The 12 Steps of Recovery with scriptural Reference
Step 1 — Admit powerlessness
We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
Scripture:
“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t.”
— Romans 7:18 (NLT)
Step 2 — Believe in God’s power
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Scripture:
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”
— Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
Step 3 — Surrender to Christ
We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.
Scripture:
“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 (NIV)
Step 4 — Examine ourselves
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Scripture:
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”
— Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)
Step 5 — Confess our sins
We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Scripture:
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
— James 5:16 (NIV)
Step 6 — Be ready for God to remove defects
We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Scripture:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
— James 4:10 (NIV)
Step 7 — Humbly ask God to remove shortcomings
We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
Scripture:
“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 (NIV)
Step 8 — Make amends list
We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Scripture:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
— Luke 6:31 (NIV)
Step 9 — Make direct amends
We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Scripture:
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
— Matthew 5:23–24 (NIV)
Step 10 — Continue personal inventory
We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Scripture:
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
— 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
Step 11 — Seek God through prayer
We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
Scripture:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.”
— Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
Step 12 — Carry the message
Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps,
we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Scripture:
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.”
— Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living One Day at a Time
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.