The 12 steps of AA + The power of Christ = A powerful system of recovery
The Christian 12 steps
12 steps programs have been helping people overcome problems with addiction for nearly a century, and literally millions of people have achieved the salvation of sobriety by following these 12 honest steps of life improvement and honesty before God.
There is nothing easy about recovery from addiction, although with the assistance and love of Jesus Christ, a better life of service and happiness is always possible. All addicts who want to make a change will need to commit to an honest admission of defects, and take the steps necessary before God and man to better these faults of character, and live a happier life without the pain of substance abuse.
The Christian 12 steps movement obviously originates out of the root successes of the original 12 steps programs, but to better serve the needs of Christians in recovery, Christians have modified those 12 steps.
Praying to Jesus Christ
Praying to a higher power never made much sense to Christians in the program, and so in Christian recovery, not only do we pray to Jesus, but we also study the wisdom of the bible for strength and meaning, and we search our souls for ways we can live better lives in the image of God.
The Christian 12 steps
- We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and dysfunctional- behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that God, a Power greater than ourselves, could restore us to sanity and stability.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as revealed in the Bible.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as revealed in the Bible, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
By changing a few words, we magnify the power and the message
AA and other 12 steps organizations are intentionally spiritual but non denominational, nor affiliated with any particular God or Faith; and although this was done to maximize access in a very Christian and charitable way, in doing so the power of the message is somewhat diluted.
And simply by substituting a few words and by no longer praying to a higher power, but through praying to Jesus Christ, the power of the program is greatly intensified, and a Faith in God becomes a Faith in recovery.
Bible Study, Prayer, Christian Therapy
Of course a Christian rehab offers more than simply a few substituted words, and through group prayer, bible study and religious counseling; Christians can take strength and solace in the word of God as they work towards a better future of sobriety.
Christian rehab or recovery treats addiction as a fundamentally spiritual problem, requiring of a spiritual solution, and through Faith, prayer and a study of God's message, Christians are left with powerfully resonant tools against temptation and continuing abuse.
With the love of Jesus Christ and with the fellowship of other Christians, working the Christian 12 steps to recovery offers the Faithful far more than any conventional and secular rehab ever could.
AA has the big book, and it sure has helped a lot of people; but not so many as the Big Book used in a Christian rehab!
Page last updated Jul 19, 2012
