Serenity Seekers
Twelve Steps Recovery in Christ
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
Step 1: Psalm 31:9-10 9 Be merciful to me , O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies and our sin -- that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2: John 12:46 46 I have come unto the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.
Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3: Proverbs 3:5-6 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.*
Step 4: Galatians 6:3-5 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. 5for each one should carry his own load.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5: James 5:16 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Admitted to God, ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6: 1 Peter 1:13-16 13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
We’re entirely ready for God to remove all these defects of character.
Step 7: 1 Peter 5:6-7 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Step 8: Luke 19:8 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times that amount.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9: Colossians 4:5-6 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Made direct amend to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 10: Mark 14: 38 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 11: Philippians 4:6-9 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Sought though prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God*, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Step 12: Psalm 96:1-2 1Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
If we have had a spiritual awakening while working on these steps or before, we will try to carry Christ’s healing message to others, and to practice His principles in all our affairs.**
Our Hope:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
* “as we understood Him” deleted. **Replaced “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” All Scripture from New International Version (NIV).
We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies and our sin -- that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2: John 12:46 46 I have come unto the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.
Step 3: Proverbs 3:5-6 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Step 4: Galatians 6:3-5 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. 5for each one should carry his own load.
Step 5: James 5:16 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Step 6: 1 Peter 1:13-16 13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Step 7: 1 Peter 5:6-7 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.
Step 8: Luke 19:8 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times that amount.
Step 9: Colossians 4:5-6 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Step 10: Mark 14: 38 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Step 11: Philippians 4:6-9 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Step 12: Psalm 96:1-2 1Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Our Hope:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
* “as we understood Him” deleted. **Replaced “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” All Scripture from New International Version (NIV).
