He
Did Deliver Me from Bondage
by
Colleen C. Harrison
I
TEACH THEM CORRECT PRINCIPLES: Part 1
INTRODUCTION
The Prophet Joseph Smith was once asked how he had been able
to inspire and govern a people who appeared to be as productive
and happy as the Latter-day Saints. His answer was short and
to the point: “I teach them correct principles and they govern
themselves.” As with many prophetic utterances, this statement
cuts deep, to the very heart of the matter of self-governance, an issue of central importance
to addicted people.
Addicts are people with a problem—a problem they can’t solve
on their own, a problem they can’t find enough willpower
or “intestinal fortitude” to conquer on their own. Sometimes
they feel unique in their weakness, that they are the worst
of humanity. Sometimes the rest of humanity agrees. Little
does the addict, or any of their critics, realize that when
any of us face a problem of insurmountable proportions, we
are actually facing the greatest truth we can ever know in
mortality—the nature of our true relationship to God, that
of ourselves we are “nothing,” while in God all wisdom and
power reside.
It is very humiliating to admit such complete personal powerlessness
and neediness, but addicts must admit it or die. The stark
and startling truth, however, is all of us, without exception, come short of the power to save ourselves. No matter
how minimal we’ve been able to keep our list of sins and
shortcomings, no matter how much willpower and self-discipline
we’ve been able to muster, we still fall short of His glory.
Thus, the message of the Twelve Steps, especially when coordinated
with the power and precepts of the Book of Mormon, is a message for all who are trying to survive these last days. It is more
than appropriate for each of us to examine our lives, not
just for alcohol or drug addiction, but for any challenge
which leaves us devastated and demoralized, bankrupt of any
will or desire to believe in ourselves, in life…and maybe
even in God. The Twelve Steps were designed to bring us to
a knowledge of God which is more honest, more personal, and
more real than most of us have ever thought possible. And
so I ask:
Do you have a problem? An insurmountable problem of any nature?
Is there some aspect of your life in which you are out of
control, unable to “govern” yourself or your life? Is it
alcohol or some other drug, legal or illegal? Is it a compulsive
sexual behavior pattern? Is it your weight or a disordered
behavior towards food and eating? Is it compulsive use of
money? Or excessive work commitments that consume you and
your family’s lives? Or is your downfall a desperate obsession
with trying to help and control and fix other people and
their mistakes or die trying? All these problems and literally any other can be overcome by the application of true principles especially if applied
in a certain order as set forth in this study guide.
I can take no credit for discovering these principles. Nor
did I discover this formula for their successful application.
The principles are of God, and as we will see, they are totally
revealed and supported in the scriptures and teachings of
the prophets. The successful formula or order for their application
came from, of all seemingly unlikely sources, the program
of Alcoholics Anonymous. These are the principles behind
A.A.’s powerful Twelve Steps. To those of you who may be
puzzled, thinking Alcoholics Anonymous a very unlikely source
of guidance for those who already have the fullness of the
Restored Gospel, I recommend a prayerful pondering of the
following description of the prophet Mormon’s mind and the
result of having such a mind:
…and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord,
and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus. (Mormon 1:15;
emphasis added)
If, as Mormon implies, being “sober” is conducive to and eventually
the equivalent of knowing Christ, it would seem to me that all of us could stand
to pursue a course that has proven able to get more people
sober than any other, and that we should certainly not fear it. According to the first two prophets of this
dispensation, we of all people should be open-minded and
willing to embrace truth no matter where we find it.
[Latter-day Saints] must gather all the good and true
principles in the world and treasure them up. (Joseph Smith,
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 316)
I want to say to my friends that we believe in all
good. If you can find a truth in heaven, earth or hell, it
belongs to our doctrine. We believe it; it is ours; we claim
it. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 13:335)
QUALIFICATIONS
What is my motive in sharing this material with you? It is
only to share the absolute witness I have found that there
is power in the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ:
…to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound. (Isaiah 61:1)
And how do I presume to be able to do this? What are my qualifications
or credentials? They are stated perfectly in Mosiah:
My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness
and the bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but
now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked
with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained
no more. (Mosiah 27:29)
In the years since I was led into a Twelve Step program, I
have continually subjected the Twelve Step model to a gospel
interrogation, testing it by the words of the prophets, both
ancient and modern. In nothing have I found it lacking. Continually,
it proves itself, when correlated with the teachings of the
prophets to be "good"—as in, God-given.
"And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good
is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am
the same that leadeth men to all good." (Ether 4:12)
In fact, not only have I not found it wanting, I have found
it to be one of the simplest, most straightforward tools
for connecting my confused and rebellious heart to the heart,
mind and will of the Lord. In the process of coming down
into the "depths of humility" (not just skimming
its surface), and "becoming a fool before God" (losing
every single 'trapping' of the traditional Mormon woman—my
marriage and “happy” home), my heart has been purified, freed
from idolatry, reliance on fragile, earthly sources of well-being
and validation. Gradually, in a very human, very imperfect,
ebbing and flowing process, I have watched my heart transform.
Though I have not crossed hundreds of miles of earthly wilderness
in my personal trek, I have crossed light-years of mental,
emotional and spiritual wilderness. And through the power
of Christ, in the course of my scripture-based, Twelve Step
directed recovery, found a change of heart I can only identify
as Zion.
As I struggled through this journey of recovery, I kept extensive
journals—and continue to do so. They are my confidante and
sounding board as I record thoughts, feelings and even prayers.
My journals are my liahona as I record thoughts and impressions
from the Lord as conveyed to my heart and mind through the
witness of the Holy Spirit.
As other people have asked me to share these things, I have
done so with only one reservation. I have expressed this
concern to the Lord in these terms, “Please don’t let them
rely for long on me or anyone else for inspiration and personal
witness. Please let my testimony to them be a taste of the
truth and reality of finding their own way through these
Steps to a living, working, loving, honest relationship with
Thee, dear Lord.” You see, while it is true we can begin our journey of recovery leaning on others, borrowing light,
eventually we each come to a place where we must walk by
our own personal revelation. As President James E. Faust
testified:
Some time ago in South America, a seasoned group of
outstanding missionaries was asked, “What is the greatest
need in the world?” One wisely responded, “Is not the greatest
need in all of the world for every person to have a personal,
ongoing, daily, continuing relationship with Deity?” Having
such a relationship can unchain the divinity within us, and
nothing can make a greater difference in our lives as we
come to know and understand our divine relationship with
God and His Beloved Son, our Master. (James E. Faust, “That
We Might Know Thee,” Ensign,
Jan. 1999, 2)
It is my testimony, because I have lived it through this recovery
process in the Twelve Steps, that as we study and liken the
scriptures and these true principles to our own lives, we
can all come to know the voice of the Lord as it comes into
our minds, even as Enos (Enos 1:5, 10). And we can perceive Him testify to us, as Enos did,
that our sins are forgiven. This is not the testimony of
a therapist, doctor, priesthood leader, parent or friend,
but of the Lord Himself, who cannot lie. This is the testimony
which breaks the chains of the adversary’s lying power over
our souls.
Finally, I am very aware of the elements of "priestcraft,"
"That men preach and set themselves up for a light
unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the
world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion." (2 Nephi
26:29)
and I have covenanted with God to do three things to avoid
it:
1.) Never allow myself or others to forget
that there is only one name given whereby salvation cometh—Jesus
Christ. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end
of our mortal experience(3 Nephi 9:18).
I can teach, but I cannot transform. We must all rely "wholly upon [His] merits." (2 Nephi 31:19)
2.) To self-publish these attempts to carry
the message of recovery and hope in Christ, so that they
can be sold as close to cost as possible and the profit can
be channeled back into the production of similar materials.
3.) To labor always for the building up
of the kingdom of God and the establishment of Zion (the
purifying of hearts) in all the earth.
“But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for
if they labor for money they shall perish.” (2 Nephi 26:31)
Back to our basic question: Do you have a problem? Do you deal
with something that you’ve tried everything you can think
of to solve, and yet it continues and even gets worse?
If you have a problem that fits this description, then this
course is for you. If you don’t, then you’re probably not
ready—yet. That’s the only requirement for being part of
this course—that you have a problem that you can’t whip,
and you’re ready to admit it.
THERE IS A SOLUTION
Don’t be afraid to admit that you can’t beat this problem
on your own. That is the first step to overcoming it. There
is a solution, I promise you. And this solution will not
solve just the original problem that brought you here but all problems you apply it to.
I guess I sound a bit like one of those door-to-door people
who sell a liquid cleaner that cleans everything. You know, now that I think about it, those peddlers
have the advantage over me. Their solution is visible, and
the very first thing they tell you to do with it is pour
it directly on the problem spot and scrub on it. At least
that makes sense.
As illogical as it may sound, what I’m going to do is ask
you to stop focusing on the problem you’re in a life and
death struggle with, and turn your full attention instead
in a direction that to the agnostic mind seems totally unrelated.
Wait, before we go on let’s deal with my use of this phrase “the
agnostic mind.” Do you balk at the use of that phrase? Whether
active LDS or not, whether self-destructing on work, food,
sex or booze, do you still consider yourself a believer in
God? Let me tell you, so did I. When I first read Alcoholics Anonymous, I totally skipped “Chapter Four: To the Agnostic.” Not
me, I thought. I’m not an agnostic.
But, then, in my second recovery effort, the one where I reopened
the basic A.A. texts after three years of relapse, I read
the Fourth Chapter and wept as I realized that while I had
been so very active in the Church, like the “good son” in
the parable of the prodigal son, I had not come to know the
Father or His Son, Jesus Christ. I began to realize the term “agnostic”—which
applies to someone who only hopes God exists, but doesn’t feel they can say they know—was actually true of me. I had to stop denying the fact that I had serious
doubts about God’s capacity to love and help someone as “messed
up” as I was. I had to admit I turned to all kinds of other
things for comfort and solace and strength to get through
my days—things like food, money and compulsive working (cleaning,
canning, cooking, controlling others, trying to be the perfect
mother). I had to admit that, just like my alcohol-addicted
mother, I was trying to drown my doubts and fears and guilt
in my own forms of addiction.
I strongly suspect many of you, if you looked honestly and
deeply enough, would have to admit you’ve shied away from
seeking a spiritual answer to your struggle with addiction.
I suspect that like me, whether you’re active in the church
or not, you’re going to be very challenged to think a spiritual
solution could eliminate addiction from your life when the
best of science, psychological, medical and social efforts
have failed. The solution is going to be predominantly spiritual,
invisible and totally paradoxical. But I can promise you,
the results will be very observable with the human eye and
very measurable. Days of sobriety from alcohol, drugs, and/or
sex will begin to accumulate, with fewer and milder slips
or temptations to slip. Weight will be lost, your checking
account will balance consistently, confidence will increase,
relationships with loved ones will adjust to healthier levels
of honesty and respect.
And how can I promise you these results? Because it really
is true: we were (and still are) spiritual entities, first
and foremost. All things, including us, were and must always
be created spiritually before they can be created physically.
For by the power of my Spirit created
I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal. (D&C 29:31; emphasis added)
In this verse we hear God explain to us plainly that all that He does is accomplished by spiritual power. Any efforts on our part to create or to change
something will be unsuccessful if we focus on the physical
plane only. We might experience temporary success, but always
the outward reality will go back to match the inner reality. Permanent change must begin from within. Our primary emphasis
must be on the spiritual.
First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work. (D&C 29:32; emphasis
added)
The Lord works from the inside out. The world works
from the outside in. The world would take people out of the
slums. CHRIST [first] takes the slums out of people—and then they [have the vision and power to] take
themselves out of the slums. (Ezra T. Benson, Ensign, July
1989, p. 4)
What I lacked all those years that kept me from making President
Benson’s promise a reality was belief in, and focus on, the “inside-out” approach
to problem solving. This program of twelve true principles
has been called a “program of recovery.” That is an appropriate
description because if we will take the suggested action
the program outlines, we will find ourselves recovering our
spiritual selves as we are restored to the closeness we once
had with God. With that recovered relationship will come
the vision of who we are and the power to transform the physical
circumstances of our lives to reflect the new inner serenity—and it will happen automatically.
As I said earlier, I know I sound like one of those door-to-door
miracle workers again, telling you that you won’t even have
to scrub on those problem spots in your life. That’s okay,
because I know I’m in good company. Not with them necessarily,
but with Him who also knocked on doors wanting to come in
and share a seemingly impractical answer (Revelations 3:20).
You see, the truth is that He, too, offered a solution that
didn’t seem to relate, a way that seemed totally irrelevant
to the problem at hand. As far back as when He was dealing
with Moses and the Children of Israel in the wilderness,
He challenged His people to see through logic to spiritual
power. Remember the story of the brass serpent which God
told Moses to make and raise up, promising that simply looking upon it would heal the people. How much sense did that
make? I can just hear the people now: “This guy’s got to
be crazy. Surely we have to do something more than that!
Let’s see, first we’ll use a knife to make little cuts over
the puncture wounds. Then we’ll…”
Heart-deep, soul-deep healing doesn’t happen by the efforts or
power of man, no matter how logical or wise. Putting the
emphasis on the spiritual reality and turning to God must
come first.
When we put God [and the spiritual life] first,
all other things fall into their proper place or drop out
of our lives. Our love of the Lord [must] govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time,
the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.
(Ezra T. Benson, Ensign, May
1988, p. 4)
Convinced? I hope so, because it’s time
to get on with getting on.
The
second half of this chapter will be posted next week.
He
Did Deliver Me from Bondage can
be found at most LDS bookstores or purchased online at www.rosehavenpublishing.com
