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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;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

 

 

 

12 Steps and their Biblical Comparisons (NIV)

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behavior. That our lives had become unmanageable. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18)

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. For it is God who is at work in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)

3. Made a decision to turn our life and our will over to the care of God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves. Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. (Lamentations 3:40)

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. Therefore confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that may you may be healed. (James 5:16a)

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)

7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteous. (1 John 1:19)

8. Made a list of al persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out. Let the ways of Christ dwell in you richly.(Colossians 3:16a)

12.Having had a spiritual experience as a result of these steps, we tried to
carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you may also be tempted.(Galatians 6:1)

 

The 8 Celebrate Recovery Principles
(based on the Beatitudes)

R
Realize I am not God; I admit I am powerless to control my tendency to
do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.

Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.

E
Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and He has the
power to help me recover.

Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

C
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and
control.

Happy are the meek.

O
Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to another person whom I trust.

Happy are the pure in heart.

V
Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life.

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.

E
Evaluate all my relationships; offer forgiveness to those who have hurt
me; make amends with those I have hurt when possible.

Happy are the merciful. Happy are the peacemakers.

R

Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading and
prayer to know God, His will for my life and to gain power to do it.

Y
Yield myself to be used by God to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.

Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.