The Twelve Steps

Step 1 of the 12 Steps is an honest admission: alcohol beat you, and your own power can't fix it. What it means, what the Bible says, and how to work it.

A Step 1 prayer for the day you admit drinking has beaten you. Pray it as written or in your own words, plus a short morning version and what to do next.

Seven Step 1 Bible verses for the moment you admit drinking has beaten you, from Paul's honest struggle in Romans 7 to God's strength in weakness.

Seven Step 1 questions to answer in writing, one at a time, with short guidance on each, so you can see the problem clearly before moving to Step 2.

Step 2 of the 12 Steps asks only that you come to believe a Power greater than you can restore you to sanity. Willingness is enough to begin. Here's how.

A Step 2 prayer for anyone who isn't sure God is there but is willing to find out. A prayer for doubters, one for the angry, and a short daily version.

Step 2 Bible verses for anyone coming to believe God can restore them, from Philippians 2:13 to the father who asked Jesus for help to believe.

Seven Step 2 questions about God, hope and sanity, with short notes on how to answer each honestly, even if you're not sure what you believe yet.

Step 3 of the 12 Steps is a decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God. What it means, what Scripture says, and how to act on it.

The Third Step prayer from p. 63 of the Big Book, word for word, with what each line means, a plain-language version, and how to pray it with someone.

Step 3 Bible verses for making the decision to turn your will and your life over to God, starting with Romans 12:1 and Jesus' prayer in the garden.

Six Step 3 questions to answer before and after you turn your will and your life over to God, with short guidance on each and the two checks for done.

The Step 4 inventory is an honest, written look at your resentments, fears and harms. How the columns work, what the Bible says, and how to finish it.

Step 4 prayers to use while you write your inventory: one before you start, one for a resentment that won't let go, one for fear, and one when you finish.

Step 4 Bible verses to read while you write your moral inventory: Lamentations 3:40, Psalm 139, the speck and the log, and God's new mercies each morning.

Step 4 questions to keep your inventory honest and moving: what to list first, how to spot patterns in your part, who to pray for, and when to share it.

Step 5 of the 12 Steps means admitting your wrongs to God, to yourself and to another human being. Who to choose, how to prepare, and what happens after.

A Step 5 prayer for the day you read your inventory to another person, a prayer for the quiet hour afterward, and one for when fear makes you want to wait.

Step 5 Bible verses on confessing to God and to each other, from James 5:16 to Psalm 32, for anyone getting ready to share their inventory with a person.

Five Step 5 questions to help you choose who hears your inventory, set the date, face the entry you fear most, and reflect in the quiet hour afterward.

Step 6 of the 12 Steps is becoming willing to let God remove your character defects, even the ones you'd rather keep. What it means and how to work it.

A Step 6 prayer for becoming willing to let God remove your character defects, plus a prayer for the defect you'd rather keep and a short morning version.

Step 6 Bible verses for anyone becoming willing to let God remove their defects of character, from James 4:10 to Jesus asking a man if he wants to be well.

Six Step 6 questions to pull your character defects out of your inventory, name their opposites, face the ones you'd rather keep, and become willing.

Step 7 of the 12 Steps means humbly asking God to remove your shortcomings, then living the opposite each day. Plain words, Scripture and the prayer.

The Seventh Step prayer from page 76 of the Big Book, printed in full, explained line by line, with a Bible verse and a simple way to pray it each day.

Bible verses for Step 7 of the 12 Steps: humility, confession, and asking God to change your heart, with a short note on how each one fits the step.

Step 7 questions to work through with a sponsor: what humility is, where pride cost you, which defect to start with and how to practice the opposite.

Step 8 of the 12 Steps is making a list of everyone you harmed and becoming willing to set it right. How to build the list, forgive, and get willing.

An eighth step prayer for when you're building your amends list and need willingness, including for the people who hurt you. With a verse and a daily plan.

Bible verses for Step 8: the Golden Rule, forgiving others, and living at peace, with a note on how each helps you build your amends list and get willing.

Step 8 questions for building your amends list: who belongs on it, what the harm was, how willing you are, and who you need to forgive before you begin.

Step 9 of the 12 Steps is making direct amends wherever possible, unless it would hurt someone. How to prepare, what to say, and when to get counsel first.

A ninth step prayer to pray before you make an amends and another for afterward, plus Scripture and a simple way to stay humble whatever the response.

Bible verses for Step 9: making peace, repaying what was taken, and setting things right without hurting others. With a note on how each fits your amends.

Step 9 questions to plan each amends: where to start, what to say, how they might respond, whether it could hurt anyone else, and how it went afterward.

Step 10 of the 12 Steps turns your inventory into a daily habit: catch it, admit it quickly, set it right. How the spot-check and nightly review work.

A tenth step prayer for your nightly review and a short one for the middle of a hard day, with Scripture and a simple pattern for looking back honestly.

Bible verses for Step 10: watching yourself, dealing with anger before sundown, admitting wrongs quickly, and receiving new mercy every single morning.

Step 10 questions for a short nightly inventory: what upset you, what you did with it, who you owe, what went right, and who you helped. Minutes a day.

Step 11 of the 12 Steps builds a daily rhythm of prayer and meditation: a morning to seek God's will, pauses through the day, and an honest night review.

The 11th step prayer most people mean is the Prayer of St. Francis. Here it is in its traditional form, how to meditate on it, and a morning prayer.

Bible verses for Step 11: letting God's word dwell in you, morning prayer, being still, and seeking God's will over your own, with notes on using each one.

Step 11 questions to build a daily prayer and meditation habit: your mornings, how you pray, what you read, pausing during the day, and finding a church.

Step 12 of the 12 Steps: a spiritual awakening from working the steps, carrying the message to others, and practicing these principles in all your affairs.

A twelfth step prayer for service: carry the message humbly, help the person in front of you, and practice these principles at work, at home and at church.

Bible verses for Step 12: restoring others gently, passing on the comfort you received, telling what God did for you, and serving without growing proud.

Step 12 questions on how your life has changed, who needs your story, a service commitment, sponsoring, and where the principles still aren't reaching.