Individuals leaving addiction behind and entering into life with God in recovery often choose the Twelve Steps of AA to help them sort through their issues. Step Four requires that they make a searching and fearless moral inventory of themselves – sorting out right from wrong, good from bad, and their part in it all. God’s word recorded in the Bible is the standard against which we all must measure our behaviour. Reviewing our thoughts, actions and deeds against God’s standards will show us where we have followed our own wayward paths, rather than God’s loving ways.
Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. (1 John 2:15-17 MSG)
In our addiction, we participated in habits and lifestyles that were destructive because, we either didn’t know, or didn’t want to obey God’s principles for life. We feared pain, craved pleasure, desired power, and simply wanted to have our own way in whatever we chose to do. We tried whatever we thought would bring us satisfaction and joy. Nothing we tried brought lasting fulfillment.
A fearless and moral inventory of ourselves requires honest asking, honest reflecting, and honest assessment of our ways against God’s principles. We look at how our thinking and actions have fallen short of God’s standards. God sent Jesus into the world, not to condemn us for what we have already done, but to save us from it. We truly matter to God! As we become doers of His word, we will build a meaningful and contented life in our recovery, and God’s blessing will be upon us.
Prayer: Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life. (Psalm 139:23-24 MSG)
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