Turning our Will and Our Lives Over to God

April 4, 2009

Before I start on the information for the third step, I would like to put down some thoughts that were expressed in the Saturday morning session of Conference. I do not have all the names of the people that made these statements, but feel they are important to get on paper and watch conference later to find their names.

These are the statements that are causing me to contemplate and what to know more about their subject matter:

Brother Packer (not Boyd K.) Cautioned us to “build on the bedrock” the rains will come. He also counseled us to “acquaint ourselves with the promptings of the Holy Ghost.”

“We watch for answers when we listen to thoughts and promptings that are in our minds.” (Brother Packard, not Boyd K.)

“A Testimony is to know and feel – Conversion is to live and do it.”

“Addiction is a craving of the natural man”

A sister that has been called to be an addiction missionary stated: “Addiction is what I turn to instead of the Lord.”

The Third Step in Overeaters Anonymous is: “Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the card of God as we understand him”

The first three steps are: “I can’t; God can: I think I’ll let God!”

It is impossible to take step 3 until you have take steps 1 and 2. “We must accept help without reservation from a greater power than ourselves.” Step 3 is a simple step, but not easy. “We must adopt a new unfamiliar way of thinking and acting in life.” “From now on, we let go of our preconceived notion about what is right for us. When faced with choices, we earnestly seek guidance from our Higher Power, when that guidance comes we act upon it.”

The Lord will still expect you to use your free agency in making choices, but he will send the Holy Ghost to help you with your decisions.

Brother Packard in conference also taught us: “We watch for answers when we listen to thoughts and promptings that are in our mind.” We must learn to understand when we are being prompting from the Holy Ghost and to follow the impressions we receive by the spirit.

“Many systems give us diets to follow but make us responsible for adhering to them. Weight loss is not our only goal, and we accept that even a “perfect” body (if there is such a thing) would not make us happy. Our primary purpose is to abstain from eating compulsively, and we know that in order to do so we will need help.

As you start this program for a while you will do well, but be prepared for a honey moon period to be over. You will be tested time and again and there will be slips in your progress. You must learn to forgive yourself and move on. Do not dwell on the slips, dwell on the success and that you have the Lord on your side.

“What we need now is a way of being abstinent over the long haul and living through good times and bad.”

“Often we cause ourselves problems because we don’t realize that there are some kinds of eating we could handle comfortably and some kinds we cannot.” Identify the behaviors and food that cause you to be compulsive. By eliminating these eating behaviors and foods our lives will experience fewer struggles. “Our common sense will tell us to avoid our own particular problems and follow sound nutritional guidelines.”

“We have found that when we give up self-will regarding food and completely turn our lives over to God, we receive all kind of guidance.

“All of this experience, knowledge, and help are augmented by a source of wisdom inside of us that becomes more powerful . . . through prayer and meditation. The inner resource is our intuition. . . Intuition is supposed to be God’s direct line into our minds and hearts, but our problems and our self will have interfered with this connection. As we work on the steps, the interference begins to be removed, and intuition begins to function properly, helping us to focus on God’s will, both for our eating for the living of our lives.”

CAN WE SAY THAT INTUTION EQUALS THE PROMPTINGS OF THE HOLY GHOST? Being able to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost is like building a muscle. You must work at it every day, exercising you spiritual ears and heart to hear and fell the promptings. At first they start small, but after exercise they become stronger.

“As we become aware of what our eating guidelines should be, we ask God for the willingness and the ability to live within them each day. We ask and we receive, first the willingness and then the ability.”

“We can confidently face any situation life brings, because we no longer have to face it alone. We have what we need any time we are willing to let go of self-will and humbly ask for help.”