Galatians 1:12

For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (KJV)

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With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves. (Alcoholics Anonymous, Spiritual Experience appendix)

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All around me,

voices knowing better,

people more experienced,

others who've walked

this path before,

and they may be messengers,

sometimes,

 a mouthpiece for God,

but I know if I miss the point

in a group, or studying alone, hope's there,

help's there,

guides may lead me

step by step

toward the right direction.

Sometimes God speaks through them.

Other times, they're giving advice,

not really working program,

not in sync

with God.

When I've listened long enough,

I recognize his voice,

hear his message.

But I need not wait.

He's ready for me, any time.

God, protect me from leaving the path

you're trying to send me along

no matter who speaks 

for you.

Remind me you don't need

interpreters.

Galatians 1:11

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. (NLT)

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We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 49)

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Human reasoning.
If I can't convince myself
right now my own logic
trumps all others,
I look to wisdom
of the elders,
the sages,
the erudite of ages.
Tea leaves, ouija boards,
crystal balls,
divine revelation
feel gullible,
juvenile, naive.
Before tossing bath water,
though,
I should check for babies.

Higher source,
teach me to trust your
higher wisdom.

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (NIV)

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That the man who is making the approach has had the same difficulty, that he obviously knows what he is talking about, that his whole deportment shouts at the new prospect that he is a man with a real answer, that he has no attitude of Holier Than Thou, nothing whatever except the sincere desire to be helpful; that there are no fees to pay, no axes to grind, no people to please, no lectures to be endured – these are the conditions we have found most effective. (Alcoholics Anonymous, pp 18-19)

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No people to please – how liberating!
I've tried all my life to please people,
to follow the rules,
to go with the flow,
to not make waves,
to blend in.
I've tried all my life to disappear,
to not be seen
at least not in a bad light,
a way that would reflect badly
on my parents,
my school,
my town,
my profession,
the church
I've now no people to please!
What you think of me
is none of my business!
What God thinks of me —
that's my business.
But when I'm showing up,
asking him to tell me what to do
and doing it,
I'm free!

Free at last, free at last,
thanks, God, I'm free at last.

Galatians 1:9

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (NASB)

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I seemed to be able to snap back the next morning better than most of my fellow drinkers, who were cursed (or perhaps blessed) with a great deal of morning-after nausea. (Alcoholics Anonymous, "The Doctor's Nightmare")

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God as I understand God

loves.  Period.

So, to be accursed?

Invoking supernatural power

to inflict harm, punishment?

God is god, in control,

has no need to call on himself

or his underlings to punish, harm.

Be afflicted with?

That one makes sense. I surely can

and do

curse myself, cause me misery,

agony, separation

from God, from all.

I need the right message,

the one from both Big Books

as my guide.

And when I stray and feel accursed,

it's a blessing, beckoning.

God, let me not curse myself

but always seek your love,

your blessings.

Galatians 1:8

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. (Galatians 1:8, NLT)

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If he is sincerely interested and wants to see you again, ask him to read this book in the interval. After doing that, he must decide for himself whether he wants to go on. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends. If he is to find God, the desire must come from within. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 95) 

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Let him go if his chosen path

varies from your own.

You can't sell God, convince folk

you've got God-knowledge 

they must take your word.

Don't claim decoding or the inside ropes

or special knowledge.
Instead state truth, changes in you,
recovery you've found.
What others do is none of my business
even when my heart hurts for them,
aches over their decisions.

God, let me live the message,
be the message,
closely enough
others may want what they see
in me.

Galatians 1:7

...which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ~ Galatians 1:7 (NIV)

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Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they show the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. Leaving aside the drink question, they tell why living was so unsatisfactory. They show how the change came over them. When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith. (Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 50-51)

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I trust only me

and chase my tail,

follow a trailblazer

to deserts I despise,

flit like a butterfly,

flower to flower to flower,

drift like a balloon

to popular causes,

the thing du jour.

As long as I'm my own

higher power,

or I choose other lower higher powers,

I wander, dissatisfied.

Once I become conscious

of the Presence of God,

I know the path

to all I want or need.

God, sometimes I need 

blinders. When I'm distracted,

nudge me.

Galatians 1:6

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. (Galatians 1:6, NLT)

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Above all, he believed he had acquired such a profound knowledge of the inner workings of his mind and its hidden springs that relapse was unthinkable. Nevertheless, he was drunk in a short time. More baffling still, he could give himself no satisfactory explanation for his fall. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 26)

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From the welcoming arms,
the sense of relief,
the portal to recovery,
shouldn't the path lead only in?
How did I manage to turn,
how did I go back out?
So soon, and without
a thought,
without a reason,
abandoning the hope
I'd found...
I know others who never got back,
who let embarrassment win,
whose pride locked the door.
But some, including me,
made a U-turn
and reentered, determined to stay,
knowing how easy
leaving was,
how glorious staying
is.

God, give me the sense
to stay put
in recovery.