Seeking God's Will - Step 6 in Addiction Recovery

Beth Livingston

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“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” Alcoholics Anonymous

Ready for transformation? That’s what we do in step six. We get ready. We welcome God to prepare us for the changes that we need to make. Previous to now, we’ve been working our way to this point. I’m reminded of an old hymn, “I Surrender All.”

“All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and serve Him
In His presence, daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all, 
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender
Humbly at his feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus, take me now.”

The hymn was written in 1896 by Judson W. Van DeVenter, who was struggling with a decision in his life and he needed to make a choice. He chose to surrender his will to God’s will. That’s what we need to do. Surrender our will to God’s will. It is easier said (or sung) than done.

What are you getting ready for God to remove? Go back to the previous steps and take a fearless moral inventory to find your character defects and admit to God, yourself, and another person the exact nature of your wrongs. Then humble yourself before God.

says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.”

I compare this to getting ready for surgery, only this is spiritual surgery. We have many character defects, so this is not a one-stop step. It is a process. We need God’s help to draw closer to His will for our lives, which includes putting on the new thinking pattern that we are going to be different from the inside out. When God removes a defect of character, it’s beyond the physical aspect of abstaining from drinking alcohol, for example. When God makes the change, he gets to the root of WHY we do whatever it is we do. Ask Him in faith to help you get ready for Him to make changes in your life. Welcome His mighty work in you. 

What do you need to do to get ready for God to remove your character defects? Will you make the decision to allow Him to begin this spiritual surgery?

Copyright 2009 Beth Livingston. Used by permission.

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About The Author

Beth
Livingston

Beth Livingston hosts the Overcoming Addictions blog. She was a functioning alcoholic and addict for over 25 years. With the help of Jesus Christ and many years of working through steps of recovery, her addictions are in her past, no longer having a hold on her. Beth has actively participated in recovery groups for many years as participant and facilitator. She is a certified recovery specialist.