Alcohol recovery and spirituality: strangers, friends, or partners?Abstract: Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), worldwide organization dedicated to the treatment of alcoholics; founded 1935 by two alcoholics, one a New York broker, the other an Ohio physician. , with its steady but nonspecific nonspecific /non·spe·cif·ic/ (non?spi-sif´ik) 1. not due to any single known cause. 2. not directed against a particular agent, but rather having a general effect. nonspecific 1. promotion of belief in a higher power Higher power is a term used in a 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to describe "a power greater than yourself." Although many participants equate their higher power with God, a belief in God or in formal religion is not mandatory; the higher power is intended as a and its emphasis on the group process, long held a near-monopoly in the outpatient alcohol recovery field, but its hegemony has now been challenged by two very different perspectives. The first is a nonspiritual approach that emphasizes the individual's capability to find a personal pathway to sobriety, exemplified by Rational Recovery. The second is a faith-based method, built on a religious understanding of alcoholism, of which Celebrate Recovery is a prominent example, based upon Christianity. Most communities offer a variety of approaches, so clinicians who are aware of these differences are in a good position to help patients make intelligent choices among the competing recovery philosophies. Key Words: alcoholism, Alcoholics Anonymous, spirituality, religion, self-help groups self-help group, nonprofessional organization formed by people with a common problem or situation, for the purpose of pooling resources, gathering information, and offering mutual support, services, or care. ********** Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is widely accepted as a model for alcohol treatment. However, the emphasis of the AA program on the importance of a higher power in recovery from alcoholism has led to controversy and a proliferation proliferation /pro·lif·er·a·tion/ (pro-lif?er-a´shun) the reproduction or multiplication of similar forms, especially of cells.prolif´erativeprolif´erous pro·lif·er·a·tion n. of programs with competing ideologies with regard to religion and spirituality. The philosophical spectrum of self-help programs now includes, in addition to AA, approaches that are nonspiritual, as well as others that are rooted in a specific religious tradition. Clinicians can help patients identify a treatment program that matches the patient's preferences with regard to religion and spirituality as part of the recovery program. Spirituality Versus Religiosity re·li·gi·os·i·ty n. 1. The quality of being religious. 2. Excessive or affected piety. Noun 1. religiosity - exaggerated or affected piety and religious zeal religiousism, pietism, religionism Spirituality is a broader term than religiosity, as a person can be spiritual but not religious (Table 1). Religion is defined as an organized practice of a belief in a power greater than oneself. (1,2) Religiosity is the extent to which an individual engages in the rituals of this commitment. Some people are spiritual but not religious; they may express their personal spiritual concept of a higher power through nature, music, art, or a quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the scientific truth, instead of through a specific religion. (3,4) A Spiritual Approach Spiritual alcohol recovery movements aim to provide relief from disease as a complement to traditional medicine, and attribute their success to transcendent sources. (5,6) The most well-known spiritual approach to alcohol recovery is AA. Two former alcoholics, Bill W., a New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of stockbroker Stockbroker 1. An agent that charges a fee or commission for executing buy and sell orders submitted by an investor. 2. The firm that acts as an agent for a customer, charging the customer a commission for its services. , and Dr. Bob, a surgeon, established AA in 1935 in Akron, Ohio Akron is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County.GR6 The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south, approximately 60 miles (96 km) west of . (7) Bill W. and AA published the Big Book in 1939 and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in 1952. AA has now grown to over 50,000 groups and 1,000,000 members. (7) The philosophy of AA is belief in divine intervention and reliance on a higher power to maintain sobriety. AA is a spiritual program but not a religious one because its members define "God as they understand Him." (8,9) Members are encouraged to develop an individual relationship with their higher power. (2) Since Twelve Step programs do not require participants to accept an exclusive definition of a deity, it is adaptable to different cultures and faiths. (10) God and the higher power are open to individual interpretation regardless of religious background. (11) During Twelve Step recovery, AA members build healthy relationships with others and with themselves through prayer, meditation, and group discussion (Table 2). (12) Of note, seven of the steps refer to God, a higher power, or spirituality. Addiction is viewed as a negative form of spirituality where alcohol is the higher power. For many in recovery, the Twelve Step program fosters a new identity when they surrender to their higher power as a source of strength. Members admit wrongdoings and trust in their higher power to repair their character flaws A character flaw is a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional. The flaw can be a problem that directly affects the character's actions and abilities, such as a missing arm or a violent temper. . This approach encourages mutual dependence on the AA group and frequent meeting attendance to maintain sobriety through an awareness of the continued presence of alcohol abuse tendencies. (8) A study of 100 alcoholics found that the practice of Step Eleven's prayer and meditation had a positive correlation Noun 1. positive correlation - a correlation in which large values of one variable are associated with large values of the other and small with small; the correlation coefficient is between 0 and +1 direct correlation with increased purpose in life and length of sobriety. (13) The continuance of the program aims to convert guilt over alcohol abuse into a desire to help other alcoholics. (8) In recent years, two competing schools of thought have challenged the AA approach. The first, exemplified by Rational Recovery, argues that AAs spirituality, far from being a cornerstone of sobriety, should be excluded from the recovery program. The second, in contrast, moves beyond AAs generic spirituality to promote a recovery method that relies on a specific religious belief system. A Nonspiritual Approach Critics of the spirituality embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. in AA and similar programs argue that this encourages an individual to become dependent on something outside of themselves to remain sober and that this external dependence creates a state of hopelessness. (14) Some addiction medicine addiction medicine Substance abuse The health field that addresses the needs of individuals addicted to substances of abuse including alcohol and illicit drugs–eg, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and others; AM focuses on prevention and treatment and mental health specialists are skeptical of the therapeutic value of spirituality and associate it with traditional organized religion, something that they believe should be kept separate from recovery programs. (10,11,15) A variety of organizations such as Rational Recovery, Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery), Secular Organization for Sobriety, Women for Sobriety Women For Sobriety (WFS), Inc., is a non-profit support group for alcoholic women, founded in 1976. The mutual support groups of WFS work to increase the self-esteem of members. , and Moderation Management promote a nonspiritual approach to self-help recovery. (14,16-20) Although a paucity pau·ci·ty n. 1. Smallness of number; fewness. 2. Scarcity; dearth: a paucity of natural resources. of evidence is available to evaluate their efficacy, the few studies on Rational Recovery (RR) allow it to be a good example of this type of approach. In 1988, Jack Trimpey Jack Trimpey and his wife Lois, are the founders and president and vice-president (respectively) of Rational Recovery. He is a pioneer in the management of alcoholism and other drug addictions. published The Small Book and established Rational Recovery (RR) based on Rational Emotive e·mo·tive adj. 1. Of or relating to emotion: the emotive aspect of symbols. 2. Characterized by, expressing, or exciting emotion: Therapy by Albert Ellis Albert Ellis (September 27 1913 – July 24 2007) was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. He held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and founded and was the president and president emeritus of the . (16,21) RR expresses concern that addicted ad·dict·ed adj. 1. Physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance. 2. Compulsively or habitually involved in a practice or behavior, such as gambling. individuals are not able to connect with a higher power other than their addiction and does not support redefining the patients' spirituality during the recovery process. (22) Rather than attributing a lack of control or spiritual deficit to alcoholism, RR promotes the innate capability of the individual to devise a rational personal pathway to sobriety. (16) The program does not utilize a specific multistage mul·ti·stage adj. 1. Functioning in more than one stage: a multistage design project. 2. Relating to or composed of two or more propulsion units. guideline, but rather, emphasizes an internet-based individualized in·di·vid·u·al·ize tr.v. in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·es 1. To give individuality to. 2. To consider or treat individually; particularize. 3. sobriety program without groups. (22) When an employer or a court requires structured alcohol recovery, RR argues that the individual should be able to choose the approach he or she finds most promising. (2,16) A study examining the beliefs of 429 RR members showed that 75% attended an AA meeting previously, indicating that patients may experiment with more than one self-help treatment modality treatment modality Medtalk The method used to treat a Pt for a particular condition . Not surprisingly, RR members were less likely to emphasize the role of religion in their personal life than other Americans. In this sample of RR members, 53% believed in "God or a Universal Spirit" and 13% felt that religion was "very important" to them. A Gallup Poll Gallup Poll Noun a sampling of the views of a representative cross section of the population, usually used to forecast voting [after G H Gallup, statistician] Gallup poll n → of the general American Gen·er·al American n. The speech of native speakers of American English that many consider to be typical of the United States, noted for its exclusion of phonological forms readily recognized as regional or limited to particular social groups and for public about the same time showed that 94% believed in "God or a Universal Spirit" and 55% felt that religion was "very important" to them. (16) Patients who are less spiritual in general may therefore be more likely to be comfortable in a nonspiritual recovery program. A Religious Approach In contrast with the nonspiritual approach rejecting AAs emphasis on a higher power, other recovery movements promote a strong connection within a specific religious perspective. The faith-based approach is supported by studies of the role of spirituality in addiction. Since the majority of adult alcohol use begins before age 21, it is relevant that spiritual involvement is associated with a lower incidence of substance use in adolescents. (23) In addition, a study of 100 male twins found that high levels of spirituality were negatively associated with alcohol abuse. (24) Prior spiritual experiences can have significant influence on recovery. Seventy-five percent of AA members report a prior religious affiliation and about half claim to have strong spiritual beliefs. Sixteen percent of participants report reading the Bible and 24% pray regularly. (25,26) Positive prior religious experiences allow those in recovery to frame their higher power according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the tenets of their faith. (8) Many members say their spirituality increased through their participation in a Twelve Step program. (25,27) Those who accept the spiritual paradigm have more frequent AA attendance, associated with lower relapse rates. (28) Those that are best described as spiritual without a designated religion should be comfortable in AA. However, a significant number of people with a religious background will desire to pursue recovery within the beliefs of their religion and may prefer an explicitly faith-based approach. For the religious individual, the best means to determine if supportive resources are available within their current belief system is through their local church, temple, synagogue, gurdwara gurdwara Sikh place of worship. Each gurdwara houses a copy of the Adi Granth and serves as a meeting place for worship, including recitation, singing, and explication of scripture. A community kitchen and often a school are attached to the building. , mosque, or other place of religious worship. For those of a Christian background, a variety of websites provide information on recovery programs such as Celebrate Recovery, Alcoholics Victorious, Alcoholics Recovery, and Over-comers Outreach. (29) The growing Celebrate Recovery program exemplifies the faith-based approach. It was developed in 1990 through Saddleback Church The Saddleback Valley Community Church (or just Saddleback Church) is a Southern Baptist church in Lake Forest, situated in southern Orange County, in Southern California. The church was founded in 1980 by senior pastor Rick Warren. in California by Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, in response to AAs "vagueness about the nature of God." (30) This self-help group utilizes "8 Recovery Principles" (Table 3), using the Bible to define a Christian concept of the higher power. Celebrate Recovery incorporates weekly meetings, group self-help discussion, and individual sponsors. The group leaders are not counselors and do not provide professional clinical advice. The program emphasizes personal responsibility and religious commitment and has spread to over 800 churches from a variety of Christian denominations List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships. (See also: Christianity; Christian denominations). Some groups are large (e.g. in several countries. (30) Conclusion Clinicians can now recommend one of three distinctly different types of alcohol recovery programs--nonspiritual, spiritual but not religious, and religious. AA groups are widely available, Celebrate Recovery groups are spreading rapidly, and Rational Recovery is open to anyone with access to the internet at home or in a library. The debate over the proper role of spirituality and religion in alcohol recovery seems likely to continue indefinitely, but for a specific patient who needs guidance in choosing a recovery program, a short discussion of his or her spiritual beliefs and attitudes should make it clear which program is most suitable. AAs spiritual approach can accommodate a variety of personal beliefs within its members. Rational Recovery is representative of a philosophy that can probably better meet the needs of those patients who wish to keep their personal beliefs outside of the structured recovery process or who consider themselves non-spiritual. Finally, Celebrate Recovery is an example of a recovery program geared for patients who identify the Christian religion as a significant part of their personal belief structure and wish to join a group that will build on that foundation. All three of these recovery programs have had success in promoting sobriety and each is appropriate for some patients. Acknowledgments All individuals involved in preparation of the manuscript are listed as authors. References 1. Miller WR. Researching the spiritual dimensions of alcohol and other drug problems. Addiction 1998;93:979-990. 2. Buxton ME, Smith DE, Seymour RB. Spirituality and other points of resistance to the 12-step recovery process. J Psychoactive Drugs Psychoactive drugs Any drug that affects the mind or behavior. There are five main classes of psychoactive drugs: opiates and opioids (e.g. heroin and methadone); stimulants (e.g. cocaine, nicotine), depressants (e.g. 1987;19:275-286. 3. Anandarajah G, Hight hight adj. Archaic Named or called. [Middle English, past participle of highten, hihten, to call, be called, from hehte, hight, past tense of hoten E. Spirituality and medical practice: using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment. Am Fam Physician 2001;63:81-89. 4. McKee DD, Chappel JN. Spirituality and medical practice. J Fam Pract 1992;35:201, 205-208. 5. Sobell LC, Cunningham JA, Sobell MB. Recovery from alcohol problems with and without treatment: prevalence in two population surveys. Am J Public Health 1996;86:966-972. 6. Galanter M. Spiritual recovery movements and contemporary medical care. Psychiatry 1997;60:211-223. 7. Alcoholics Anonymous. Available at: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org. Accessed March 29, 2005. 8. Peteet JR. A closer look at the role of a spiritual approach in addictions treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat 1993;10:263-267. 9. Alcoholics Anonymous. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. New York, Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, 2001, p 192. 10. Smith DE. AA recovery and spirituality: an addiction medicine perspective. J Subst Abuse Treat 1994;11:111-112. 11. Uva JL. Alcoholics anonymous: medical recovery through a higher power. JAMA JAMA abbr. Journal of the American Medical Association 1991;266:3065-3067. 12. Prezioso FA. Spirituality in the recovery process. J Subst Abuse Treat 1987;4:233-238. 13. Carroll S Car·roll , James 1854-1907. British-born American physician noted for his research on yellow fever. In 1900 he deliberately infected himself with the disease for experimental purposes. . Spirituality and purpose in life in alcoholism recovery. J Stud Alcohol 1993;54:297-301. 14. Li EC, Feifer C, Strohm M. A pilot study: locus of control locus of control n. A theoretical construct designed to assess a person's perceived control over his or her own behavior. The classification internal locus indicates that the person feels in control of events; external locus and spiritual beliefs in alcoholics anonymous and smart recovery members. Addict Behav 2000;25:633-640. 15. Fiorentine R, Hillhouse MP. Exploring the additive effects additive effect n. An effect in which two substances or actions used in combination produce a total effect the same as the sum of the individual effects. of drug misuse treatment and Twelve-Step involvement: does Twelve-Step ideology matter? Subst Use Misuse 2000;35:367-97. 16. Galanter M, Egelko S, Edwards H. Rational recovery: alternative to AA for addiction? Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 1993;19:499-510. 17. Contemporary Addiction Treatment. Available at: http://www.addictionalternatives.com. Accessed July 5, 2005. 18. Connors GJ, Dermen KH. Characteristics of participants in secular organizations for sobriety Secular Organizations For Sobriety (SOS), also known as Save Our Selves, is a non-profit network of autonomous self-help groups. The program stresses the need to place the highest priority on sobriety and uses mutual support to assist members in achieving this goal. (SOS SOS, code letters of the international distress signal. The signal is expressed in International Morse code as … — — — … (three dots, three dashes, three dots). ). Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 1996;22:281-295. 19. Women for Sobriety. Available at: http://www.womenforsobriety.org. Accessed July 7, 2005. 20. Humphreys K. Alcohol & drug abuse: A research-based analysis of the Moderation Management controversy. Psychiatr Serv 2003;54:621-622. 21. Ellis A. Reflections on rational-emotive therapy. J Consult Clin Psychol 1993;61:199-201. 22. Rational Recovery. Available at: http://www.rational.org. Accessed March 29, 2005. 23. NSDUH NSDUH National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health Report: Religious Beliefs and Substance Use Among Youths. Available at: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/youthReligion/youthReligion.pdf. Accessed January 30, 2004. 24. Tsuang MT, Williams WM, Simpson JC, Lyons MJ. Pilot study of spirituality and mental health in twins. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159:486-488. 25. Nealon-Woods MA, Ferrari JR, Jason LA Jason La Choon San , Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Male, 21, It's complicated TM Location: Sunway City Ipoh Hometown: Kuala Kangsar College: Taylor's College Subang Jaya Company: HILLCITY-LA . Twelve-step program twelve-step program, n group programs that treat problems such as alcoholism by completing twelve tasks. Participants gain self-acceptance and share experiences. Twelve-step programs traditionally ask members to rely on a power greater than their own. use among Oxford House residents: spirituality or social support in sobriety? J Subst Abuse 1995;7:311-318. 26. Timko C. Moos RH, Finney JW, Moos BS. Outcome of treatment for alcohol abuse and involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous among previously untreated problem drinkers problem drinker Substance abuse A person who meets 2 of the 3 criteria in the last 12 months, for alcoholics. See Alcohol, Binge drinking. Cf Social drinker. . J Ment Health Adm 1994;21:145-160. 27. Mathew RJ, Georgi J, Wilson WH, Mathew VG. A retrospective study retrospective study, a study in which a search is made for a relationship between one phenomenon or condition and another that occurred in the past (e.g. of the concept of spirituality as understood by recovering individuals. J Subst Abuse Treat 1996;13:67-73. 28. Gilbert FS. Development of a "Steps Questionnaire". J Stud Alcohol 1991;52:353-60. 29. Christian Recovery Resources. Available at: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/christ/. Accessed July 7, 2005. 30. Celebrate Recovery. Available at: http://www.celebraterecovery.com. Accessed March 28, 2005. 31. Khantzian EJ, Mack JE. How AA works and why it's important for clinicians to understand. J Subst Abuse Treat 1994;11:77-92. 32. Georgi JM. The spiritual platform. Spirituality and psychotherapy psychotherapy, treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychological methods. Psychotherapy, thus, does not include physiological interventions, such as drug therapy or electroconvulsive therapy, although it may be used in combination with such methods. in addiction medicine. N C Med J 1998;59:168-171. 33. Puchalski C. Spirituality and Health: the Art of Compassionate Medicine. Hospital Physician 2001;37:30-36. 34. Craigie FC, Jr., Hobbs RF, 3rd. Spiritual perspectives and practices of family physicians with an expressed interest in spirituality. Fam Med 1999;31:578-585. 35. Levin J, Schiller PL. Is there a religious factor in health? Journal of Religion and Health 1987;26:9-36. Anthony E. Brown, MD, MPH, Simon N. Whitney, MD, JD, Max A. Schneider, MD, and Charles P. Vega, MD From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine is a private medical school located in Houston, Texas, USA on the grounds of the Texas Medical Center. It has been consistently rated the top medical school in Texas and among the best in the United States. , Houston, TX, the Departments of Psychiatry (Addiction Medicine) and Family Medicine, University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Irvine College of Medicine, Orange, CA. Reprint reprint An individually bound copy of an article in a journal or science communication requests to Anthony E. Brown, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, Texas “Houston” redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation). Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the 77098. Email: anthonyb@bcm.tmc.edu RELATED ARTICLE: Key Points * Awareness of outpatient self-help alcohol recovery program options can help clinicians identify the most suitable method for a particular patient, based on their preferences, regarding inclusion of spiritual beliefs in recovery. * Alcoholics Anonymous achieves recovery through belief in a higher power that each individual may translate into his or her own belief system. * Nonspiritual approaches emphasize the individual's capability to find a personal pathway to sobriety, exemplified by Rational Recovery. * Faith-based methods are built on a religious understanding of alcoholism and alcohol recovery, and Celebrate Recovery is a prominent example of one based on Christianity.
Table 1. Definitions
Spirituality:
* Belief in a deeper underlying structure, design, and hidden inner
identity (31)
* Search for life purpose and meaning beyond the physical or
psychological (4,16)
* Ability to consider the impact of actions and motives on others
(32,33)
* Desires relationship with a higher power that is whatever or
whomever the individual considers most important in life (12,34)
Religiosity:
* Extent to which an individual engages in a spiritual belief,
ritualistic practice, or commitment (1,2)
* Institutionalized religiosity describes church attendance or
denomination affiliation (35)
* Interiorized religiosity describes personal beliefs and faith (35)
* Religion is a way of perceiving the world through a codified
philosophy, doctrine, or myth and subsequent worship in accordance
to this belief system (4)
Table 2. The Twelve Steps (9)
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had
become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us
to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of
God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make
amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to
do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious
contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of
His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we
tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these
principles in all our affairs.
Table 3. 8 Recovery Principles of Celebrate Recovery (30)
Principle
1. R = Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control
my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is
unmanageable. "Happy are those who know they are
spiritually poor"
2. E = Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and
that He has the power to help me recover. "Happy are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted"
3. C = Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's
care and control. "Happy are the meek"
4. O = Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and
to someone I trust. "Happy are the pure in heart"
5. V = Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my
life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
"Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God
requires"
6. E = Evaluate all my relationships; offer forgiveness to those who
have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others
except when to do so would harm them or others.
"Happy are the merciful" "Happy are the peacemakers"
7. R = Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible
readings and prayer in order to know God and His will for
my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
8. Y = Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to
others, both by my example and by my words. "Happy are
those who are persecuted because they do what God requires"
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