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 This is our "Step Study" page. Below, the steps and scriptures are displayed. Each month, the "Step of the Month" is featured, that is, the step that is numbered the same as the month (step 1 in Jan., step 2 in Feb., etc). At the bottom of the list, select either "Read" to view what others have written about steps, or "Write" to have your views posted. Follow as prompted on the screen. Enter your text and click on "Send" on the e-mail screen. Your input should be posted within 24-48 hours. 

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Steps with Scriptures

 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.

 “We felt we were doomed to die and saw how POWERLESS we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us. “ 2Corinthians 1:9

"Hitting bottom" is painful, especially when we have spent a lifetime covering up our problems in order to appear successful and serene, particularly in a church setting!  A person who has been using drugs and/or alcohol to "socialize" but eventually uses in order to just feel normal has crossed an invisible line into addiction.  This can be a lonely, frightening place!  Loving someone who is addicted is like loving two people - the drunk one and the sober one (confusing!)  It usually takes a painful crisis for any of us to realize our need for help.  As long as we think we can handle it (drugs, alcohol, loved one's addictions) we just stay on a roller coaster of denial.  Once we "give up" (surrender) - that's when God steps in and does for us what we can't do for ourselves.

A.    Powerlessness and helplessness:

Num. 11.:11-17                Luke 13:10-13

Jer. 9:23-24                      Rom. 5:1-6

John 15:5                         Rom. 7:18-8:2

2 Cor. 3:4-5                     2 Cor. 1:9

Prov. 28:13                      Phil. 3:3b

B.    Man's extremity of weakness becomes God's opportunity to help:

Psa. 116:1-9                     Mark 5:21-29

Mark 4:35-41                   Psa. 147:10-11

2 Cor. 10:3-4

 C.    Strength in weakness:

2 Cor. 12:1-10                  Eph. 3:16

Heb. 11:32-34                  Isa. 40:28-31

back to steps       Read or write about steps

2. Came to believe in a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

 “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.” Proverbs 28:26

C.    Obstacles that test faith of believers:

Matt. 15:21-28                 Mark 5:35-36

Mark 10:13                      John 9:1-25

Luke 5:17-26 

D.    Insanity - Hebrew word for "fool."

Psa. 14:1                         Prov. 12:15

Psa. 30:2-3                      Prov. 28:26

back to steps        Read or write about steps

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

“Trust in the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3:5-6

C.    Pleasing God:

Prov. 16:7 

D.    Understanding:

Prov. 2:6                          Psa. 119:104-106 

E.     Salvation through Christ:

John 3:16                         Acts 15:11 (TLB)

Acts 4:12                         Acts 2:21

back to steps               Read or write about steps 

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 “Let us examine ourselves and repent and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and our hands to Him in heaven.” Lamentations 3:40-41

C.    Willingness to forgive:

Matt. 6:14-15                   Col. 3:12-13

Eph. 4:31-32                    Dan. 2:22

back to steps        Read or write about steps

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

“Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16

So now it's all out on paper, even our most sordid secrets!  It can be overwhelming to consider both the good and bad aspects of our lives all at once!  At first it can be difficult to discover ANY assets, and our liabilities cause us to feel intense shame.  We would rather hide most of it from God, even ourselves, and especially from another human being!  Examining the exact nature of our wrongs and admitting them can be a huge RELIEF!  When we can release ALL of our problems to God, He can handle it!  Through Christ's shed blood on the Cross, we are forgiven!  When we finally get honest with ourselves, we begin the road to recovery.  When we get the courage to "let it go" in the direction of another trusted human being, the chains of bondage are broken!

A.    Principle of Confession:

Psa. 32:1-5                      James 5:16

Gal. 6:1-3                         Prov. 28:13

James 1:21

B.    Examples of Confession:

1 Sam. 15:24                    Matt. 3:1-6

2 Sam. 12:13                    Acts 19:13-20

Luke 15:11-32                  Neh. 9:3 

C.    Need for honesty:

Rom. 12:17                      Heb. 4:12-16

back to steps       Read or write about steps

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 

“So give yourselves humbly to God… then, when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, He will lift you up, encourage and help you.” James 4:7-10

Giving up some of our pet character defects can be hard when we have hung onto them for so long.  Now that we have taken a written inventory and had our souls cleansed by confession to God and another trusted person, we begin to sense a new freedom and growth we never dreamed possible.  We begin to believe that it is worth the risk to take this next step of preparation to allow God to rid us of those things which have held us back from being all He intended us to be.  We can't accomplish this on our own--it takes God's power to effectively "clean house" even to the most remote corners of our soul.  Removal of all our defects may seem like major surgery!

A.    Humility acknowledges defects:

Heb. 12:1-2                      James 4:7-10 

B.    Be ready for pruning of self-will:

2 Tim. 2:20-22                  Jer. 10:23-24

Acts 3:19                         Jas. 1:21 

C.    Preparation precedes blessing:          

Mark 4:1-25                     Luke 8:5-18

2 Kings 4:1-7                   Hos. 10:12

Joel 2:12-13 

D.    Principle of cleansing:

Psa. 103:10-12                 2 Cor. 5:15-17

Isa. 1:18                          Rom. 6:1-14

Micah 7:18-20                  1 John 1:9

Psa. 51:9-12

back to steps        Read or write about steps

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” 1John 1:9

We know if we ask God for anything in Jesus' Name, He will hear and answer us.  We may not be accustomed to portraying a "humble" attitude, so this may seem strange at first.  True humility doesn't mean meek surrender to an ugly, destructive way of life--it means surrender to God's will.  We may think that if our shortcomings are removed we may lose our identity altogether!  But having walked through Steps 1-6 we've begun to experience so much peace that we are willing to continue on, asking God to unload all those defects from the darkest crevices of our being.  We begin to experience a new lightness, a new life, a breath of fresh air!  We are freed up to be who we really are - made in His own image!

A.    Humility:

Prov. 16:18-19                 Isa. 57:15

Prov. 22:4                        Micah 6:8

Prov. 29:23                      James 4:7-10 

B.    Examples of humility:

Gen. 32:9-10                    2 Sam. 7:1-18

1 Sam. 9:15-21                 1 Kings 3:3-7 

C.    Promises to the humble:

Matt. 5:1-3                       2 Cor. 8:9

Isa. 66:1-2                       2 Cor. 12:7-10

Luke 14:7-11                    Isa. 1:18-19

Psa. 32:1-2                      1 John 1:9

Jas. 1:21 

D.    God rids us of shortcomings:

Psa. 32:4-5

back to steps         Read or write about steps

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

“If you are standing before the altar…and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there and go and be reconciled…and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “ Matthew5:23-24

Not another writing assignment!  Now it's up to us to clear up the wreckage of the past.  In order to do this we need to list every person we have wronged - let go of our resentments (every one), and become WILLING to make amends to them ALL, including our worst enemy!  How can this help us?  By releasing us from the grip of our past - clearing the record - erasing the slate - starting over (kind of similar to the way God forgives US!).

A.    Preparation precedes blessing:

Matt. 5:23-24                   Jer. 35:15 (KJV)

Jas. 5:16                          Luke 1:17 

B.    Willingness;

2 Cor. 8:3                        2 Cor. 8:9-12

Isa. 1:18-19                      1 Peter 5:2

Phil. 2:13

back to steps          Read or write about steps

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 

“You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.”

         Mark 11:24-25

A.    Get rid of the weight:

Heb. 12:1 

B.    Reconciliation with a brother:

Matt. 18:15                      Mark 11:24-25 

C.    Reconciliation with God through Christ:

2 Cor. 5:17-21                  Col. 1:20-21

Eph. 2:14-18                    Heb. 2:17-18

back to steps          Read or write about steps

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

        “But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be set free of guilt.”  Psalm 19:12

B.    Confession:

1 John 1:8-10                   James 5:16

Matt. 6:12                        Eph. 4:23-32

Psa. 19:12-13                   1 Cor. 10:12

Psa. 32:4-11 

C.    If you question a wrong, ask God to examine you:

Psa. 26:1-12                     Prov. 28:13-14

Lam. 3:39-40                   Psa. 44:20-21

back to steps          Read or write about steps

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.

       “If you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you, and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting Him.” Proverbs 2:3-5

C.    Perseverance in Prayer:

James 5:13                       Matt. 7:7-11

1 Chron. 16:11                 Matt. 26:41

Prov. 2:1-5 

D.    Promises of answer:

Isa. 65:24                         Zech. 4:6

Psa. 62:5-8                      John 15:5-7

1John 5:14

E.     Obstacles to Prayer:

Psa. 66:16-20                   2 Cor. 12:8-10

James 1:5-8 

F.     Prayer answered:

Ex. 15:25                         Judg. 6:36-40

1 Kings 18:36-39 

G.    His Will for us:

Heb. 10:36                       Psa. 119:2-3

Psa. 32:8                          Eph. 1:8

Jer. 29:11-13                    2 Pet. 1:3-9 

H.    Meditation:

Psa. 1:2                           Psa. 63:1-8 

I.      God's Power:

1 Cor. 12:6-7                    Phil. 4:13

back to steps          Read or write about steps

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. 

“Quietly trust yourself to Christ you Lord and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.” 1Peter 3:15

Our eyes have been opened!  We seem to see things in a different perspective, as God shines His light upon our daily path.  The 12 Steps have taken us through some hard places but have released us from bondage and restored our lives!  Just when we thought we had no hope, God stepped in when we asked Him to, and did the most impossible miracles of all time!  We become so excited about the changes that we are compelled to share this message of hope with others who are still struggling!  And we put these principles to work in our lives, over and over again.  They WORK - when we work them!

A.    Spiritual awakening essential:

Matt. 18:1-3                     John 3:16 

B.    Carrying the message:

John 4:34-38                    Rom. 10:14-15

Matt. 10:8                        1 Pet. 3:15

Isa. 52:7                          Phil. 1:27-28

Isa. 61:1                          Mark 16:15

Psa. 96:1-4                      1 Tim. 6:18

2 Cor. 1:3-4                     Rom. 1:16-17

Psa. 107:2                        Col. 4:5-6

Isa. 12:5                          Col. 1:6

Rom. 1:5                          Acts 22:15-16 

C.    Practicing principles:

1 Tim. 4:7-10                   Mark 8:34-38

2 Cor. 5:17-21                  Gal. 6:1-4

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 Click above on "Read" to view what others have written, or "Write" to add your own insights.