@JonahofNinevah
This thread explains the most important and difficult part. If you do it right, detachment is a natural thing that happens. If it doesn't happen subconsciously, it's nevertheless fairly easy to do consciously. But only if it's real.
This is how you remove the last barriers. This is the most important thing I've ever done.
(Your free will is yours. It’s one of the greatest gifts God has given you. He will never violate it. You should give it back.) ***
Once one sees God, there's no free will, because it's impossible to choose otherwise afterward. This is why God limits showing Himself (mostly) to those who have already sincerely given back their free will. He won't interfere with it.
But, you can give it back, and if you're spiritually mature enough, you should. I felt tugged, then pulled, then kicked toward this for a very long time. I argued with Him over it for a full year, because I knew the stakes. The stakes are everything.
But, if you're ready to give *everything* and are interested in this, here's what I had to do to make it real.
First, you have to submit & apologize. Submitting to His Will isn't the same as giving Him your free will. Submitting to His Will is something all Christians must do. So, if you have not yet done that, then you're not quite ready for this. Work on that first.
You also have to apologize for your sins, both of omission & commission. You have to clear out your temple, and make it a worthy place for the King of Kings to dwell.
Contrition "is sincere sorrow for having offended God, and hatred for the sins we have committed, with a firm purpose of sinning no more".
Perfect contrition "is that which fills us with sorrow and hatred for sin, because it offends God, who is infinitely good in Himself and worthy of all love."
St Alphonsus made his Act of Contrition as follows:
“I love you, Jesus, my love above all things, and I repent with my whole heart of having offended you. Never permit me to separate myself from you again, grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will.”
Catholics should go to confession.
Once that is done, you can proceed with the next part.
Giving your Free Will back to God sounds simple, but unless you understand the gravity of it, you're not really doing it in a real, mature, & meaningful way. So, you have to know what it means. Therefore, you need to get away from all the noise, pray, and imagine the worst things he could ask of you. What might He take from you to clear your path to do His will? When you're prepared, you accept as many of those things as you can remember.
The threshold is sin. That's a given. Giving up sin isn't something special. It's required of all of us. But, that's a hard one. No more of whatever you struggle with, be it masturbating, sex, drunkenness, intoxication to the point of inebriation, working on Sundays, white lies etc, etc. So, everybody must accept that. But, you go on in prayer & allow your mind to wander. What might he take? Your relationships? Your wealth? Your health? Your home? Your reputation? The feeling that you're loved by anybody? Your life? Will you agree to be persecuted, even if you don't get credit? Hated, even if it's not apparently because of Him? To lose everything? Even the love of those you hold dear?
Dying is easy. Living and doing His will in these days is very hard.
These are big questions & should be taken seriously, otherwise what you're offering has little value.
Ultimately, when you're ready, you get on your face, say another act of contrition, and you formally give Him your will, and you accept the many things above, whatever they are, individually, if you can remember them all. But, completely, without reservation. It's ok to fear them, but your gift won't be complete unless you have full acceptance of your will. He may take nothing. Nevertheless, to be done well, you should assume He will.
It's a big decision, and it should be made out of love. It should be made because you want to be used by Him to help further His plan. If it's not a gift of love, it's not a gift.
Anyway, it's a big step, but if you're ready, and you do it right, you'll be guided toward where He wants you to go & what He wants you to do.
*** 2nd thread ***
Your free will is yours. It’s one of the greatest gifts God has given you. He will never violate it.
You should give it back.
(Kill your pride or it will kill you.)
Giving your free will back to God is a bit advanced, at least if it's going to be done with full comprehension. But it's something all mystics do, because it's necessary to enter into full unitive life with Him. To be done properly, it requires a massive level of introspection...
"What/who exactly am I prepared to lose?"
"What am I prepared to change?"
"What will He ask of me?"
"Am I really prepared to say yes?"
"What about future things?"
"What may come?"
Consciously acknowledging each of these things is a step toward growth itself. But, making a perfect act of submission and letting go is what's required. Understanding that everyone you love, and everything you're attached to comes second to God. But, the primary underlying acknowledgment is what's most important, and that's this: Knowing that He only does what's best for us.
So, one has to be reasonably close to God before this can be done in a complete way, and one should expect heartache in various ways afterward. But when it is done consciously, fully, and completely, you'll go deeper and will change more (and faster) than you believed possible.
If you're hitting a wall, and haven't yet done this, it'll probably break you through ...
