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[vahn]

Hi my name is vahn & am a recovering alcoholic,

I dont know how many times I have said that, but never thought I'd be typing it in a place like this , buuut , here I am.

Being new at this ,dont realy know where to start, but start I will,

But for the grace of God , I havn't found it necessary for me to pick up a drink or any kind of mind (& soul) altering substance for the past 10 years , and let me assure you that was not my "plan" nor do I have anything to do with it, but thru the fellowship AA and putting to practice the spiritual tool kit laid down at my disposal , in my day to day life , I found myself ina bit of a struggle with our 11th step, which states partially " Sought through prayer and meditation to IMPROVE our concious contact with God"
which set me off ona 9 year "searching expedition" , which in turn "by praying only for His will for me and His power to carry it out" landed me here at OASIS . Is God awsome or what ?

In the spirit of our book's suggestion, that states, in effect, " some of us comence to annual or semi annual house cleaning" I completed CCCC that led me to MCFC which I'm almost at completion, where I hit somewhat of a "snag" the past two days, and almost gave the whole Idea up . But through the emense help,encouragement and goading of another COOLy that put me in a "AS God's children we crawl in front of no one" frame of mind here I am , "To do His will for me"

If you think that's a long winded introduction, dont worry about it - it gets worse ! Hah .

May God bless you and keep you !

[realtmg]

Amen Bro.
You have blessed me with your words as I read them in the Forums.
God will open doors for you to share your experience, strength, and hope here.
Feel free to share as your words may be felt of others who search to battle their problems.

GBU!


Real

[vahn]

Real
Thank you for the warm reply,
For the past ten years , 'been dealing w/ nothing but drunks and this "superficial" HP stuff (your own conception, ladidah) you know what I'm talking about, but Real, deep down inside, I some how "knew" He was much , much bigger than that , which scared the living hell outa me. Now, let me say something , as to the reason why , prior to my suicide attempt, that ultimately led me to AA, I did not believe in God's existance , not that I was an athiest, or against God , I just simply had this nonechelant, whatever atitude toward Him, but coming out of that drunken mire, that Bill called quicksand, was an absolute impossibility for me.
I mean , I'm sure you know and I trust that you gathered that by now , I was not one of those who drank a couple o beers and got an OUI came to AA , two months later they're telling you all about alcoholism.
When it landed me in prison , I took a deep breath , and said thank you.
Upon my release , I called "Chewy" to come pick me up, and to bring "something" with him ! twenty some years later I was revived by another "drunk" ! Ever since When someone would say something like "HP" or "use your own God" I just felt like giving that person the tightest "hug" - with the palm of my hands - after steps 4 through 7 I was left with this greater hole in the pit of my stomach that nearly drove me out of my head , something inside said why dont you look this Guy up vahn ! the rest is history, now i'm typing this post, thanks be to God , and to people like you who saved me a seat , you musta known I was coming!

How'd you do that ?

May God bless you and keep you

[realtmg]

I agree vahn. God is a personal God to me. He has been there when no one was, especially when I was in prison.
It use to bother me when people used the HP concept but I have seen some come to know Jesus through it.
And vahn......... I didn't know you were coming but simply asked God
to send people for us to help and people who can help the ones who hurt.
I relate to those who are hurting because I spent most of my life hurting.
Most all of it was self-inflicted.
God has really had patience with me and I thank Him for this.
My faith has grown so much and i now try to live in Today.
Today I am grateful.
And it blesses me so much to see people as you so blessed to find Oasis.
I sense you feel the LOVE.
GBU Bro.

Real

[realtmg]

Just led to share.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

There is no mistaking the effect of light upon a darkened place. Light boldly and unabashedly announces its presence and vigorously dispels darkness. God's desire is to fill you with His light. He wants you to shine as a brilliant testimony of His presence and power in your life, so that the darkness in the lives of those around you will be displaced by the light of God's glory.

If, however, you notice the world around you becoming darker and darker, don't blame the darkness! It is simply doing what darkness does. The only remedy for darkness is light. If the world is becoming darker, the problem is not with the darkness. The problem is with the light. Jesus said His disciples should be the light of the world

[realtmg]

When I take my eyes and ears off Him, I always begin to sink. Sort of like Peter. We who have this struggle must maintain a spiritual relationship with Him or else we will fall. I always have when I do this.
"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear." (Matthew 13:16)

When you became a Christian, God gave you spiritual sight and hearing so you could begin experiencing His presence and activity all around you. The Holy Spirit helps you to develop these spiritual senses as you walk with Him. Spiritual sensitivity to God is a gift that must be accepted and exercised. Scripture indicates that those who are spiritually dead cannot see or understand spiritual things (Matt. 13:14 15). Without spiritual eyes, you can be right in the midst of a mighty act of God and not recognize it.

There is a radical difference between seeing your surroundings from a human perspective and seeing life through spiritual eyes. Non-Christians will see world events around them and become confused. You will look at the same events, recognize the activity of God, and adjust your life to Him. When you meet a person who is seeking God, you will recognize the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and adjust your life to God's activity (Rom. 3:11). Someone without spiritual perception will encounter that same person and not grasp the eternal significance of what is happening in that person's life. Others will hear of new philosophies and trends in society and not know how to discern the truth. You will hear God's voice over the din of the world's voices, and you will keep your bearings in the midst of the confusing circumstances.

Sin dulls your senses, ultimately leaving you spiritually blind and deaf. Do not be content with merely seeing with physical eyes and hearing with natural ears but not sensing what God is doing. Ask God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to sensitize you to His activity all around you.

GBU


Real