Episodes

  • DECEMBER 8 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Looking for God's rubber stamp"

    DECEMBER 8 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Looking for God's rubber stamp"
    Dec 8 2025
    We often see people in Gamblers Anonymous - devoutly and with seeming sincerity - ask for God's guidance on matters ranging from major crises to such insignificant things as what to serve at a dinner party. Though they may be well-intentioned, such people tend to force their wills into all sorts of situations - with the comfortable assurance that they're following God's specific directions. In reality, this sort of prayer is nothing more than a self-serving demand of God for "replies"; it has little to do with the Gamblers Anonymous Program's suggested Eleventh Step. Do I strive regularly to study each of the Steps, and to practice them in all my affairs? Today I Pray … May I not make the common mistake of listing my own solutions for God and then asking for a stamp of Divine approval. May I catch myself if I am not really opening my mind to God's guidance, but merely laying out my own answers with a "what do you think of these?" attitude. Today I Will Remember … Am I looking for God's rubber stamp? A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 7 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Maturity is knowing where to go for help"

    DECEMBER 7 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Maturity is knowing where to go for help"
    Dec 2 2025
    As long as I stubbornly hang on to the conviction that I can live solely by my individual strength and intelligence, a working faith in my Higher Power is impossible. This is true, no matter how strongly I believe that God exists. My spiritual beliefs - no matter how sincere - will remain forever lifeless if I continue trying to play God myself. What it comes down to is that, as long as we place self-reliance first, true reliance upon a Higher Power is out of the question. How strong is my desire to do God's will? Today I Pray … I pray that I may not place my self-reliance above reliance on God. May I know that there is no conflict between taking responsibility for my own actions, which I have been taught is the essence of maturity, and looking to God for guidance. May I remember that if I stick to the "do it myself" rule, it is like refusing to ask for a road map from a tourist information bureau - and wandering around forever lost. Today I Will Remember … Maturity is knowing where to go for help. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 6 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "God has a better answer"

    DECEMBER 6 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "God has a better answer"
    Dec 6 2025
    When I finally convince myself to let go of a problem that's been tearing me apart - when I take the action to set aside my will and let God handle the problem - my torment subsides immediately. If I continue to stay out of my own way, then solutions begin to unfold and reveal themselves. More and more, I'm coming to accept the limitations of my human understanding and power. More and more, I'm learning to let go and trust my Higher Power for the answers and the help. Do I keep in the forefront of my mind the fact that only God is all-wise and all-powerful? Today I Pray … If I come across a stumbling-block, may I learn to step out of the way and let God remove it. May I realize my human limitations at problem-solving, since I can never begin to predict God's solutions until I see them happening. May I know that whatever answer I come to, God may have a better one. Today I Will Remember … God has a better answer. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 5 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Service is a privilege"

    DECEMBER 5 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Service is a privilege"
    Dec 5 2025
    N. Eldon Tanner has said, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." For most recovering gamblers, service itself is a privilege, a privilege we've been given along with our new lease on life. Sponsorship, calling new members, or answering calls from new members sometimes takes a lot of energy and time. When I feel resistant, let me remember the security I felt when I was new in Gamblers Anonymous and recognized that there were those available to help me if I asked. Do I know for certain that my service today is a vital part of my own continued recovery? Today I Pray … May I never cease to remember that the service of those before me made the Gamblers Anonymous Program available for me in my recovery today. May the service I willingly provide today aid in others' recovery tomorrow. Today I Will Remember … Service in the Program is a privilege. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 4 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Never say 'never again'"

    DECEMBER 4 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Never say 'never again'"
    Dec 4 2025
    Most of us in Gamblers Anonymous are far more comfortable with the determination that we won't make that first bet today, than we are with the "vow" that we'll never gamble again. Saying "I intend never to gamble again" is quite different from saying "I'll never gamble again." The latter statement is far too reflective of self-will; it doesn't leave much room for the idea that our obsession to gamble will be removed if we practice GA's Twelve Steps of Recovery one day at a time. Will I continue to fight against complacency, realizing that I'll always be just one wager away from disaster? Today I Pray … "Never again" demands too binding a commitment, even for the strongest among us. Our past lives were full of "never agains" and "won't evers," promises that were broken before the next dawn. May I, for now, set my sights on just one clean day at a time. Today I Will Remember … Never say "never again." A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 3 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Self-sufficiency is a godless myth"

    DECEMBER 3 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Self-sufficiency is a godless myth"
    Dec 3 2025
    Our ancient enemy, self-will, wears a mask, confronting me with this sort of rationalization: Why do I have to lean on God? Hasn't He already given me the intelligence to think for myself? I have to pause when such thoughts creep into my mind, remembering that I've never really been able to bring about the results I wanted simply by relying on my own devices. I'm not self-sufficient, nor do I know all the answers; bitter experience alone teaches me that. Do I know that I need God's guidance? Am I willing to accept it? Today I Pray … I pray that, as I become stronger in my conviction and in my abstinence, I will not begin to shrug off my dependence on a Higher Power. May I continue to pray for guidance, even when things seem to be going along smoothly. May I know that I need my Higher Power as much in times of triumph as in times of trauma. Today I Will Remember … Self-sufficiency is a godless myth. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 2 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Love is God"

    DECEMBER 2 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Love is God"
    Dec 2 2025
    Once at a meeting held in a church, I saw a stained glass window on which was written, "God Is Love." For some reason, my mind transposed the words into "Love is God." Either way is correct and true, I realized, looking about me and becoming even more conscious of the spirit of love and Power in the small meeting room. I'll continue to seek out that love and Power, following the Gamblers Anonymous Program as if my life depended upon it - as indeed it does. Does life to me today mean living - in the active sense - joyously and comfortably? Today I Pray … May I feel the spirit of love that gives our prayers their energy. May I feel the oneness in this room, the concentration of love that gives the group its power. May I feel the exemplary love of a Higher Power, which our love echoes. Today I Will Remember … Love is God. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins
  • DECEMBER 1 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Recovery is a habit"

    DECEMBER 1 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Recovery is a habit"
    Dec 1 2025
    "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit," -Aristotle. By repeating my gambling acts, I became progressively more likely to do them again and again. By repeatedly attending meetings, talking with my Higher Power, sharing my feelings, and keeping connected with Gamblers Anonymous members between meetings, I become what I am doing: part of the GA Fellowship. If I continue to repeat these acts, I will become progressively more likely to do them again and again. Do I recognize that any small contribution I make at a meeting has a much greater return on investment than any bet I ever made, even my biggest hit? Today I Pray … May the acts that I repeat today be according to the will of my Higher Power. May I understand that, although perfection is not my goal, progress is possible, and excellence at what I am doing for my recovery is attainable. Help me rid myself of my self-destructive habits and replace them with ones that will aid in my recovery. Today I Will Remember … Recovery is not an act; it is a habit. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC
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    2 mins