The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous for the Non-Alcoholic
Most of us have been familiar with the Twelve Steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous. Every family has been touched directly or indirectly by
alcoholism. The good work of AA is known far and wide for their program of
meetings and individuals who have drinking problems associating with others who
are experiencing the same thing.
I bought a box of books at a garage sale not long ago, and
while thumbing through one of the books I realized it was centered around the
twelve step plan, but to address not only the problem of alcoholism, but also
in dealing with sin of any nature. The title of this blog essay says it all,
"The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous for the Non-Alcoholic."
Space does not permit me to go through all twelve steps, but
let's look at a few of them and their application to whatever sin may be
keeping us from meeting our potential in Jesus Christ. I've substituted some
other words(with the *) when the reference to alcohol is mentioned.
1. We admitted we
were powerless over *GOSSIP*--that our lives had become unmanageable. Already in this first step we see a giant leap
on the way to recovery. The largest
hurdle is in admitting the problem is bigger than us. That's true with
alcoholism, gossip, hatred, jealousy, pride, or whatever sin gets between us
and God.
Look at step 3. Made
a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. Which of us is going to say we don't need to
have the same determination in overcoming sin in our lives? The gospel is all about leaving our sinful
nature behind us and turning in the direction of the One who can make us new.
Now to step 8. Make a
list of all persons we have harmed, and become willing to make amends to them
all. These steps all have scriptural connotations but I must admit this is
the one that hits us all. The new life in Jesus brings us to treat each other
with brotherly love. God is always interested in being first in our lives, but
he also expects us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Step 12. Having a
spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we will try to carry this message to *ALL SINFUL MANKIND*,
and to practice these principles in our affairs. Claim that one for
yourself!
Find a complete list of the twelve steps, so you can read
and apply the principles of each one. I have only picked four of them today to
show you how much these steps of renewal and dedication need to be applied to
each of us.
God wants you to know that he loves you, and wants only the
best for you. If there is sin in your life, let him deal with it and wash you
clean through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Only when we renounce "self" can we honestly deal with our
problem of sin.
<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>
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