Celebrate Recovery

Realize I’m not God, I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable (Step 1).

Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor. Matthew 5:3

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover (Step 2).

Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control (Step 3).

Happy are the meek. Matthew 5:5

Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust (Steps 4 and 5).

Happy are the pure in heart. Matthew 5:8

Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects (Steps 6 and 7).

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires. Matthew 5:6

Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others (Steps 8 and 9).

Happy are the merciful. Happy are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:7, 9

Reserve a time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will (Steps 10 and 11).

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words (Step 12).

Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires. Matthew 5:10

1) We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, 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) We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. Philippians 2:13

3) We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

4) We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

5) We 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 you may be healed. James 5:16

6) We 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) We 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 unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

8) We made a list of all 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) We 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 altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

10) We 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) We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16

12) Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try 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 them gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1

The following steps are based on the same 12 Steps used by people overcoming all types of Hurts, Habits and Hang-ups in Celebrate Recovery, but have been tailored by national Celebrate Recovery leaders to meet the specific needs of those overcoming physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

1) We admitted we were powerless over the past and as a result, our lives have 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) We came to believe that God could restore us to wholeness, and realized His power can always be trusted to bring healing and wholeness in our lives.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. Philippians 2:13

3) We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God, realizing we have not always understood His unconditional love. We chose to believe He loves us, is worthy of trust, and will help us understand Him as we seek His truth.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

4) We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves, realizing all wrongs can be forgiven, and renounced the lie that the abuse was our fault

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

5) We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of the wrongs in our lives, including those acts perpetrated against us as well as those wrongs we committed against others.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16

6) By accepting God’s cleansing we renounced our shame and were entirely ready to have God remove all these distortions and defects of character.

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

7) We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings, including our guilt. We released our fear and submitted to Him.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

8) We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to seek God’s help in forgiving our perpetrators, as well as forgiving ourselves. We realized we have also harmed others and became willing to make amends to them.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

9) We extended forgiveness to ourselves and to those who have harmed us, realizing this is an attitude of the heart, not always confrontation. We made direct amends, asking forgiveness from those we have harmed, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

10) We continued to take personal inventory as new memories and issues surfaced. We continued to renounce our shame and guilt, but when we were wrong, we promptly admitted it.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12

11) We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God and our understanding of His character, praying only for knowledge of His truth in our lives, His will for us, and power to carry that out.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16

12) Having had a spiritual awakening as we accepted God’s love and healing through these steps, we tried to carry this message of hope to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs, claiming God’s promise of restoration and wholeness as new memories and issues are surfaced.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore them gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1