The 8 Steps
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church devised a set of Principles based on the Beatitudes as found in Matthew 5:3-10.
1.Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor”
2.Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power t
o help me recover. “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”
3.Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. “Happy are the meek”
4.Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust. “Happy are the pure in heart”
5.Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires”
6.Evaluate all my relationships; Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others except when to do so would harm them or others. “Happy are the merciful” “Happy are the peacemakers”
7.Reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible readings and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
8.Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words. “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires”
The Twelve Steps and their Biblical comparisons
Celebrate Recovery teaches the Twelve Steps by relating them to Biblical verses.
1.We admit that we are powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. (Romans 7:18 – I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.)
2.We believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. (Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.)
3.We have made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. (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–this is your spiritual act of worship.)
4.We have made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (Lamentations 3:40
– Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.)
5.We have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. (James 5:16a – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.)
6.We are entirely ready for God to remove all these defects of character. (James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.)
7.We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings. (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.)
8.We have made a list of all persons we have harmed and are willing to make amends to them all. (Luke 6:31 – Do to others as you would have them do to you.)
9.We made, or will make direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (Matthew 5:23-24 – Therefore, if you are offering your gift at 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 reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.)
10.We have continued to take personal inventory and when we are wrong, promptly admit it. (1 Corinthians 10:12 – So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!)
11. We have sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out. (Colossians 3:16a – Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.)
12.Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we seek to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs. (Galatians 6:1 – Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.) The Serenity Prayer
This is a prayer written by Reinhold Neibuhr that reflects perfectly the life that is set free from habits, hurts and hang-ups. This is read at each large group meeting. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Christ forever in the next.
