Here's a Quote I like, and has worked in my life lately.

[Barto]

"We ask [God] to remove our fear and direct our attention to what [God] would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear." p.68

[ezdoesit]

Barto,
Blessings of love and tolerance....like your quote....I would for me and just for me, back up a couple of pages and go to top of P63, end of first para...."...we began to lose our fear of yesterda7, today and tomorrow. We were reborn."
This rebirthing is momentary, each breath each cycle of life and involves "practicing the presence of God"... Love and Light,

[Barto]

I love the whole book! Of course, I really didn’t understand most of it at first. It took me years. I think I was trying to complicate it back then.

[GlassPrisoner]

Great quote, in theory

Putting it into practice is the hard part. I mean, I turn my will and life over every morning. But, what if Gods will doesn't included a new car ? Or a pretty girl ? Or any of the other things I think I want out of life ?

That said, experience has shown that God knows what's best for me, and provides everything I need. Every, single, time. I really have no reason to be afraid, I know in my heart He has a plan for me, and that it's a good one. Better than anything I could come up with....

[Barto]

I can’t tell you how much trouble the pursuit of new cars and beautiful girls have caused me.

I have these things now (well, only one girl), and they literally just came to me, but not before I was ready for them.

What I have come to believe over time, and it sounds like you may have too, is that God is much smarter than me. In fact, I don’t even know whether God has to think at all.

[GlassPrisoner]

and they literally just came to me,

That just happened to me with a great new job this last week ! I've found the harder I struggle, manipulate and scheme to get the things I want, the less serenity I have. Like you pointed out, the good things just happen, seemingly out of nowhere. And that increases my trust and faith.

but not before I was ready for them

Yup.

[Barto]

It’s amazing, isn’t it? I’ve had several miraculous experiences over the years, and now again over the last couple of weeks – things happening I could not have realistically imagined.

[Gutterdrunk]

I'm not sure if I have out grown fear, but my faith has grown a lot by directing my attention to what God would want me to be.

same thing, huh???

[Tazman53]

You know when my sponsor and I were doing my 5th step he asked me if I knew what the answer was to every fear I had? I answered something like "Face them?". He looked at me and said, that facing them was part of it, but the whole answer to them which allowed me to face them was faith!

Well once I got home I had a thought/fear stuck in the back of my head, I still had a fear of drinking again!!!! Sitting there alone it came to me in meditation, I had faith in the steps, my faith that if I lived the steps to the best of my ability I would stay sober removed that fear!!! The steps led me to a God of my understanding, a God that I have faith in, I know that if I turn my fears over to the care of God they will be gone as long as I do his will and not mine things will come out all right in the end.

[sugErspun]

I would say - of my entire fourth step and the sharing of at the fifth step - the fear inventory was the one that really opened my mind to how glaringly self-centered I am.

I put expectation on the resentment inventory - that it would open the heavens to me, but it didn't happen there. The peeling away in the fear inventory really 'blew my mind'.

Today when fear arises, I know exactly where it is coming from - that little fear-producing factory in my head, not from anywhere else.

Fear is a pretty good indication that I need to turn my attention elsewhere- or talk it out with someone else before I act on it, even if I do act on it, I go back and make ammends, talk it over and turn my attention.

That 'turn' is the kicker.

[Gutterdrunk]

A dear friend of mine in outpatient 10 years ago used to tell me that faith and fear can not coexist. I understand what she was saying, but I spent a long time lying to myself about not having fear. The fear is still there, on my committee, I just don't hand the gavel to the crazy one quite as much.

I make a decision daily to live by faith, and not by fear. Most of the time I can identify my fears when I'm honest about them and share them with someone. But sometimes it takes a while and I need to do some writing. Recently some fears from my childhood came up, since my children are getting to the age when things happened to me, and when I started down my alcoholic path.

So far, there has been no fear that I can not face that my simple kit of spiritual tools that was laid at my feet can not get me through.

And when I get through them, they never seem so big or bad.

Who Knew?

[Tazman53]

Threads like this show that the steps do work!!! The experience shared here as a result of working the steps is awesome!!! Thank you all for sharing your experience, strength and hope today.