The 12 Steps

 

"The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives."
(Psalms 37:23)

The 12 Steps of God & The 12 Steps and Scriptural References

STEP 1 – SMASHING DENIAL
We admit that within ourselves, we are powerless over our addictions and that our lives have become unmanageable.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 1:

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I
can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
(Romans 7:18–19)

“But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for. Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze? No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success.” (Job 6:11–13)

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STEP 2 – GOD’S POWER TO CHANGE
We choose to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity and give us a new life. That Power is God.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 2:

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” (Matthew 11:28)

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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STEP 3 – FREEDOM IN SURRENDER
We make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, and to make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 3:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1)

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

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STEP 4 – CLEANING HOUSE
We make a sincere and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 4:

“Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:40)

“Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors.” (Nehemiah 9:2)

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STEP 5 – FREEDOM THROUGH CONFESSION
We admit to God, to ourselves, and to another trusted human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 5:

“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:3-5)

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)

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STEP 6 – LETTING GO
We are entirely ready to have God remove our defects of character (sins) that have contributed to our addictions.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 6:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

“So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

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STEP 7 – POWER IN PRAYER
We humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings and sanctify us for His glory.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 7:

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13)

“Purify me from my sins [addictions], and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:7-10)

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STEP 8 – MAKING WRONG RIGHT
We make a list of all persons we have harmed and we are willing to make amends to them all.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 8:

“Fools make fun of guilt [sin], but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation [they seek to make amends].” (Proverbs 14:9)

“Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good [working the steps]. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone [making amends] – especially to those of the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:7-10)

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STEP 9 – FREEDOM THROUGH AMENDS
We make direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 9:

“And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. For instance, they might give back a debtor’s security, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die.” (Ezekiel 33:14-15)

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

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STEP 10 – GOOD FOR THE SOUL
We continue to take personal inventory, and when we are wrong, we promptly admit it.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 10:

“And don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)

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STEP 11 – FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD
We seek through prayer and meditation to grow in our relationship with God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), praying for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 11:

“Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.” (Psalm 105:4)

“Study this Book of Instruction [Bible] continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Joshua 1:8)

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STEP 12 – GIVEN TO GIVE
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of our growing relationship with God and by working these steps, we intend to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FOR STEP 12:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.” (Isaiah 61:1)

“So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy – their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into a flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.” (1 Peter 4:1-4)

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The 12 Steps listed above are from the God & The 12 Steps - Breaking the Chains of Addiction Recovery Workbook and are used in this recovery ministry. They have been slightly reworded from the original Twelve Steps used for A.A. meetings worldwide (which can be read verbatim in the Recovery Workbook). The following is the official permission statement allowing us to use these steps as our basis.

[The Twelve Steps are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (“A.A.W.S.”)  Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps does not mean that A.A.W.S. has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that A.A. necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein.  A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only - use of the Twelve Steps in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, or in any other non-A.A., does not imply otherwise. Additionally, while A.A. is a spiritual program, A.A. is not a religious program. Thus, A.A. is not affiliated or allied with any sect, denomination, or specific religious belief.]