Tag: Step 7

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THE TWELVE STEPS TO VICTORY™ || Step Seven|| Trusting God for Change

In The Twelve Steps to Victory column, we’re reframing the traditional 12 Steps with a focus on victory vs continually looking back at our missteps and failures. Each Step aligns with the months on the yearly calendar. This series publishes on the first Friday of each month in 2025.

My victory didn’t begin with breakthrough—it began with brokenness.

 

We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings, trusting that His help would lead us to victory. ~ Step Seven

When Change Feels Like Breaking

In 2004, early in my recovery journey, I wasn’t prepared for how hard—or how painful—the process of change would be, nor how long it would take.

There were so many layers that needed to be made new and clean. My victory didn’t begin with a quick breakthrough—it began with brokenness.

My Heart Had Turned to Stone

I can’t remember exactly when it happened, but sometime in 2004, God showed me a vision of my heart. It had turned to stone.

He showed me that in order for healing to take place, He had to throw my stone heart down and shatter it into pieces.

He told me this was the only way He could reshape me. The old had to be broken first before the new could be created.

It was a very painful process. Not long after this, I began a routine of getting on my face before the Lord each morning and asking Him to keep me soft and pliable in His loving hands.

Because I don’t ever want to go through that again.

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ~ Ezekiel 36:26

Trusting God in the Unfamiliar

This was a very humbling, confusing, and lonely time.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I found my first Life Recovery Bible. Once I got that Bible, everything began to make sense.

Through it, I began to understand God’s promises, and I felt less alone.

God totally used the Life Recovery Bible to shape my new heart and life by His Word!

He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion. ~ Philippians 1:6

Humble Surrender

While most times we don’t even know what needs to be removed or reshaped within us until God reveals it, we can trust that as we humbly surrender to His sovereign will and purpose, that in the end, His work in us will lead to our good and His glory.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. ~ James 4:10

You Can Trust Him with the Process

Dear friend, if you are in the breaking process, know this—you are not being destroyed, you are being remade!

Trusting God for change means we must let go of what we think should happen and lean into what God knows we need.

This process to victory is one built through surrender, not striving.

A Prayer and a Promise

Friend, please pray this with me…

Lord, even when it hurts, I trust You to change me into what You want me to be. Break what needs breaking. Remove anything that hinders. Shape my heart for victory. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray! Amen.

Remember: While the process may be unfamiliar, you can trust the One who is leading you is faithful! His heart is for you!

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KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS

In observance of my Benedictine Monastic practices, on the last Friday of each month in 2019 we’re walking Saint Benedict’s 12 Steps of Humility. With each step we come closer to our spiritual transformation and the perfect love of God.

The seventh step of humility is that we admit with our tongue and are convinced in our heart that we are of less value than others. ~ The Rule of Benedict

If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:30 

 

Benedict’s Rule goes against our grain and most everything we’re taught today. In today’s terminology the seventh step of humility is asking us to make room for personal growth.

This radical self-examination, seeing ourselves as inferior to others, is not to be done in a self-deprecating or undervalued way. However, we are to humbly consider ourself lower than others in the hopes of lifting them and ourselves up to God.

In recognizing our personal limitations we find the first secret to victory. If we can humble ourselves and admit our human weaknesses, see our need for help from God and others, we’re on the right path. Scripture teaches us, God’s power works best through those who know their limitations and who turn their weaknesses over to Him. Those who pridefully think they can do everything on their own strength are in great danger.

Knowing that God’s power shows up when we recognize our weaknesses should give us hope and courage. As we depend more on God for our energy and effectiveness we’ll not only develop stronger Christian character but we’ll deepen our faith and bring God glory to those around us.

As we examine ourselves in comparison to others it may be easy to put ourselves down. However, if we humbly take a balanced look at both our strengths and weaknesses, we can prayerfully put them in God’s loving hands. Then in His perfect timing, with His unlimited power, God will give us what we need to overcome our limitations.

When we give God our limitations, He makes us limitless in His love!

Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 2:7 (TPT)

Contemplate the limitless love of God with this fantastic song by Colton Dixon.