THE CHRISTIAN WAY 34

THE CHRISTIAN WAY 34
Do not recite the Sobriety Prayer mechanically, or its power will be
diminished. Prayer is most effective when it is fervent, heartfelt, and
genuine. Learn to pray in your own words. Say whatever you are led
to say. Use any prayer that you like, but pray for sobriety daily, always
with sincerity and a heart filled with love for God.

The power of your prayers will be magnified when you pray with
others at sunrise, at noon, at sunset, and at midnight—the times
when enlightened believers on every plane are directed to unite in
prayer. Pray also whenever the desire or the urge to submit to the
lusts of the flesh comes to the attention of your mind. Pray
constantly, always, unceasingly.

You who may be reluctant to pray because you are not sure that you
are qualified to receive help from God need not worry. Pray in the
name of Jesus. God will not require your mind to fully understand
the complexities of Divinity as a prerequisite to answering your
prayers.

God, with loving grace, assists and helps you every minute of every
day, even if you think you don’t deserve it.

Matthew 6:7 (KJV) “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as
the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their
much speaking.”

Matthew 18:20 (KJV) “For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) “Pray without ceasing.”

35 ASK GOD
You are special. You don’t have to earn God’s Favor. You don’t have
to qualify. God’s Grace is an expression of God’s unconditional love
for you, so it just streams forth continuously every minute of your
life. God is showering favor upon your life right now, causing your
vital organs to perform their work. In fact, God loves you so much
that throughout your life, Divine Intelligence directs, supports, and
coordinates the activity of each of the trillions of cells in your body.
God’s Love for you supports and sustains you every minute of every
day.

Now, if God is doing all these great things for you—loving you,
causing you to live—actually living you, don’t you know that your
Holy Father will free you from addiction if you ask? Even if you have
been ungrateful or if you, for the most irreverent reason, have
chosen not to express love or appreciation to God for the wonderful

blessings that are so abundant in your life, you are nonetheless
favored with God’s Love and Grace. There is no way you could exist
on God’s Precious Earth, or anywhere in God’s Universe, if you were
not

Ephesians 2:8 (AMP) “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor)
that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of
Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of
yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own
striving], but it is the gift of God.”

Matthew 7:9-11 (KJV) “[W]hat man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give
him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

THE CHRISTIAN WAY 36

favored and worthy of the love you receive from God ! Perhaps your
mind is not conscious of Oneness with God, or perhaps you have
been slumbering and have not yet fully awakened to your duty and
responsibility in the world. Nonetheless, Chosen One, you are a child
of God. And you can be certain that even now God is blessing you
with true grace just as the holiest saint is being blessed with life and
the joys of the world. You are, therefore, definitely worthy of the
healing and enlightenment which you now seek. Go back and pray
the “Sobriety Prayer” again so you can clearly understand each word.
Concentrate on each sentence until you are sure you mean what it
says. Trusting in the power of God’s loving grace, lift up your soul in
prayer.

Repeat the Sobriety Prayer with absolute faith in God’s Power. Now
say The Lord’s Prayer (p. 233), and make a commitment to do so
each time you say the Sobriety Prayer. Congratulations! You have
taken an important step towards eternal, everlasting freedom from
life’s many addictions.

Matthew 5:45 (KJV) “That ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on
the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Psalm
143:8 (KJV) “Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for
in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

35 ASK GOD You are special. You don’t have to earn God’s Favor.
You don’t have to qualify. God’s Grace is an expression of God’s
unconditional love for you, so it just streams forth continuously every

minute of your life. God is showering favor upon your life right now,
causing your vital organs to perform their work. In fact, God loves
you so much that throughout your life, Divine Intelligence directs,
supports, and coordinates the activity of each of the trillions of cells
in your body. God’s Love for you supports and sustains you every
minute of every day. Now, if God is doing all these great things for
you—loving you, causing you to live—actually living you, don’t you
know that your Holy Father will free you from addiction if you ask?

Even if you have been ungrateful or if you, for the most irreverent
reason, have chosen not to express love or appreciation to God for
the wonderful blessings that are so abundant in your life, you are
nonetheless favored with God’s Love and Grace. There is no way you
could exist on God’s Precious Earth, or anywhere in God’s Universe,
if you were not Ephesians 2:8 (AMP) “For it is by free grace (God’s
unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and
made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this
[salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not
through your own striving], but it is the gift of God.” Matthew 7:9-11
(KJV) “[W]hat man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he
give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask him?” THE CHRISTIAN WAY 36 favored and
worthy of the love you receive from God ! Perhaps your mind is not
conscious of Oneness with God, or perhaps you have been
slumbering and have not yet fully awakened to your duty and
responsibility in the world. Nonetheless, Chosen One, you are a child
of God. And you can be certain that even now God is blessing you
with true grace just as the holiest saint is being blessed with life and
the joys of the world. You are, therefore, definitely worthy of the
healing and enlightenment which you now seek. Go back and pray
the “Sobriety Prayer” again so you can clearly understand each word.

Concentrate on each sentence until you are sure you mean what it
says. Trusting in the power of God’s loving grace, lift up your soul in
prayer. Repeat the Sobriety Prayer with absolute faith in God’s
Power. Now say The Lord’s Prayer (p. 233), and make a commitment
to do so each time you say the Sobriety Prayer. Congratulations! You
have taken an important step towards eternal, everlasting freedom
from life’s many addictions. Matthew 5:45 (KJV) “That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust.” Psalm 143:8 (KJV) “Cause me to hear thy loving kindness
in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way
wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” 37 ASK GOD
Meditation The next step on the way to freedom is deep meditation,
the contemplative Oneness with God achieved in the “Christ

Consciousness.” Meditation is the act of focusing your awareness
within, where God resides, opening a spiritual channel by which
Divine Light and Divine Love may stream forth into your soul. When
God guides you during meditation, do not expect to hear God’s Voice
with your physical ears and do not expect to see Divine Light with
your physical eyes. Effective meditation requires you to open your
spiritual eyes and ears and allow your mind to understand through
the prism of your soul. When meditating, go fearlessly into the
guiding light of Christ. Let God’s Truth and Wisdom reverberate in
the innermost sanctuary of your soul. While you are meditating, your
soul will be able to see God’s Light and hear God’s Voice as clearly as
your biological eyes can see sunlight and as clearly as your anatomical
ears can hear acoustic voices. Prepare to go in consciousness deep
within where you will find Psalm 49:3 (KJV) “[A]nd the meditation of
my heart shall be of understanding.” Exodus 15:26 (KJV) “If thou wilt
diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that
which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments,
and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon
thee.”

THE CHRISTIAN WAY 38 Oneness with God. Still the commotion and
noise of your natural mind. Only then can meditation begin. Focus
your spiritual intellect and, through the power of your spiritual mind,
let your spirit understand what your mind cannot. For in solemn
stillness God’s Guidance will glow in your consciousness with crystal
clarity. During deep meditation, practice listening, seeing, and
understanding with your soul. By doing so, you will reap the fullest
benefit from the loving guidance you receive from God. Regardless
of how confused or uncertain you may feel right now, know that
regular meditation will fill you with the Holy Spirit and the joy of
Divine Love, thus suppressing the base desires that drive addiction. If
at first you cannot still your mind enough to feel the joy of Divine
Love while meditating, just be patient. Spiritual unfoldment does not
happen overnight. The way to master meditation is to meditate
often, for practice makes perfect. Sincere, faithful practice in
meditation will eventually enable you to enter the “Christ
Consciousness”

Deuteronomy 4:39 (AMP) “Know, recognize, and understand
therefore this day and turn your [mind and] heart to it that the Lord
is God in the heavens above and upon the earth beneath; there is no
other.” Psalm 46:10 (KJV) “Be still, and know that I am God.” 39

ASK GOD at will, where you will always find sanctuary from the
desires, obsessions, and confusion of self, and where Oneness with
God will be a joyful reality. As surely as a gifted athlete will develop
better skills through dedicated, repeated effort, so it is that through
sincere, regular meditation, you shall become proficient in

meditating. Meditate continuously throughout the course of each
day. Before long, sincere meditation will become a restorative,
calming habit. Yes, the state of spiritual bliss that you shall achieve
while meditating will eventually replace the obsessive, insatiable lust
for false pleasures that tied you to addiction for so long. Meditation
will release you from the prison of life’s many addictions. It will raise
you up and completely heal you so that you may fulfill the purpose
for which you were created. Frequent meditation will allow you to
live constantly in the nurturing glow of Divine Love, a state where
your soul will radiate with love for God. In this consciousness, you
will know with absolute confidence that God’s Love is always
nurturing and protecting you.

Psalm 119:117 (NLT) “Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will
meditate continually on your decrees.” Joshua 1:8 (KJV) “[T]hou
shalt meditate therein day and night.” 1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)
“They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a
crown that will last forever.”

THE CHRISTIAN WAY 40 Even while you sleep, Divine Love will
stream forth into your consciousness through joyful, happy dreams
and revelations. Meditate regularly so you will develop sound
judgment and loving wisdom will reverberate through your soul. You
will be relieved of tension and stress, your consciousness will
expand, and your mind will be lifted up to Divine Understanding. If
this meditation exercise seems too difficult to do alone, or if at first
you don’t achieve the desired results, you may want to pray for help.
Yes, you can even ask God to give you the ability to understand and
embrace the power of Divine Love. Beseech God to help you learn to
meditate. Sincere meditation will bring about dramatic changes in
your life. You will begin to think more clearly and profound
epiphanies will flow into your mind. We caution you, however, to be
aware that not every idea that you receive in meditation will be of or
from God. If you become confused by what you “hear” while
meditating, just ask God to help you.

1 Timothy 4:15 (KJV) “Meditate upon these things; give thyself
wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” Psalm 49:3
(KJV) “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my
heart shall be of understanding.” Matthew 7:7 (KJV) “Ask, and it will
be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened
to you.” 1 John 4:1 (NKJV) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits, whether they are of God.”

41 ASK GOD As you pray for the ability to hear, discern, and clearly
recognize God’s Loving Voice, you will come to realize that you have
an “inner guide” that knows God and only awaits your utilization of it
for this great purpose. Your inner guide—the Holy Spirit—is always

there to serve you. It guides you in four basic ways. First, your inner
guide acts as your “conscience,” watching and monitoring every
thought, every expression, and each and every action in your life. As
your conscience, it corrects you when you do things that are not in
harmony with your high spiritual purpose. When you behave in a
way that hinders your spiritual advancement, your conscience nags
at you; if you are guilty of a sin, your conscience won’t let you forget
it. Your conscience will clearly point out to you the difference
between right and wrong, making you feel guilty about even the
slightest transgression. Second, your inner guide acts as “intuition,”
warning you of danger and providing you with Divine Insight, a
spiritual power that believers refer to as having “spiritual eyes and
ears.”

Psalm 25:5 (NIV) “[G]uide me in your truth and teach me, for you are
God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long