Overcoming The Fear Of God
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” ~My mother’s favorite scripture, Steve Harvey
As an Inspirationalist, I am an Architect of Light.
What does that mean?
It means that most of what I have stumbled upon, learned, and built, was discovered in darkness. As stated in the quote above opening this article, I have found that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. My translation is faith is belief without proof. Faith is listening to your intuition, your inner coach. Faith is commitment and belief in an outcome you have yet to experience in the physical realm.
Whether you attribute these words to Steve Harvey or to the Bible where they came from makes no difference. What Steve Harvey says after he utters these words is what’s important to me.
Quoting Albert Einstein he says, “Imagination is everything. Imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
What does that mean?
In its full context as stated in an interview from the Saturday Evening Post in 1929, Einstein said, “I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am. When two expeditions of scientists, financed by the Royal Academy, went forth to test my theory of relativity, I was convinced that their conclusions would tally with my hypothesis. I was not surprised when the eclipse of May 29th, 1919, confirmed my intuitions. I would have been surprised if I had been wrong.”
He was then asked the following question: You trust more to your imagination than to your knowledge?
His answer was as follows:
“I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Source for the above: Quote Investigator
In other words, imagination is infinite!
Here is another quote many people are not familiar with also attributed to Albert Einstein and whether he’s the one who actually said it or not is immaterial because the message is pure and in my mind that’s all that matters.
“I see a pattern, but my imagination cannot picture the maker of the pattern. I see a clock, but I cannot envision the clockmaker. The human mind is unable to conceive of the four dimensions, so how can it conceive of a God, before for whom 1000 years and 1000 dimensions are as one?” ~Albert Einstein
If you know God, you don’t need me to tell you what God is; you already know! If you don’t know God, all you have to do is open your heart whenever you are ready, and God will be there waiting for you!
The God of YOUR understanding is waiting for YOU!
There’s a new publication on Medium and the creator is Melanie J. and she encourages us to share our unpopular opinions with her publication. I will submit a short version of this article over there because she has asked us to keep our submissions under 500 words.
Growing up, my grandparents didn’t make it their business to introduce me to God. So, as I grew up, I didn’t know God. I wish I could tell you it was different, but then I wouldn’t be telling the truth. I discovered the God of my understanding the same way that many who are like me find God, not as God, but at least initially, as their Higher Power. Let’s be real, if you’ve never known God, it makes the concept of God just a little bit easier to accept.
When I was finally ready to get clean and sober and at my absolute bottom, I reached out to this “God” and made a promise. Now I’ll be the first one to tell you that this is probably not the best way to reach out to God, but it didn’t seem to make a difference because when I asked, God was there for me.
When I made the commitment to get clean and sober, I asked God for one thing and one thing only. I asked God to take away my desire for drugs and alcohol and I can happily report to you that the overwhelming desire that I had for years to take things into my body that I knew were not good for me all but vanished after I asked.
I’m not to hear to tell you that I didn’t still have the same cravings and the same desires that all Alcoholics and Addicts have when they attempt to get clean and sober, I did. However, I didn’t have the same kind of uncontrollable urge that others in meetings talked about, it was more of a missing the familiarity of what I knew as I was learning to be a productive member of society. The overwhelming urge and craving that most Addicts and Alcoholics deal with, I never experienced after asking for my desire to be removed. I credit the God of my understanding for taking away the desire because that is exactly what I asked for. Prior to asking, I failed miserably with every attempt to get clean and sober!
I am also not here to tell you that if you suffer from addiction that simply asking will take away your desire. I asked God first and then I was led to and got involved with the Grapevine Fellowship, AA, NA, the VA, and I had a counselor at the VA by the name of Ted who became my best friend because he was the one person, I could tell everything. As I was emotionally liberated from all my guilt and shame, all the things I had done while I was drinking and drugging, I was also spiritually liberated, and behind all that was my family and God, my Higher Power.
Fast forward to now and what guides me still to this day is the commitment I made over 31 years ago that if God would take away my desire, I would spend the rest of my life in the service of others making whatever difference I could along the way for those who were afflicted the same as I was, or for those who were struggling with just understanding who they are as human beings and why they are here…
As I have grown and evolved, so have my beliefs, and so has my knowledge. I am insatiably curious and a voracious reader. Because of my curiosity and my willingness to reserve judgment, I have learned more about myself and about humanity than I could have ever possibly imagined. It’s interesting to reflect that at one time, I wasn’t even interested in thinking about picking up a book, let alone picking one up and reading it cover to cover in one sitting.
As the cobwebs cleared, I realized the best thing for me to do was to get busy learning everything I could about myself so I could better understand why I did the things I did and why I behaved in a manner that was incongruent and inconsistent with all the values that had been instilled in me by my grandparents. The more I learned about addiction and more importantly about psychology and philosophy, the more I understood how my anger had taken over my life and caused me to make irrational decisions that were incongruent with my values.
The Alcoholic and the Addict that are actively using and drinking do not have the ability to rationally discern the difference between right and wrong. I’m not here to tell you that they don’t know the difference, they do, but the urge to drink or use is so strong that it overpowers one’s ability to make intelligent decisions about one’s own life.
Had it not been for the intervention of God as I understand God, my Higher Power, I wouldn’t be here writing this article now. The words you are now reading wouldn’t be on this page because they would have never been written…
So why did I change? What led me to God?
A college professor, a Psychology Professor, a History of Rock and Roll teacher, a musician, Ray Rich. A man who saw something in me that I could not see in myself. A man who for whatever reason took an interest in me and my wellbeing and changed my life by doing so.
One day he asked me to stay after class. He asked me a bunch of questions and then gave me a piece of parchment paper he pulled from a filing cabinet that had the following words on it:
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes to make them possible.” ~T. E. Lawrence
He asked me to read the paper and then asked if I understood the words. Not wanting to appear stupid, I of course said yes. When pressed to explain, I lashed out and asked, “Why do you care?”
“I care because beyond the black leather jacket and rage, I see a bright young man with a promising future,” he said. “What are your goals, your dreams, why are you here in my class?” “What do you want out of life, who are you so angry at, and who do you think you’re hurting with your behavior, and how do you expect to learn when coming to my class smashed?” He asked me a lot of questions that day. I could tell he really cared… Unfortunately, I didn’t have any good answers and I embarrassingly left, but I left with that paper and the words of T. E. Lawrence to ponder…
Awakening from a blackout, covered in my own vomit, with my failed report card next to me, I picked up that piece of parchment paper, read it again, looked down at myself and began to weep… It was then that I felt compelled to reach out to God even though I had no real idea how to pray and instead of praying, like any resourceful addict or alcoholic will do, I tried to cut a deal.
I made a promise that day that if God would take away my desire, I would never drink again and I would commit my life to the service of others and I would learn to be a dreamer of the day. I also called my sister and asked her to help me and fortunately she said yes. She said there was something different in my voice this time and she would help but there would be rules and that was the best thing that ever happened to me! She helped me get into the VA program, and so many other things!
I asked, God answered! Maybe God whispered to my sister too… Who knows? All I know is that once I asked for help, I got all the help I needed.
Today, 31 years later, my life is as different from those early days as night itself is from day! Today, I am surrounded by abundance and gratitude. I have one of the best jobs in the world and a passion to help others. I went on to become a nurse and then went into pharmaceutical sales and have been a mufti-award-winning sales professional for the past 21 years and even won a global award for encouragement.
And now, I am building a foundation for the work I will do in retirement. I am a passionately inspired writer committed to empowering other writers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners to embrace the challenges and struggles of life as a personal quest to achieve and attain whatever they desire as long as it’s in the service of others and done with integrity and commitment to delivering whatever results are promised.
I asked for guidance as to my purpose and this is my calling. The accumulation of lessons over 31 years of sobriety has given me a wealth of knowledge and experience. Over the past 31 years I have studied the habits of the successful, invested continuously in coaching and training and applied what I’ve learned in my own life and over the last several years I have been learning how to effectively transfer what I have learned to others.
I credit God as my guide. Every time I show up to the keyboard, God is with me. I never write alone. I don’t believe I’ve ever had an original thought because everything comes through me.
That doesn’t mean my thoughts don’t pass through the filter of my lived experience. My ego, my shadow, my fear, my uncertainty, and my doubts are as real as ever, because each of these elements are always at play. However, as I become more aware and become more purposeful in the way I choose to show up in life, these elements have been forced into a secondary position behind the dominant thoughts that bring me to the keyboard to write!
Whenever I struggle, I know I can always come back to my breath. I know the God of my understanding will be here waiting for me. When I am present, when I am aware, when I am in the NOW, there is nothing to worry about and nothing to fear.
For years I have struggled with calling God by name and have used many other names to describe what I believe God to be. I have used the Universe, I have used my Creator, I have used Mother Nature, I’ve used just about every phrase you can think of, including “The Force.” My personal belief is that God is not unlike “The Force” the way that Yoda described it to Luke:
“Hear you nothing that I say…” “Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter” he says as he touches Luke on the arm. “You must feel ‘The Force’ around you, here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes!”
I do believe God is everywhere and in everything, except my vocabulary in public, that is until NOW! I will no longer be hesitant or apologize for using the word “God.”
I don’t believe I’m alone in this struggle to declare the God of my understanding God. There is often a hesitancy now to call God, God. Since I’m not part of any specific organized religion and have a broad-based understanding of spirituality and am accepting of all belief systems and particularly fond of the Tao, I have hesitated to use the word God.
Consider this article my “God” coming out party. Consider this me no longer being afraid to use the word God out of fear it might offend someone else, because if it does, then that’s not my issue but theirs. My understanding of God is a universal loving presence that is non-denominational and only cares about one thing and that is love, unconditional love of the human being.
Call me naive, but that’s what I believe. I believe the words that were uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so many years ago when he said, “I choose love because hate is too great a burden to bear.” I choose to believe the words of all those who are committed to the betterment of humanity. I choose to believe in the inherent goodness of mankind. And because of what I’ve learned from the Tao, I also know that man is capable of unthinkable things.
So as naive as I am in my belief about what I believe is possible for the world, I also understand that sometimes we must stand up and protect what others might try to steal from us particularly when it relates to our freedom. I also understand from the lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and of Gandhi that violence will never be the way and I refuse to be a part of that.
I can’t pretend that because the problems of the world are so great that there’s nothing, I can do about them. I may not be able to solve the problems of the world, but I can do my small part and I believe that’s enough and that’s why I show up every day the way I do in service of the rest of humanity, and I am committed to continue for the rest of my life.
One of the greatest shifts in my life has been from scarcity to abundance. When we move from scarcity to abundance, we experience a Mind Shift. I believe life will always provide MORE than I need and because it does, it gives me the opportunity and the liberty to be able to share some of what I have with some of those much needier than myself.
If you don’t have money to share, you can share your time. You can also share your wisdom. You can share kindness. Many of the things we can give are much more valuable than money. If you take the time to share your wisdom with another human being, or inspiration, or encouragement, or whatever it is you have to give, whatever it is that’s your gift, if you share your gift, your gift will make room for you.
“Your gift is the thing you do the absolute best with the least amount of effort.” ~Steve Harvey
It is my intention to continue to share my gift with as many people as I possibly can, to serve as many people as I possibly can, for as long as I possibly can, because when I am in my gift, I am UNSTOPPABLE!
You have not because you ask not.
I ask regularly and I have never come to the keyboard without assistance. When I get up in front of an audience to speak, just like Maya Angelou, I never go alone. God is always with me when I ask. If you find yourself struggling, I can make one suggestion and that is to ask for guidance and then find a way to get silent and listen for an answer and in the space between the space, an answer will emerge if you are prepared to receive it.
You have not because you ask not.
At a seminar I attended 30 years ago I met the great Jim Rohn. At that seminar he shared more value in the half-day I was with him than most of the other teachers I’ve experienced throughout my entire lifetime. One of the key lessons that day was an amazingly simple lesson and the simplest of lessons are ones that are often missed. In my notes from 30 years ago is the word ask. And after the word ask and the humor that was only possible because of the man known as Jim Rohn with the words, that’s it, seminar over, you can go home now. Ask!
Ask, that’s it!
You have not because you ask not.
Stop trying to do everything on your own, make peace with whoever it is, or whatever it is that you call your Higher Power, and ASK!
My recommendation is to ask God. Ask the God of YOUR understanding and then do the hardest part, listen…
One of the best ways to listen is to meditate. All you have to do to meditate is Pause, Breathe, and Reflect. If you struggle with meditation, check out the PBR Movement at pausebreathereflect.com or go to Insight Timer and check out the Pause Breathe Reflect Sangha “Circle.” You can also follow meditation instructor and Executive Coach, Michael O’Brien on Insight Timer or at michaelobrienshift.com — Pause, Breathe, Reflect…
I will pick this article up in the next session where I will talk about why it’s so important to commit to whatever is important to you and the importance of creating your own individual ripple “One Day At A Time.”
In the next article I will also talk about why I believe it’s so important to discover your gift and create your quest!
Advance Confidently is the title of my next book, you will have to wait to celebrate its release as I celebrate my 60th birthday. I have concluded the world doesn’t need another self-help book from me right now, so I am listening to my muse and will write a sci fi personal growth story of self-discovery instead. Hmmm? Almost sounds like a QUEST, right? I believe you will be INSPIRED with the story that chose me to write it! I never saw it coming but now that it’s here, I can’t wait to share it with all of YOU! I know it will be worth the wait because that’s my commitment to you, my readers. Thanks in advance for your trust and patience!
In the meantime, I released a special audio short story on Twitter to commemorate my Independence Day and my 31st year of sobriety. You can watch/listen to the story here ( https://youtu.be/9zP4kk5OTlo ). You can find me on Twitter @bobby_kountz
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
