All across the world, countless thousands of people have
found freedom from alcoholism and from other addictions by working what are
known as the “12-steps.” We don’t need
to be alcoholics, however, to benefit from thinking in terms of the first 3 of
those steps. Not only can they be applied to any kind of addiction; they also
can be applied to any weakness or habit or sinful way of thinking that often
gets the better of us as we strive for growth and freedom in Christ. This isn’t
the exact wording of the steps—I’ve paraphrased them for our purposes here.
The first step: I admit I am powerless over
>>>>>>>> and
because of it, my life is unmanageable.
What gets the better of you time and time again despite all your efforts
to be free of it?
The second step. I
believe that God has the power to restore me to balance and good sense. (The actual word used here is “sanity.”
The third step is a
profound act of surrender, in faith and humility: I turn my life over to Your care, Lord. All
of it, not just parts of it. In all
things, I resolve to look to God and ask to know his will for me---at
every turn. In every situation, most especially in those situations I would
prefer to keep hidden from him, even though I know that nothing is hidden from
him. I open those places for his gaze and for his healing touch.
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