothing in our lives is to sinful for God to repair. God heals broken heart and bandages our wounds. There is peace in trusting all our worries, sorrows and joys to Jesus.

-Charlie

Chapter 10- A Knowledge of God (Charlie)

1/11/2020

The 11th step of the 12 is: We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Through prayer and meditation we can better understand God is. Studying the Bible causes us to see how He works with people. As we read the Bible we learn to listen to His voice. If we really want to know God, we study his word. When we spend time in God’s Word and meditation on the life of Jesus, we will know Him as our Friend. Our Friend cares for everything He has created and provides each what they need. God notices every broken heart and every happy smile. Knowing that God cares, we don’t have to worry about our problems. He knows how to solve our problems and he is strong to handle all our worries.
God speaks to us in the way He directs our lives. God speaks to us through His word as we see how He deals with the lives of others. We can accept what others tell us about God. We have to find out for ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the only true Teacher of divine truth.
- Charlie

Chapter 9- The Work and the Life (Charlie)

1/5/2020

The 10th step of the 12 steps is: Continue to take personal inventory and when we find something wrong promptly admit it.

This step is important because it bears witness to how our lives have changed. I would like to suggest that as we complete this step, we actually write good things and bad things. Writing good and bad will keep us from being overwhelmed with our bad choices. We all make good choices and bad choices.
We make amends when it won’t hurt anybody but we can always encourage others by what God is doing in our life. Every one of us should strive to maintain our relationship with God. We can’t wait until we feel it’s important. We can’t excuse ourselves because we think somebody else will do it. People will see our faith and lives as we help them. We may not even realize that we are helping people to draw close to God.
I used ask God to bring people to me that I could help. With experience I learned that I needed to ask God to show me when he brought someone to me. As we work for others we are preparing for things to come.

- Charlie

Chapter 8- Growing in Christ (Charlie)

1/1/2020

The ninth step of the 12 steps is: Wherever possible, make direct amends to each person we have wronged, except when to do so would injure them or others.
The work of reconciliation and restoration begins with us. There is no time limit on this step. We can make amends with folks that God puts on our hearts. We may have forgotten some names that God will bring them to us when the time is right.
As we turn to Christ, the Holy Spirit touches our hearts and we become like Him in character. Our growth and grace, our happiness and our usefulness depend on being one with Christ.
We become Christ by faith and we grow in Him by faith. How this happens is we give our hearts and plans to Him each day. Being His causes us not to think of our feelings are looking to ourselves for strength. Thinking of self actually does the opposite, it turns us away from Christ.
We may be afraid to take the stepped of trusting God. In faith, we can accept the promises that God has given us in His Word. Christ is willing and able to cause us to love Him and live in Him.

- Charlie

Chapters 11-12 (Dena)

1/1/2020

As yours days, so shall your strength be. (Deut 33:25)
The trials will not be greater than the strength God will give us. So let us take up our work where we find, believing we will be strong enough to meet whatever comes.
This verse is part of recovery and rejoicing in our trials. “Say what?!”

Since 2014 trials have been on the same journey in my life. I can't even begin to explain all of where God has blessed and brought me though.
Just when the road was not bumpy anymore he started me on the rough road again. I DO NOT LIKE CHANGE!!!!
Now again I am in a battle with self, our greatest battle ever. I loved my friends and small town. I didn’t want to be there at first, but didn’t want to leave it at the end. I still miss it every day, like a friend.

But it is not about us. This reminded me of a story that goes like this... I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their sweet smell. Then this women who had been walking by my side, called me to look at the ugly thorns that were in her way. There she was sadly crying. She was not walking in the path or following the guide, but she was walking among the thorns. “Oh,” she cried, “what a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns.” Then the guide said, “Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks.” (End)

We should think of the good times in our lives. Have we had precious hours when our hearts were filled with joy as the Spirit of God spoke to us?
When we look back over our lives, do we see many pleasant times.?

Looking and reading theses steps brings to the point, thorns will only make us sad. If we gather the thorns and give them to others, we are turning from God’s goodness.

It is very important to listen to our higher power.( Mine is God)
Truly seek His word and will for your life.
Satan tries to get us to use our minds in the wrong way,. When some people study the Bible, they feel they must be able to explain everything it says.
The power of pride is strong, so my friend always ask the Holy Spirit to always be present as you read His word. The Lord Jesus will lend you understanding where it should go.

The experience, strength, and hope of others in 12 Step Recovery and our own experience all contribute to our confidence that God who began a good work in us, will carry it on unto it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns (Phil 1:6).

I have no idea what the New Year will bring, for my plans are not His plans. So Rejoice in the Lord Always and again I say Rejoice.

Blessing and Hope in Jesus in the New Year

Dena

Steps to Christ Recovery Edition Blog

Charlie
and
Dena Meigs

Hi friends,

I am Charlie, pastor of the Wrangell SDA church during 2014-2019. My wife Dena and I started this blog as a way to share what we are learning as we read through the Ellen G. White book Steps to Christ.

I was an atheist and hedonist. My choices and actions caused me to become a broken person. I realized my need of God and trusted Him to guide me to being whole again. I followed a 12 step program on my quest of finding this all powerful loving God. I am excited to share with you my journey through the Recovery Edition of Steps to Christ.