Step 11 - We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for our lives and the power to carry that out

Note: Here we might include other spiritual disciplines in addition to prayer and meditation. These can include fasting and being sensitive to God's leading through dreams, as is shown by some of the scriptures below. 

(Mat 2:12)  And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The wise men listened to their dreams as a means of hearing the will of God. They did this above following the political authority, which at that time was given by what King Herod had told them. 

(Mat 2:13)  And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

(Mat 2:22)  But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there: and, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the district of Galilee:

Joseph also listened to his dreams as a means of hearing the will of God. This allowed him to keep his family safe from political situations in the world.

Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 
Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry. 
Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 
Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 
Mat 4:5  Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, 
Mat 4:6  And said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning you: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. 
Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, You shall not test the Lord your God. 
Mat 4:8  Again, the devil took him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 
Mat 4:9  And said unto him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me. 
Mat 4:10  Then said Jesus unto him, Begone, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. 
Mat 4:11  Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 

In this portion of scripture, we read about how Jesus used fasting to grow in His consecration to the will of God. This passage also shows how oftentimes when we grow in our consecration, then there is an opposition from the evil one and a time of temptation. 

Luk 12:1  In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, so much that they tread one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 
Luk 12:2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 
Luk 12:3  Therefore whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 
Luk 12:4  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 
Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: Fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 
Luk 12:6  Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 
Luk 12:7  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows. 

How does this passage relate to step 4? The Pharisees in Jesus' day were very hypocritical. The parallel is that because of our addictive behaviors, we probably also have been very hypocritical. We would tell others one thing, but act differently ourselves. Most of us were good at putting on a false face in order to hide the shame within us. In this way, Jesus' advice to the Pharisees is good advice for us. We are told that although we may have covered up things and lived our deeds in darkness, they will be uncovered and put in the light. They are already known by God. And they are probably already known by the perceptive people around us as well on some level. If they are not known now, then they will be known sometime in the future, at the very least on the day of judgement. Step 4 is about making these things known to us in light of the moral standards that God has set. We bring them to light in our our mind and consciousness so that when they are brought to light in the future then we will be prepared and not susceptible to overwhelming guilt. God does not want us to live in guilt but in freedom. This passage also talks about fear. Fear has probably been a motivation for our addiction and our hypocrisy. We did our cover-ups out of fear that someone else would find out. We are warned here to have a fear concerning eternal matters most of all. When this fear trumps our fear of men or of worldly consequences, then we begin to have the right kind of fear. This is for the reason that we see in verses 6 and 7, that God loves us and knows us far better than we can ever know. In step 4, we uncover our past actions in a moral light. We might determine that some of our actions were born out of a guilt and a shame that were not ours, that others imposed upon us through neglect or abuse. We will also find those actions that we must take responsibility for, that we did because of our addiction. This is an important step towards accountability and the healing that we can find in the steps of recovery. 

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. 
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6  If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 
Joh 15:7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. 
Joh 15:8  In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. 
Joh 15:9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love. 
Joh 15:10  If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 

This passage in the gospel of John is so rich for the believer in Christ. It tells us plainly that we have our power, our peace and our joy from abiding in Christ. In our recovery process, this is a key concept. If we are working a 12 step program as a Christian, by the 11th step we should be consistent in our walk with God. In order to maintain this consistency we need to continue to abide in Christ, keeping His commandments, abiding in His love and His joy, having His words abide in us. There is a warning here also that those who do not abide in Christ will be cast out. If we have gone through the recovery process to the 11th step, we should know that going backwards is not an option, that it is only filled with pain, misery and spiritual death. So we continue to grow in God's ways and abide in Christ and find the peace and joy that is in Christ and a full recovery from our addiction. 

Phi 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 
Phi 4:6  Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Phi 4:7  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
Phi 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 
Phi 4:9  Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

We are encouraged here to rest in and be content in the ways of God. The apostle Paul points out that we do this through a life of moderation, prayer,  thinking about the good things of God and living out the things that we have learned from the scriptures and good examples. This is what is talked about in step 11, to continue to grow in our walk with God. In doing so, we can grow in that great reward of the peace of God which passes all understanding. If we were to try to live this life when we were just getting out of our addiction, then we might find it boring or difficult or unrewarding. But by going through the previous steps, we learn how valuable these things are in our life - more valuable than any of the false and shallow "rewards" that we got from our addictive behavior. We realize by now how God has worked so beautifully in our lives and we want to live more of that. 

1Pe 4:1  Since therefore Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 
1Pe 4:3  For the time past of our life will suffice us to have done the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in licentiousness, lusts, excess of wine, reveling, carousing, and abominable idolatries: 
1Pe 4:4  In which they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of dissipation, speaking evil of you: 
1Pe 4:5  Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead. 
1Pe 4:6  For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 
1Pe 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be therefore sober minded, and watch unto prayer. 
1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover a multitude of sins. 

Here the apostle Peter reminds us of our past life, when we walked in licentiousness, lust, excess of wine, reveling, carousing and abominable idolatries, and the fact that many still walk in these ways and think it strange when we do not. But just as for us, there was a time of judgement, a time of hitting bottom so that we might know that it was the grace of God that could pull us out, there also will be a time of judgement for others who walk in these ways. God is just. And the response in our lives should be to do the will of God. It is to be sober minded, spending time in prayer and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ fervently. In this way we can avoid the roaring lion that would seek to devour even more of our lives and the good fruit of the Spirit that God wants to bear in us.