Praying With Step Ten To Be Aware of Anything Needing Change In Our Lives

God wants us to be those who grow every day.  We know that to be physically well we have to eat well, drink water, exercise, get proper rest, and practice good hygiene every day.  Particularly during this season of the pandemic we have been paying attention to distancing and masks and hand hygiene etc. haven’t we?  What we put into practice last week or last year won’t keep things at bay today.  We need to review what’s going on and how we are acting in the circumstances we find ourselves today.

Well, the same is true for our inner life – the issues of our heart and mind.  Once again the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were very wise when they included this principle as one of the “Maintenance Steps” in the Twelve Step program.

Step Ten:  Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 

Bible:  Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe. Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:3-5a

We live in a world that says, “If it feels good do it.”  For many of us, particularly during this pandemic, we have involved ourselves in many different things in order to try to feel good.  Some have been helpful and some have only added to our troubles.  We’ve struggled to do what is right often favored what was convenient instead. 

Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.  2 John 8

Today God invites you and I to measure our quality of life based on principles that He knows give true meaning and satisfaction to our daily living.  Many practices that God prescribes, do not feed our “feel good fast” emotions.  God invites us each day of our life to recognize our ongoing inclination to what we believe is a “softer, easier way of life”. We are invited to bring our lives to the mirror of God’s Word every day in order to assess how we are practicing His principles in all our ways. 

Loving God, we bring ourselves and our life today before You.  Holy Spirit look into our lives and show us our hearts, our motives, our thoughts and words as well as our actions and reactions.  Help us to understand where we acted in keeping with God’s values and the wisdom He has given us in His word.  

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. James 3:13-14, 17

We want our life with You to be one of continual learning and growing.  Help us to be diligent as we reflect on our motives and behaviour.  When our actions or attitudes conflict with Your principles, help us be willing to quickly acknowledge that and take action to re-align our ways with what You are saying.  Give us grace and strength to make any necessary adjustments and amends.