King Benjamin Teaches Step Seven

Step Six was the willingness step. Now it's the action step of seven. But just like none of us ever got sober by ourselves, this is another step in trusting God.

AA Step Seven: "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

LDS Addiction Recovery Guide: "Humbly ask Heavenly Father to remove your shortcomings."

King Benjamin: "And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." (Mosiah 4:10).

The phrase, "humble yourselves before God; and ask," could not be any closer to the AA Step without infringing on copyright laws. However, we must remember that any lawsuits levied here would come upon Alcoholics Anonymous and not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Book of Mormon was published just over 100 years earlier than the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, which, like the Book of Mormon, needed additional witnesses to verify its truthfulness. The Book of Mormon needed its three and eight witnesses to testify, and AA was founded on the sobriety date of its second member, Dr. Bob Smith on June 10, 1935. Thus, there had to be at least two to testify. And of course, this speech was actually delivered by King Benjamin over 2,100 years ago.

Since this step aligns so perfectly with King Benjamin's teachings and Restoration scripture, perhaps this would be a good time to mention just a couple of similarities between AA and the restored Church of Jesus Christ. 

I feel blessed to belong to two of perhaps just a handful of organizations that believe in personal revelation and divine personal guidance directly from God. I will need to cover this in greater detail in Step Eleven, which speaks of a "conscious contact with God." In a gospel setting, we call this personal revelation.

The New York-Ohio Connection

In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and in other places, AA founder Bill W. refers to his personal "Higher Power" as "the Father of Lights." He was admitted into Towns Hospital in New York City, where he had a profound spiritual experience that would change his life and the lives of countless drunks like me. Francis Hartigan observed, "While under treatment at Towns Hospital, Bill Wilson experiences a flash of white light and an overwhelming sense of well-being that frees him from his alcoholism." (see https://stepstudy.org/1934-bill-wilsons-hot-flash/).

In the spring of 1820 Joseph Smith went into a grove of trees in upstate New York and saw two Personages in a pillar of light. Joseph describes, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. . .One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith--History 1:16-17).

The parallel of both of them being delivered from an enemy, and both seeing a bright, white light is striking.

Later, Joseph and the early saints would travel to Ohio upon receiving revelation from the Lord and there would be established the new headquarters for the Church. Bill Wilson, a New York stockbroker, would travel on a business trip to Akron, Ohio. The trip challenged his newfound sobriety. He went to a payphone and called various clergymen in hopes of finding another drunk to talk to. He realized this was his only chance at staying sober. He found a washed up surgeon by the name of Bob Smith (same last name of Joseph in case you missed it). We call him Dr. Bob, who reluctantly said he would give Bill W. fifteen minutes of his time. The conversation lasted six hours.

There is an old church in Akron, Ohio where there is a sort of visitors center. AA meetings are held there around the clock--24/7.

The Steps Are Simple But Not Easy

I remember that first week of AA meetings and eyeing the steps. I said to myself, "Let's see, I'll be on that step by next Thursday, and I'll just go ahead and say that prayer and be done with it." It may be a simple request, but it's not that easy. This is a tough step. 

Knowing I would be writing about this step, I decided to really try to work it this past week. I thought about how long it's been since I sincerely tried a Step Seven prayer. So on Monday I asked Heavenly Father to remove my shortcomings, hoping for drastic results within the week so I could share some profound spiritual experience. I kinda forgot that impatience ranks about third on my Step Four list of character defects. So if He were to grant my request immediately, as I wished, there would still be left at least one glaring defect. I can sum up 27 years of trying to work this step with something a good friend shared many years ago at an AA meeting. I will call him "John" to protect his anonymity. At this time he had close to fifteen years of continuous sobriety. John had a wife and a daughter. He said something like, "Fifteen years ago I could think of no one but myself. I had to look out for John. But after fifteen years of working the steps and spiritual progress, I can now stop and think about my wife or my daughter for maybe three or four minutes. Then I have to start thinking about John again." Like chapter five in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states, "We believe in spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection."

King Benjamin Teaches Step Six

One step leads into the next, and in Mosiah 4 verse 2, the sequence continues. Step Four's moral inventory reveals both character strengths and weaknesses. The discovery of those root character defects brings us to the confessions of Step Five, and the realization of our true character sparks a desire for a change of heart.

AA Step Six: "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

LDS Guide to Addiction Recovery Step Six: "Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses."

LDS Key Principle for Step Six: Change of heart.

King Benjamin: "And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men" (Mosiah 4:2).

"And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them" (Mosiah 4:10).

I remember that first week of AA meetings as I browsed through the steps, wondering how long it would take me to graduate from this program. My first estimate was maybe a week to cruise through these Twelve Steps. But when it came time to work Step Six, it stood before me like an insurmountable brick wall. Twenty-seven years later, I'm still begging God to please remove those character defects. And sadly, sometimes when He does, I simply take back my own will.

The bad news was that I would have to surrender all my character defects and pet sins, some of which I had learned to conveniently rely on, while others I just plain liked and didn't want to give up. The good news is that it isn't up to me. It's not my job to change my heart. That's a job only the Savior can perform.

Fortunately for King Benjamin's subjects, and for us, there was a pre-written speech delivered by a heavenly messenger in the preceding chapter, and this sublime message is centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Remember that in Step Five we admitted "the exact nature of our wrongs." And therein lies the problem. It is housed in our nature, and the enemy is the "natural man." 

An oft-quoted verse from King Benjamin's speech reads,

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).

This verse tells us how long we will be stuck on Step Six if we try to work it the wrong way. If I try to do this alone, based on my own merits, I will be stuck on this step "forever and ever." But if I "let go and let God" and get out of the way, and let my Savior heal me, then He can do miracles. I know because I have seen them happen in my life and in the lives of many others. It's one of the great blessings of recovery.

Today has been a surreal day. My wonderful daughter is a missionary serving in the Canada Edmonton Mission. Exactly ten days ago, her first companion and trainer returned home to our own ward after completing a successful mission. I know--what are the odds of getting your first companion and trainer from your own home ward with over 71,000 missionaries? It's just another of those tender mercies of the Lord, and another witness of how He is in the details of our lives. Today she gave her report on her mission. One of the many profound things she said was how some say a mission can change one's life. But she prefers to think of this as an opportunity for the Savior to change a life. Indeed, only He can change a heart.

King Benjamin Teaches Step Five

A wise man who used to attend AA meetings with me once shared how his sponsor taught him to work the steps in order. His sponsor said to him, "And for dummies like you, they're numbered." I can't overstate the value of sponsorship. I heard some say, "If you are having problems working a step, then go back and rework the one before it." The steps become a spiritual progression. One step builds upon another. There is usually a willingness step before the action step.

Steps Four and Five are related so it's not surprising to see them spoken of in the same verse in Mosiah chapter 4. Here are the variations of this step:

AA Step Five: "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

LDS Addiction Recovery Guide: "Admit to yourself, to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of your wrongs."

King Benjamin: "And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men" (Mosiah 4:2).

After the people had worked Step Four by taking their own personal, moral inventory, expressed in the Book of Mormon as "they had viewed themselves," they made an open, verbal confession aloud in the presence of God, each other, and their king. As the LDS Guide suggests, they make this confession in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the next chapter they will take His name upon themselves in a covenant relationship. King Benjamin gathers the people together as kings did anciently during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) as their king and priesthood leader. King Mosiah, who will be Benjamin's successor, will later give priesthood keys to Alma to establish churches (or wards and branches of the Church) throughout the land. The text says, "And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church" (Mosiah 25:19). So it's significant that this confession is made in the presence of their priesthood leader as well.

They had learned much about how to take this step from Step Four, as their inventory revealed the "exact nature" of their character defects. Their "living problem" (not drinking problem) was a result of their "carnal state" stemming back to the Fall, "the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish" (Mosiah 16:3). And these people realize their only shot at recovery will come from the Atonement of Jesus Christ, allowing their hearts to be changed. With a changed heart, recovery becomes joyous, happy, and fulfilling, while just changing the behavior results in just another "dry drunk." They identify their Higher Power as Jesus Christ, and these people know and understand that their faith will activate His grace.

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the guidance of these steps, the people will come away with an eternal vision, and "through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit," they will have "great views" of their own potential and that of their brothers and sisters in the gospel (see Mosiah 5:3).

I remember working Steps Four and Five for the first time. Several months of sobriety had only given me tunnel vision. I was so focused on just staying sober that I could hardly see anything else in my future life. One day my bishop called me into his office. He had a list of endowed members of his ward who did not hold temple recommends. He had seen my name on that list for years, and as he regularly prayed about it, he felt through the Spirit that the timing was not right. But on this day, he prayed and received a prompting that the time had come for me to start working on returning to the temple. As he shared this experience with me and challenged me to return to the temple, I responded, "Well bishop, I think that's impossible. I'm an alcoholic." I really expected him to say, "Oh well, in that case, thanks for your time," and then excuse me from his office. But he didn't do that. Instead, he laid out a plan for me to get temple blessings back into my life and gave me a timetable for all of this.

I will always be grateful for the help of sponsors and bishops in working this step. Future inventories revealed other character defects and addictions, and I had this experience several times of going back to the bishop. Each time, my bishop gave me plans and goals to help me overcome addictions and other problems. Being able to receive the blessings of the temple has blessed my life in so many ways.

On this Easter Day I wish to express praise and gratitude for all the tender mercies of our Savior Jesus Christ, as I know that "but for the grace of God, there go I." I know on that first Easter weekend, in an olive garden and on a cross, He purchased recovery for me and countless others at a staggering price.

King Benjamin Teaches Step Four

Steps Four through Nine are sometimes called the action steps. In Step One we admitted our powerlessness, in Step Two we began to develop faith in God and hope for personal healing, and Step Three becomes the decision step to trust the Lord. In Step Four, the rubber meets the road. We partner with God to begin work on those action steps to guarantee healing and recovery.

AA Step Four: "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."

LDS Addiction Recovery Guide Step Four: "Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself."

King Benjamin: "And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men" (Mosiah 4:2).

Each person "viewed himself" (or herself) and took a personal moral inventory, revealing the character defects causing the outward addictive behavior. Another group of people in the Book of Mormon suffered great loss, similar to addicts having lost everything meaningful in their lives, and their moral inventory was described as follows:

"And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of . . . " (please fill in the blank for your addiction of choice; see Helaman 4:12).

Outsiders may see only the results of the addiction and the drug of choice. It's that place we run to, instead of turning to Christ. But the root of the behaviors are in the moral inventory. In the case above, the list includes pride, selfishness, disregard for others, making a mockery of sacred things, denial, dishonesty, and contention. 

I remember that first week of AA meetings. I wanted to learn how to "manage" my drinking, then graduate and move on with life. I figured it would take me about a week to knock out these Twelve Steps, then I could graduate and move on. Twenty seven years later, I'm still trying to work the Steps and I feel like I have just scratched the surface.

I didn't realize I suffer from the disease of alcoholism. And it's not the alcohol that gets me--it's the ism at the end of the word. And I learned in AA that ISM stands for I, Self, Me. So I needed a personal inventory to discover my "living problem" rather than my alcohol problem. I didn't discover the "bad news" of Step Four until years down the road, as I learned over time I had many addictions (too numerous to list here), and it was the same moral inventory at the root of each addiction. 

Recently, I have tried to tackle another addiction, as my wife and I are sponsoring each other in Weight Watchers. I was doing great until about a week ago when I relapsed on chocolate.

A few weeks ago, my daughter, currently serving in the Canada Edmonton Mission, challenged me to prepare questions in advance of General Conference last week. One of my questions was "How can I deepen my discipleship?" The answer came from wonderful talks, including a great talk specifically about discipleship by Elder Hales, and the whisperings of the Spirit telling me I need to overcome my "own carnal state" and my tendencies for pride, selfishness, impatience, immediate gratification, and other character defects found in working Step Four. The bad news is that I cannot overcome my own carnal state. The good news is that by "applying the atoning blood of Christ" I can overcome all things.  

King Benjamin Teaches Step Three

For alcoholics and addicts like me, Step Three is a pivotal step. I've heard it said in meetings, the first three steps can be summarized with three short sentences: I can't. He can. I will let Him. Step Three is the leap of faith--the surrender step. Really, they're all about surrender.

The transition from Step Two to Step Three does not always go smoothly, and King Benjamin's treatment of the steps can help make the transition seamless. In case you're reading this one first, all Twelve Steps are clearly taught in Mosiah chapter 4.

AA Step Three: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

LDS Addiction Recovery Program Step Three: "Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."

LDS Addiction Recovery Program key concept for Step Three: "Trust in God."

King Benjamin: "I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—" (Mosiah 4:6).

I remember my first time attending the Wednesday Night Old Timers Meeting over 27 years ago. I had not seen a single sober day in seven years. And this was my first time attending this AA meeting with a bunch of old timers. I certainly couldn't be called an "old timer." I didn't have a single day of sobriety.

The large poster with the Twelve Steps--the same one I had stopped to read on a summer morning two years earlier--had now been moved to our meeting room upstairs. God had placed it downstairs for me two years earlier, knowing I would stop to read it. I read Step Three over and over again. I thought I must have read it wrong. Wait a minute here, I signed up only to learn to manage my drinking, so what's all this stuff about giving up my will and my whole life? Then in a room full of drunks I counted the cost. Do I have to give Him my will and my life just to get sober? 

I definitely had trust issues (my wife says I still do). I had already turned my life and will over to the god of alcohol, and now had admitted in Step One I was powerless over it. And what did I have to show for it? Oh, a couple of DUI's, trips to jail, threats at work, damaged relationships, low self-esteem, fear, shame, guilt, hopelessness, etc., etc. I had dedicated my life to the cause of alcoholism, and even shown up at the liquor store in advance before every Sunday and holiday for the last seven years. So I'll be darned if they think I'm going to surrender to anyone or anything! I started looking for what the Big Book calls "an easier, softer way."

So I decided to do "a half measure." I went to meetings every day for two weeks and continued to drink between meetings. July 31,1989 (my sobriety date from alcohol and drugs) rolled around and I went home from my third Monday Night Beginners Meeting filled with despair and anguish. I told myself I either needed to get out of AA, or get serious about this step and surrender myself to God. And my damaged concept of God was a Being somewhere out there in the universe waiting with vengeance for me, so He could just zap me a good one for all the terrible things I had done.

I went home that night, retired to my room, and had an hour-long battle with the enemy. Funny he should show up. He already abandoned me when I hit rock bottom. Finally, I hit my knees and poured out my soul to God. My dear daughter (an impossible concept 28 years ago) who is presently serving the Lord in the Canada Edmonton Mission, challenged me ahead of this weekend's General Conference to prepare my questions for conference. One of my questions was "How can I make my personal prayers more meaningful?" I want you to know this prayer over 27 years ago was short but powerful. It was something like, "Dear God, I'm beat. Help me!" It had real "energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48). I felt a peace I didn't understand at the time. I had done nothing to deserve it. I didn't hear a voice, but if I had, it would have said, "Don't worry, everything will be just fine."

As I listened last night to President Eyring describe an event while he was bishop when a member of his ward crashed into a bank lobby while drunk and said to the security officers, "Don't shoot. I'm a Mormon," I laughed and said to my wife and son (two more impossible concepts 28 years ago), "That sounds like something I would have done." Then I got to hear as you might have heard how President Eyring was privileged to see this man as the Savior sees him.

One of my other pre-conference questions was, "How can I deepen my discipleship?" Before the conference started yesterday morning I was out on my Saturday walk and going over these questions in my mind. When I asked this question, the Spirit quietly replied, "Trust me." No, I still didn't hear a voice, but the Spirit let me see patterns of my own thoughts and how my own thinking and behavior sometimes block the assurances of God. I've heard much yesterday and today about trusting the Lord and His timing and wisdom, including that great talk this morning by Elder Clayton.

I have to say today that the best decision I have ever made (and I have to keep making it every day) is to "let go and let God."

Enjoy conference!