Step Six - Ready For The Overhaul

 STEP SIX

We’ve been looking at some of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous during the past few days.  God is longing for us to know freedom and blessing and then to be able to bring that back into our work and social relationships.

We move along today to Step Six. 

Step Six:  We're entirely ready to have God remove all our defects of character.

What does it mean to get ready for God to do this work?  We must first seek God and give Him control in revealing what needs to go, as well as when and how.  That is the hard part.  We’re willing to work on our character defects but only on the bits we want to change, and in the time frame we want them changed.  In our mind we have decided to take control of how to proceed.

Are we willing to consider that God might know the best way and the appropriate timing for whatever defects need to be removed?  Much of what’s gone wrong in the past is our application of our own flawed solutions to our inaccurate understanding of our real problems.  It’s time to think about things from God’s viewpoint.  The Bible is the place to find the guidance we need.

We’ve looked at these verses before but I think they are important to remember today:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

If we humbly come to God and become willing to surrender all that we are to Him, in His perfect timing, God will prepare a way for us to let go of the trash we’ve accumulated.

You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy. Ephesians 4:22-24

Heavenly Father, that’s what we want.  We admit that our foolish desires and inappropriate actions have petty much destroyed us but You promise a new way of living if we let Your Spirit change the way we think and make us into someone who is truly holy and pleasing to God.  It’s almost more than we can believe but You said it so we’ll trust it. 

We ask that You reveal our character defects and give us the desire and the strength to let go of all that hinders our life’s purpose as You planned it.  Help us to be continually honest about what is going on inside us.  Give us the willingness to follow Your principles in all our ways.  Amen