Principle 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. -Matthew 5:6
Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. -James 4:10
Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9
Recovery is a process, and as we venture further into the steps and principles, you will find that many of the concepts and practices are not just a “one and done” type of living. Life doesn’t stop being hard just because you are in recovery, however it does become manageable because we begin to deal with our stuff as it happens, instead of letting it build up.
Imagine that it’s snowing outside and we are walking along a park. I bend down and scoop up a snowball. Theoretically, you should be able to catch my snowball fairly easily. On the contrary, imagine that I spent three years making my snowball. Once I launch it, it would be much harder for you to catch. In all likelihood, you would become injured under the weight of the snowball. Both snowballs are the same thing and both started out in the same manner, however the one that took three years to make is much more difficult to receive.
Life in recovery gives us the tools and the teaching to deal with snowballs while they are still small and easily managed. I encourage you not to skip over the ambiguous steps towards the end of the process. These steps are much harder to gauge, as they are internal processes, however the outward results of truly working these steps will be clearly evident in your life and how you live it.
Experiencing victory over your defects of character takes time and effort. The following acronym allows us to better grasp how this is accomplished in our lives.
Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him… Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. -Romans 12:1-2
Identify Character Defects that you want to work on, and prioritize them. Make a list of which ones you’d like to work on first. Consider reviewing your inventory for ideas. Ask God to first remove those that are causing the most pain, and as for His help as He guides you in your self-assessment.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. -Proverbs 16:9
Change Your Mind by allowing God to transform you. When you become a Christian you are a new creation- a brand new person inside. These changes will be a team effort- your responsibility is to take the action to follow God’s directions for change.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will. -Romans 12:2
Turn Over Character Defects to Jesus. We have tried to change our circumstances by ourselves, which has proved unsuccessful. Relying on our own strength blocks our recovery. In order to continue in recovery, we need to, “Let go; let God.”
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. -James 4:10
The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. -2 Thessalonians 3:3
Work your recovery One Day at a Time. A lifetime of hurts, habits, and hang-ups won’t be remedied overnight. Focus on short-term goals to avoid discouragement or being overwhelmed.
So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. -Matthew 6:34
Accept that Recovery is a Process. Don’t expect perfection; instead rejoice in steady progress. The minutes may seem long, but the days are short and before you know it you will be celebrating years in recovery.
And I am sure that God who began a good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. -Philippians 1:6
You Must Choose to Change. Choosing to change also requires choosing to trust God and to “humbly ask Him to remove all our shortcomings.” It is only by his power that we will be changed.
God gives strength to the humble… so give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. -James 4:6-8
