https://12stepnationalmeetings.com/media/Step-6-Alcoholics-Anonymous.mp4
Hello, how you doing? Now? We come to step 6 as you as you cause understand step 6 weeds were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Let me say it again were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. That’s that always bothered me because it says entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. That’s a strong thing to say to me.
Me that I’m entirely ready to have God remove all my defects of character. Well, there’s some defects of character than many of us like, you know, some people like to get angry because it causes them to feel powerful. No just sitting there feeling useless doesn’t help them but anger brings up some adrenaline it helps them to feel like they’re powerless powerful that they really can do something about the situation some people like to feel jealous, I guess because they think that the more jealous they are the more they
The person it gives them some kind of adrenaline adrenaline, huh, you know, and they just like to feel jealous some people like to feel loss.
You know, they like to feel lost a day enjoy it then they walk they ride around in their car and they look at certain people and how many it’s not the climax of the thing that they like they like the whole process of it. Some people my god really like the LIE they like to tell a lie and watch how other people react to the lot. I like to bolster themselves or see the line go around go around and come back as a totally new lie manipulate people some of us like our defects some of us like to feel sorry for else.
Self-pity some of us love resentment because we don’t want to let the other person off the hook what they’ve done to me and now we come to a time where they say we want to be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. That’s a tall order. I think one of the things is it takes years for us to see the detriment that many of these defects are doing to what it’s doing to us. And so what we asked in this step is that
You don’t move too fast. He passed he came, you know, too that you don’t move fast. He passes that you take your time and really ask yourself. Are you ready to have the higher power removing? I think many people run past this because they don’t give themselves time to meditate on their defects to really think about how much they like them. Do they really wants to do something with it. Take time. Look at your defects see the pain that your defects are causing.
See the problems that your because if it’s not a problem, you’re not going to want to get rid of it. If you think that it’s really helping you. You’re not going to come to the point where you entirely ready to have God remove all these defects. So I suggest that as you be around other people and as you around the rooms, you’ll see what the defects are doing. I think that’s a key to seeing the detriment that the defects of character causing you. We can’t always see it by yourself, but as
Interact with the community as you interact with other people you see what it’s doing to your relationships and you see what it’s doing to you personally and you hear other people talk about their defects of character and how they have overcome them and that gives you hope but one of the things this step says is that we can overcome these defects by ourselves. I have a friend that used to say and I’m sure one of the original with him self can’t save self self.
Can’t save yourself, you know, we need a savior. Whoever your savior maybe and my savior I choose to call God and that’s why I turn over my car to defects to God. I ask God to remove my car to defects. I know that I’m not going to remove them. Like I said some of them I like but I am willing to have God remove them because I can see the downside of many of them as well. So as you get around people and you see how your anger your self-pity your jealousy your
Fear is causing you problems in those relationships how your Character defects are really causing you not to grow in recovery. How loss is not really giving you power but it’s actually enslaving you as you talk to other people and talk to sponsors then perhaps you’ll come to a point at least one day. You’ll come to a point where you’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. I believe it’s a process.
I believe it’s a process and I believe there will be doing it for the rest of our life. And if you have all your defects of character gone, they’re not guess you’re gone to Glory all of us have some defects of character. But are you willing enough to put yourself under the the sovereignty of your higher power? Whoever your higher power or whatever it may be. Are you willing to give your defects to your higher power only the higher power can take it away and that again shows our Reliance and
Dependency upon the higher power self can save so another big book said, no good thing dwelleth in My Flesh, you know, wherever you want to take that word or not. I understand that human beings have limitations human beings have Character defects. We have flaws. We always will have flaws those laws will cause US problems in our relationship, but this step tells us that God can remove all of our defects of character.
Well, how does he do it? Well, I believe that he doesn’t in partnership with us. I believe that God removes our defects of character as we are willing. This is the proper use of Al will we can take our will and bend it towards God God is already working on our will God is working inside of us, I believe and we can take out will and bend it towards God and become willing to allow him to remove our defects of character and God works with us to remove those defects. You know, I
Used to believe in a God who was like I Dream of Jeannie you rub the lamp and he come and he take away your problems. I used to believe in a God who was somebody said your Cosmic bellhop. You tell him to get here and he comes right away and he does what you want him to do. Well here she she or you want her to do but now I believe in the god that works hand-in-hand with us. God has given us more responsibility than many of us want. I know that he’s giving me more responsibility and more in a sense Independence then I want and I believe that God
God has given us free. Will I’m not trying to push my belief on the anybody. This is me doing the farmer through the steps and I believe in my higher power has given me free will and my higher power doesn’t really want to take anything away from me that I’m begrudging that he or she takes so what do I do? I’ve become entirely ready but to trick the key is I self can’t save yourself so I can’t even become entirely ready unless the grace of God works upon me and I believe coming into
Rome’s coming into the Community of Faith is a place where the grace of God can work upon me as I come around other people who are recovering as they speak their story as they tell their life to my life. Then the grace of God moves upon me gives me Revelation 2 gives me light. It gives me insight and it helps me to have a willingness to change. Also. There are some people who say that God can do anything God can do anything but there are some things that
God is unwilling to do without me and I really believe that I believe that God can do anything but there are some things God won’t do without me agreeing with it. I believe that I work in partnership with God. Now what I understand is that I can do nothing without God self can’t save self but With God all things are possible now with God God can remove my defects of character, but God wants me to agree with the fact that he’s going to be moving.
Bill’s defects I’ll give him the glory. I understand that God is the one that’s doing it. But God is unwilling to do it unless I’m involved. It’s a partnership. I remember when I came into the rooms. They gave me a little small book called partnership and and the mankind of said it’s hard to talk about spiritual things in this world because spiritual things often have so much Paradox in it is like does God remove my defects of character or do I remove my defects occur to yes.
Well, which one God remove it alive removal? Yes, which one both you see and a man tried to explain in a mathematical way and it doesn’t work out that way either. He said that God will do 90% of the work and I have to do 10% of the work, but I have to do a hundred percent of my ten percent. Well, I’m not even sure that I do 10% Maybe I’ll do one percent of one percent. I don’t know how much I do, but I understand that somehow God works in.
Partnership with me. That’s what I believe. Maybe your God will take it away without your acquiescence to it. But my God, I believe Works in partnership with me. And so somehow I have to cry out to God to make me entirely ready. I’m not even ready yet. I have things God. I don’t want to get rid of I have things. I like I have things that I enjoy doing. I see that it’s detrimental. I see that it hurts people that I love but I kind of enjoy these defects occur to I like a good argument every now and then
then I love to hold onto a resentment sometime. You can’t get away with it. It makes me feel powerful that I like to tell a little lie here. They’re just a white one a great one. It’s not that bad. It is some things I might like but in the midst of me liking it I can see the other side that it causes some problems. And since it causes some problems. I cry out to my higher power God help me to stop liking it so much God help me to to come to a point where I’m entirely ready to have you.
These defects of character. I’m crying out that I’m willing again to be made willing. I’m willing God that you would help me to have these defects occur to not be my friend, but for me to see them for what they really are. I’m willing to have that happen God and I’m asking God that you would take away these defects of character. I’m going to work in partnership with you as best. I can and even as I work in Partnership, I am realizing that you are the
I’m giving me the power to be the partner sounds like Devil talk. But without you I couldn’t he had the power. They had the insight to be the partner. You’re giving me the insight to be the partner. It’s almost like you asking me to come and dance with you and I’m a little child God and I’m coming to dance and I don’t know how to dance and so as my father you put my my feet on top of your feet. And you dance with me. I’m not really dancing. I’m riding. I’m riding and when I look back at the footprints.
And I think that you have left me. That’s the time. You really carried me. So father let’s dance let’s dance let’s dance. I’m willing to have these defects of character taken away at any