Now the work begins. Recovery, or repentance, in the Twelve Steps is often referred to as “working the program.” Unfortunately, the average believer in Jesus has no program. They think they graduated after step three, with no need for continuing education. Nothing changes for the anonymous recovery group person, who has no program either. If we apply the Steps to our lives, step four is where the work — that brings life transformation — begins. Now we are going to begin a searching and fearless moral inventory of our life. Like the other steps, we will continue to work this step for the rest of our life, as the Steps become a way of daily life.
Generally, we have not done well at self-assessment and some form of denial is probably a factor. Remember, in the first three steps, we have initiated a relationship with God, now we ask Him for help as we examine the characteristics that shape our life. Denial is a survival skill we learned as a child. It keeps us in a make-believe world. This may have worked as a child, but now it hinders us from facing the reality around us. Think about it — how difficult ...
