Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable. 

 

Biblical Principle: ADMIT our sinfulness and our powerlessness to overcome sin.

 

Verse(s): 

Romans 7:18 - For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

 

Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

 

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

 

Biblical Principle: BELIEVE the God of the Bible is who He says He is: a God merciful, mighty, and willing to save us regardless of what we have done.

 

Verse(s): 

Psalm 103:8-13 -

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

    nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

 

1 Peter 5:10 - And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you 

 

Romans 10:9 - because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. 

 

Biblical Principle: SUBMIT ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit, rather than following the enemy, ourselves (the flesh), and the world.

 

Verse(s): 

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

2 Corinthians 7:10 - For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

 

Galatians 5:16 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

 

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

 

Biblical Principle: IDENTIFY areas of weakness so that we can surrender these areas to God and seek His help.

 

Verse(s): 

Psalms 139:23-24 - 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting!

 

Lamentations 3:40 - Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!

 

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

 

Biblical Principle: CONFESS our sins to God seeking forgiveness and man (using wisdom) for accountability. 

 

Verse(s): 

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

 

Step 6: We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 

 

Biblical Principle: ALIGN ourselves to the plan God has for our lives. We begin to see our need to allow God to change us, and we begin to allow Him to deliver us from our sins and addictions.

 

Verse(s): 

Romans 6:11 - So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 6:22 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life

 

Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

 

Biblical Principle: REPENT (change our minds and turn towards Him) and surrender the areas we identified and will continue to identify as we begin the new life (or renewed life) of faith in His Son Jesus. 

 

Verse(s): 

Luke 5:31-33 - 

31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

 

Ephesians 4:22-24 - 

22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

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

 

Biblical Principle: FORGIVE others that have harmed us also consider those we need to ask to forgive us of the harm we have caused. 

 

Verse(s): 

Matthew 6:14-15 -

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Mark 12:30-31 - 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

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

 

Biblical Principle: RESTORE relationships and make amends to those we may need to that we identified in the previous step of forgiveness. 

 

Verse(s): 

Leviticus 6:4-5 - 

4 if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.

 

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

 

Biblical Principle: OBEY and be doers of the Word of God now that we are following Jesus.

 

Verse(s): 

James 1:21-23 - 

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

 

Philippians 4:8 -

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 

Step 11: 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. 

 

Biblical Principle: SEEK His will for our lives through prayer and devotion to the Word of God day by day.

 

Verse(s): 

Matthew 6:33-34 -

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

 

Philippians 4:6 - do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 

Step 12: Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs. 

 

Biblical Principle: SHARE our faith with others and begin to give ourselves to the ministry and service of others.

 

Verse(s): 

Matthew 28:19 - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 

Romans 10:14 - How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

 

Galatians 5:13 - For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

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Other Resources:

https://www.regenerationrecovery.org/the-12-steps-of-regeneration

 

https://goforthrecovery.com/recovery-resources/twelve-steps-biblical-comparisons-addiction-recovery/

 

https://goforthrecovery.com/recovery-resources/eight-recovery-principles-based-on-the-beatitudes/

 

https://rbee44.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/THE-CHRISTIAN-TWELVE-STEPS-1.pdf