Step 1 Powerlessness

I admit I am powerless over my destructive responses & sin apart from God.

• Matthew 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Romans 7:18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

• AA Step 1  We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

We explore how to hold being powerless and powerful together.

Step 2  Hope

I believe God loves me and will comfort me as I explore & grieve the truth of my hurt & destructive responses to life.

• Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

• Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose.

• AA Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

God wants you to come to him with your pain and frustration due to the destructive choices you make in your life, not to shake His finger at you but to embrace you and comfort you and lovingly walk towards a better way together.

Step 3  Surrender

I surrender my attempts at managing my world and the people in it to God and His will for my life.

• Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

• Romans 12:1. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-which is our spiritual act of worship.”

• AA Step 3: Decide to turn our will and lives over to God's care as we understood Him.

We have unsuccessfully been able to manage all life has thrown at us and maintain the fullness of Christ in our lives.  Here is where we decide His ways are best for us, even when they seem upside down.

Step 4 Heartwork

I will do the work required in my transformation & recovery process as God prescribes.

• Matthew 5:5  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

• Lamentation 3:40: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

• 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

• James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

• James 4:10. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

• AA Step 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

• AA Step 5. Admitted to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

• AA Step 6. We are entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

• AA Step 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Most of the work happens here.  We take a brutally honest look at our lives and begin to use destructive events and behaviors as a tool to grow and strengthen the characteristics of Christ that are built into our very nature and eliminate the harmful elements.

Step 5 Peace & Mercy

I will evaluate my relationships and choose peace and mercy.

• Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

• Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

• Matthew 5:23-24  “Therefore, if you are offering your gift as the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First, go and be concealed to your brother; then come and offer your gift”.

• AA Step 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

• AA Step 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.

When others hurt us it’s hard not to want to punish them. This is when we find our way through our pain, and take responsibility for what we do next.

Step 6 Transformation

I will continue the work of my recovery each day with grace and truth.

• Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

• Step 10. We continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

• Step 11. Through prayer and meditation, we sought 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.

When we live in a state of awareness we have the power with God to continue to improve our lives and our character.

Step 7. Discipleship

I will continue to pursue recovering the attributes of God in my life and share my story of Grace and Truth regardless of persecution.

• Matthew 5:10-11 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you”.

• Psalm 32: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

• Colossians 3:16. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

• 2 Cor 1:4. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.  When they are troubled, we will be able to give the same comfort God has given us.”

• Step 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.

It is time to take your story and use it to encourage others that they too can find healing and transformation with God.