Happy are the meek. -Matthew 5:5
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. -Romans 12:1
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words?” In recovery, nothing rings truer than this phrase. We can think about change and we can talk about change, but our actions determine whether we have truly changed. The road to health and healing comes one step at a time, and unless we take action we will not make progress.
In step 3, we made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. We tuned away from ourselves and toward our loving and compassionate heavenly Father. Now that we are facing the right direction, it’s time to take that first step toward Jesus. We do this by consciously choosing to commit our lives to Christ’s care and counsel, as stated in principle 3.
We know that God loves us and gave His only Son for us. (John 3:16) We also know that He has a plan for our lives that is good in His sight. (Romans 8:28) We have already turned our lives and our wills over to God- now we must commit our life to Him as well.
Committing our lives to God is more than just offering ourselves to Him. When we commit ourselves to God, we make a conscious decision to purposely live our lives for His glory, seeking His will in all that we do. When we make such a commitment, we set aside our passive old nature and take on an active new nature, adopting lives of promise and purpose that can only be fulfilled through God.
God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within is finally finished. -Philippians 1:6
How do I ask Christ into my life and commit to follow Him?
Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to all of them, pray the prayer that follows them. That’s all you have to do to ask Christ into your life!
Do I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and showed He was God by coming back to life? (1 Corinthians 15:2-4)
Do I accept God’s free forgiveness for my sins? (Romans 3:22)
Do I switch to God’s plan for my life? (Mark 1:16-18, Romans 12:2)
Do I express my desire to Christ to be the director of my life? (Romans 10:9)
Dear God, I believe you sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins so I can be forgiven. I’m sorry for my sins and I want to live the rest of my life the way You want me to. Please put Your Spirit in my life to direct me. Amen.
(based on How to Establish a “Spiritual Base” for my Life by Pastor Rick Warren)
If you prayed this prayer of commitment to Christ, congratulations! You are a child of God and my brother/sister in Christ! Although a new life in Christ is exciting, it can also be challenging. Some people find that following Christ and making changes in their life can be easy and freeing, while others find these changes challenging and discouraging. I encourage you to seek out a more experienced believer and ask them to walk alongside you as you experience this new journey as a born-again believer in Christ. They can give you encouragement, guidance, and discipleship along the way. If you have a sponsor in Celebrate Recovery, they will be a great resource for you! If you don’t yet have a sponsor, now would be an ideal time to find someone to share in this amazing experience.
