Vigilance

Sobriety comes at a high price. Every person who has suffered and recovered from any addiction knows that they’ve had to come to the place of total failure and utter helplessness before God could take over and change their lives. And despite the fact that many have found a way to fight the battle with willpower, the day will come when they either give up and give in, or take their own life rather than fight one more minute.

Yes, it’s a horrible, horrible malady; but blessedly, we do recover if we give up. It was that way for me, and for millions who now live a life that becomes more incredible each day.

No longer am I faced with the mental obsession—the constant thought of drinking. If I think of it at all, it’s a passing thought. Dismissed immediately. I do not entertain that thought. Ever.

However, that doesn’t mean that my mind is free of temptation. After all, I still live in this world. There is much truth to the fact that alcoholism—and the devil—want me dead, but they will settle for miserable!

You see, my mind defaults to negativity. As a friend of mine told me, “My mind will always find something wrong with anything—even a free lunch! It’s never what I wanted, or how much I wanted. I have to battle that urge for more, better, and different. And if I don’t, I catch myself chasing the next thing—whatever it is.”

Yes, it is that way with me. So how can I keep from getting off course?

I try to keep it pretty simple:

• I have to stay sober—all the way sober—no matter what
• I have to stay vigilant
• I have to stay connected to God
• I have to grow spiritually
• I have to help others

That may sound rather hard, but believe me,it’s harder to get sober than to stay sober! These simple rules have led me to know happiness, contentment, and peace through a growing relationship with my Heavenly Father.

So what does vigilance look like to me? It means staying in a regular habit of taking my own inventory. If I’m disturbed at any point in my day, I’ve trained myself to take a step back and look at what is upsetting me. Is it my fault? Or have I contributed to the problem through selfishness, dishonesty, self-seeking, or fear? If so, I ask God’s forgiveness immediately, and try to make things right with that person as soon as possible. If it persists, I make sure I don’t close my eyes that night without resolving what I can do about it the next day.

I watch for complacency, and that’s a big one, right there. I am human, and for some reason, we like to relax and take it easy. No matter how disciplined I am, sometimes, my life becomes messy. My first clue seems to be that some room in my house starts looking cluttered. Maybe it’s my car.  That happens, too. When I have to move a bunch of stuff out of the seat to give someone a ride, it’s a sign that my spiritual life needs attention, as well!

Sometimes complacency kicks in because I’m so busy with other “really important” things like work, relationships, family, errands—even doing things for others. Suddenly, I realize I have not taken time “for myself.” And while I’m thinking about it, let me just say that it’s usually not about taking time for myself that makes life crazy. It always has more to do with not having enough time with God.

I’m a visual guy, and recently I became curious about the little clock on my nightstand that projects the time onto my ceiling at night. It’s synchronized to the U.S. Atomic clock run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). What an incredible piece of equipment it is! Controlled by a time signal radio station near Fort Collins, Colorado, it picks up that very weak signal at the rate of one bit per second, forming a time code that begins at the start of each minute, lasts one minute, and conveys the year, day, hour, minute and other information. The station’s low frequency (LF) travels along the ground and can reach great distances. However, all kinds of interference shows up during the day, so most radio clocks are programmed to synchronize at nighttime.

I can just see my clock tuning in during the night to that single bit-per-second signal, to make sure it’s still synchronized. Or maybe it tunes in just before dawn, after which the world (and it’s interferences) get into high gear.

That’s the best time for me to tune in, as well. In fact, I no longer use an alarm clock (I never liked them too much since they jolt me awake). Instead, I rely on God to wake me up when He’s ready or has something to tell me. In the summer, that’s usually just before dawn (but sometimes, He wakes me up with something urgent in the middle of the night). As my eyes open and I focus on that time projected on my ceiling, the same words I’ve uttered for many years are on my lips: “Good morning, Lord. What can I do for You today?” I ask. And then I listen.

Reading God’s Word keeps me tuned in, too, and it’s amazing that no matter what I read, the Bible always has a fresh message for me that day!

Last night I put together a new rocking chair and placed it on my front porch, so today I got to spend some glorious time with God in the early morning light, reading my Bible, meditating, and praying for knowledge of God’s will and the power to carry it out. As a result, my “Sonshine” batteries got charged for the day, and it’s been great!

I have no doubt that the devil is planning any number of temptations to throw my way, trying to catch me in an unguarded moment. But he knows, probably better than I do, that the child who has spent time with his Father first thing in the morning will not easily fall.

Yes, my alcoholism is in check for now. But my pride, anger, or any other character defect can lead me to become miserable. So I turn to the One who is constantly sending me His signals through His Holy Spirit, and I will face no trouble I can’t get through—sober.

And that’s what matters the most to me.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).