Step 6 Bible Verses: Scripture for Becoming Ready
The main Bible verse for Step 6 is James 4:10, which says that those who humble themselves before the Lord will be raised up by him. Step 6 is the humbling part, becoming willing for God to do what you can’t. The passages below speak to readiness, inner change, and trading old ways for new ones.
James 4:10 — the Step 6 verse
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
James writes to people tangled in envy, quarrels and pride. He doesn’t tell them to fix themselves. He tells them to come low before God and let him do the raising. That’s the posture of Step 6.
John 5:6 — a question worth answering
“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?””
The man by the pool had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus’ question can sound odd, but it’s the right one. Do you actually want this changed? Step 6 asks the same thing about every defect on your list.
Romans 12:2 — changed from the inside
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The verse right after the Step 3 verse. Having offered yourself to God, you’re now changed by him, not by trying harder but by a renewed mind.
Ephesians 4:22-24 — taking off, putting on
“…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Paul uses the picture of changing clothes. Off with the old, on with the new. It matches the Step 6 exercise of writing each defect’s opposite next to it.
Colossians 3:12-13 — what to put on
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
If you’re struggling to name the opposite of a defect, this list helps: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness.
Psalm 51:10 — asking for a new heart
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
David doesn’t promise to clean up his own heart. He asks God to create a new one. That’s a Step 6 prayer in a single line.
Philippians 1:6 — God finishes what he starts
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Step 6 can feel overwhelming when the list is long. This verse is a reminder that the change is a process God has started and intends to complete.
Galatians 5:22-23 — what grows in place of defects
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol; against such things there is no law.”
Paul calls these fruit, which is to say they grow. You don’t manufacture them. As God removes what’s in the way, these are what come up in its place.
A word on readiness
None of these passages ask you to make yourself better before God will help. They ask for something smaller and harder: an open hand. Being entirely ready doesn’t mean you’ve stopped feeling the pull of an old habit. It means you’ve stopped defending it. If that still feels out of reach, start by asking for the readiness itself.
Putting these to work
- Read James 4:10 each morning while you work this step, and pray to become willing.
- Use Colossians 3:12–13 and Galatians 5:22–23 when you write the opposite of each defect.
- When one defect feels impossible to release, read John 5:1–9 and answer Jesus’ question honestly in writing.
For how to make your defect list, see the Step 6 page. For words to pray, see the Step 6 prayer.
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