Spiritual Suggestions from the Big Book

Spiritual Expansion Study
Suggestions from the AA
Big Book 3rd Edition
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Page 58
19- many take up their beds and walk again
23- the problem centers mainly in his mind
28- Not all of us join religious bodies, but most of us favor such memberships
35- failed to enlarge spiritual life and relapsed
42- spiritual principals would solve all my problems
43- 100% hopeless apart from divine help.
44- an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer / must find a spiritual basis of life - or else.
46- all inclusive never exclusive
48- open minded on spiritual matters
49- We beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion.
55- you can join us on the broad highway
56- "Who are you to say there is no God?"
57- God had restored his sanity / a miracle of healing / He has come to all who have sought Him.
59- there is one who has all power- that one is God. May you find him now!
60- we are willing to grow along spiritual lines.
62- We had to have God's help. He is the Father we are His children / we passed to freedom.
63- We were reborn / Step Three Prayer
68- we trust infinite God. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Faith means courage
70- 71 In this book you read again and again faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
72- The Fifth Step - if we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
74- Those of us belonging to a religious denomination must / no religious connection we may still do well to talk with someone ordained by an established religion.
75- We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.
76- go to any lengths for victory over alcohol /
Step seven prayer
80- attended church for the first time in years
82- pray about it
83- The Spiritual Life is not a theory. We have to live it. The Promises- we will be amazed
84- We have entered the world of the spirit.
85- It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action / We are headed for trouble if we do / we have become God conscious / vital sixth sense.
86- ask God for inspiration
87- there are many helpful books / these may be obtained from ones priest, minister or rabbi.
87- Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
93- Stress the spiritual feature freely / live by spiritual principals / faith alone is insufficient / To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action.
94- we are dealing only with general principals common to most denominations
102- be sure your on solid spiritual ground
116- try to put spiritual principals to work in every department of our lives
120- in case of relapse / must redouble his spiritual activities if he expects to survive
128- spiritual intoxication / our pick struck gold
130-We have come to believe God would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth.
131- the family / may wish to make contact with or
take membership in a religious body.
135- the alcoholic has to live on a spiritual basis if he would recover
142-Will he take every necessary step, submit to anything to get well, to stop drinking forever.
143- To get over drinking will require a transformation of thought and attitude.
144- By no means do we offer it (this book) as the last word on the subject,
153- You will learn the full meaning of " Love your neighbor as thyself " / The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recoveries prove that!
155- A spiritual experience - was absolutely necessary
156- Both saw they must keep spiritually active.
158- gave his life to the care and direction of his Creator-willing do anything necessary / He had begun to have a spiritual experience. He - is a power in the church from which he was long absent.
163- with this book in your hand. We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin.
164-God- your real reliance is upon Him. Our book is meant to be suggestive only.
181- Your Heavenly Father will never let you down
191- The Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, a golden text for AA
192- it has been through AA that I found God
208- ask to know God's will
209- express- gratefulness to God
214- I never left the church
216-217- what was this that worked so many wonders / over the mantle was a picture of Gethsemane and Bill pointed to it and said, "There it is"
221- to continue with the Catholic Church, I was going to know the roots of the doctrine, / I enrolled for courses in religion,
228- King James version of the Bible / salvation / is "to come home" I had found my salvation.
236- the plan has a basis of love, and the practice of Christ's injunction, " Love thy neighbor as thyself "237- as I tried to follow God I would get to studying
these things out for myself. That day I gave my will to God and asked to be directed.
240- I probably took my first step towards alcoholism by developing a terrific aversion to all churches and established religion.
245- All they talked of - was God,
248- God "as we understand him"
257- I noticed a Bible on his table and it amazed me
259- I would require implicit faith, Whatever it was, I wanted it. I began to read the Bible daily and to go over a simple devotional exercise as a way to begin each day. Gradually I began to understand.
260- I can remember the urge of the Prodigal Son to return to his Father.
268- This is based, really, on the Sermon on the Mount. Now if you've got a Bible around…If this tells us how to do it, you'll have to read it / it was so important that we do the things we were told to do!
269- he stressed reading the Big Book / turn to the back and read some of the stories.
270- 291- 381- closed with the Lord's Prayer.
279- Dr. Bob dwelt at length on how prayer had given him release, time and time again,
285- seized with a desire to drink I shut my eyes and asked for help.
291- absorb as much of the program and philosophy as possible.
292- we both knelt at his desk and prayed / Dr. Bob always emphasized the religious angle very strongly, I know it helped me.
311-As arrested alcoholics; we must have a program of living that allows for limitless expansion.
312-we have been given the keys of the kingdom
341- until I found this AA program, I had never found or known faith in the reality of God
350- absolute proof of the existence of God
352- What is this power that AA possesses? This curative power? To me it is God.
367- this program is not for sissies / takes a man to make the grade / I humbly thank God for showing me the handwriting on the wall.
383- The fact that AA is a spiritual program didn't scare me or raise any prejudice in my mind. I couldn't afford the luxury of prejudice. I had tried my way and failed.
393- I wanted to try AA with my whole heart and soul.
395- the achievement is not ours but God's
412- 413- I read the book and God leapt at me from every page / keep an open mind.
417- My spiritual awakening in A.A. finally resulted in my joining a church some years ago. I consider that I was taking the eleventh step when I joined this church.
430- Dear God, I'll do anything! Only show me how
436-437-Here was - power! Follow the psalmist who said "Be still and know that I am God."
449- acceptance is the answer to all my problems
459- Sobriety and a plan for living that produces a personality change and a spiritual awakening are imperative.
461- "If you are an alcoholic and if you continue to drink, the end is death or insanity."
473- "Faith without works is dead. Carry this message to other alcoholics. You can help where no one else can."
482- went to church on Easter Sunday, it didn't hurt 503- I'll do anything, Then all your problems are over.
504- a tremendous hope is born. I believe in God.
507- temptation / began with my desire for material success becoming greater than my interest in the welfare of my fellow man.
536- Must a Christ be crucified in every generation
539- I was in hell. 540- Do you want to live or die?
543- we as sentient beings, have the knowledge to choose between good and evil, and, choosing good are made happy.
546- my basic problem was a spiritual hunger / self-analysis - is vital if I am to survive.
549- I had lived with no sense of social obligation nor had I known the meaning of moral responsibility to my fellow man.
550- Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness; the essentials of recovery.
551- happy are ye who know these things and do them.
570- "everlasting ignorance - contempt prior to investigation."
571- AA calls on two of the greatest powers known to man, religion and fellowship.
574- AA is the truly Christian principle that a man cannot help himself except by helping others.