They had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:2–3).
The people of King Benjamin offered the kind of prayer that we offer as we take step 7. They felt peace and joy when the Spirit of the Lord came upon them and gave them a remission of their sins. Reflect on experiences you have had with these feelings. Write about how it would be to have these feelings become your way of life.
One thing I’m thinking now is that I’m a bit scared of Step 7. This is a HUGE step in the right direction, but it’s laying it all out on the line, completely submitting my will over to God, to let Him do with me what He may. This is great, yet intense.
A prayer like this one is where I’m at.
I’ve felt these feelings before. One time in particular is when I was recovering from my car wreck when I was 15. I came home from the hospital and had NO DESIRE to even think about sin. The scriptures took on new meaning; my prayers were close communication with God; I felt so close to Him.
I think it is very possible to have these feelings as a way of life. I look forward to this experience. I’m scared but I feel I’m ready.
I’m left contemplating this and the other scriptures in Step 7. This is such a deep Step – it’s a Step 3 on a whole new level. It’s a determination to not just recognize that I need to submit my entire will over to God but to actually DO IT.
Right now I still feel like, at times, I take my will back. Some of the ways I “take my will back”:
- Not being consistent in scripture study
- Not being consistent in personal prayer
- Getting upset at colleagues because they aren’t doing things the way I’d like them to be done
- Talking about other people
- Comparing myself to others
- Thinking I’m better than others
- Getting irritated or frustrated with the kids
I feel that, as I pray earnestly to have my sins forgiven and to take the atoning blood of Christ upon me to purify my heart, “…the Spirit of the Lord will [come] upon [me], and [I will be] filled with joy, having received a remission of [my] sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which [I have] in Jesus Christ who should come…”
I’m excited for this step and all it brings to the table.
This is a great scripture and question. I feel THIS is the main prayer I need to have. THIS is where I need to be. I feel like there is more I can do to plead with God for help.
Right now, in my recovery, I feel I’ve got a bit stagnant for some reason. I feel a lot of it is because I’m not doing some of the basic things as consistently as I’d like to be: studying my scriptures and saying dedicated, personal prayers.
I feel I can also be a bit more consistent in talking with Jason and working on the steps at the FIRST of the day instead of at the end of the day. I can also be more consistent with GOING TO BED EARLIER. This, by far, is my hardest weakness to overcome. I feel the core of this “addiction” is feeling my way is better than God’s – that I can only get things done late at night.
The truth is, I usually don’t get too much done at all. I dink around, waste time, and end up being so tired the next day anyway and the less productive, more moody, etc.
The worst thing is, it’s SO OBVIOUS as I’m writing this all out, but then I continue to do the same thing over and over again. “I know better…”
Anyway, I feel there’s room for improvement and I’m ready to take this step more throughly.
Today I sense that the biggest reason for not making a lot of progress is FEAR: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear that I won’t be able to do this (which I WON’T if I try to do it all on my own), fear that I’ll keep falling back in to temptation, which it seems I have a bit with dabbling around on Facebook (I haven’t “relapsed” but haven’t fought off lustful temptations either).
I need to really fervently pray and ask God to help me get over this fear.
Nate