Title: STEP 4 - Spiritual Recovery Work

Title: *SELF HONESTY - Step 4 /Mx  -   Visual Prayer Art by Rev.Bola A.

STEP 4:

 Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

Lamentations 3:40 

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

In the previous Steps 1 to 3, we have already faced the truth of our situation and turned the situation over to God who can help us. Now it is time to start seeing things as they truly are. Facing the reality of who we are, means getting to really know ourselves, by taking an honest inventory of one's life.

What do we mean by inventory?

Definition:  1) To take stock of; evaluate:  e.g. to inventory one's life and accomplishments.

                   2) The act of making a catalogue of, or detailed listing. 

                   3)An account of, a record of, or a summary.

We inventory....
Exactly where have we been, what have we done and what was the outcome of those actions? When and where did they start and where have they led us? This is a vital step away from living by sin, with chaos and insane behaviors, towards a conscious, Christ like, Holy Spirit filled life, with more personal power and serenity.

We compile a list of traits and behaviors that have transgressed our highest, or moral, values. We also inventory our "good" traits and the behaviors that represent them. We take stock of our Spiritual 'assets' ie. our spiritual gifts, talents and abilities, as well as our Spiritual 'liabilities' our character defects and sins.
Almost everyone has a core issue or area of weakness that challenges them.

At this point, fear can cause us to put off our inventory, or may even prevent us from taking this crucial step at all. We have found that fear is lack of faith,  but in steps 1 to 3,  we found a loving, personal God to whom we can turn, so we no longer need to be afraid.  God will give us the strength and courage to do our Step 4. For we are no longer working in just our own power alone, but through the Power and might of God as He is working through us. Jesus Christ has already paid the price for our sin at the cross of calvary. Through our faith in Him and what He did at the cross, we can lay down all our sin nature, and character defects at the foot of that cross, and let them 'die' with Him. And just as our Lord Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we also become spiritually resurrected from the spiritual death of sin nature, and of the fall.

Scripture Aids

Ps. 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Ps. 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Lam 3:40  Let us search and examine our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 

Lam 3:41  Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 

Lam 3:42  We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.

Here The Bible states clearly what we are to do in Step 4. 

       
We examine our life in the light of God's righteousness, making a moral inventory of our lives.

As Christians we have hope that through the blood of Christ we can find forgiveness for these sins and   a redeemed relationship with God. This examination of our lives also begins to set up a precedent where we can invite our God to examine our lives as well (Psalm 17:3, 26:2) that we might continue to be found in God.

Hag 1:6  You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but you have not enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he that earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Hag 1:7  Thus says the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

In the above passages of the Bible we are invited to reflect on how we live our lives.

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

      In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives many instances of how we are blessed. In this verse, He tells us that we are blessed when we mourn appropriately. Step 4 can be a step of mourning those places in our lives where we messed up and missed the good life that God would have liked to have given us. In this mourning, though, we become blessed as we find the healing and comfort from the Lord.

2Co 13:4  For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are counterfeits?

2Co 13:11  Finally, brethren, farewell. Be restored, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

 The apostle Paul here is ending his second letter to the Corinthian church, and giving them advice on how to live as Christians. There were many struggling Christians in this congregation, just as we may also struggle in our attempts to be true to the teachings of Christ. Yet we are told that in our weakness we can live by God's power in us, even as Christ Himself was crucified in weakness and yet lives by God's power. 

 Furthermore, to carry this out we are told to examine ourselves (v5) that we may prove ourselves in the faith or not. This is relevant to step 4, because in step 4 we examine our lives and determine when we were or were not acting in faith and obedience to God's moral standards.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. 

 Even when we thought we might have been getting away with something, we actually were not. We may have survived, but we missed the larger picture of how God wanted to bless us in extraordinary ways. We also now have a choice by His grace to sow to the Spirit instead, and reap the reward of life everlasting. Part of this process of growing in God's ways is by taking our inventory - proving our own work. Then we can go forward with a realistic picture of our own lives from a God's moral perspective and find the peace and mercy of God (vs.16). 

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your lampstand out of its place, except you repent.

These verses will apply to the 4th step in greatest measure if we are Christians.  
In the 4th step, we work on remembering all of our life and later laying it before the eyes of God, ourselves and at least one other person.

The remembering and the healing of those memories is an important part of our spiritual recovery process.

(Eph 5:11) 'Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.'

The Principle we learn to master in Step 4 is: *SELF-HONESTY*

In Step we also inventory our positive, loving characteristics? 
How about our talents, our natural, and spiritual gifts?

What strengths do we exhibit? In what situations have we, for example, shown our courage, patience, generosity, kindness, compassion, tolerance, creativity, gentleness, loyalty, prudence, faithfulness, gratitude, wisdom, appreciation and love? 
Do we value our positive qualities, or just take them for granted?
 Our we using our natural and spiritual gifts, or ignoring and wasting them?

  

Galatians 5:22-2

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

How do you express yourself creatively? Are you a good cook? An artist, a designer, an inventor, a writer, a great speaker, a teacher, a counselor, or a musician? Are you a gardener, or good with animals, can you make clothes?  Do you speak different languages? Are you good at a sport? Are you skilled with technical things like computers, or mechanical things? Are you a skilled craft person, a carpenter, a decorator, a builder? Are you a skilled administrator, or good financial steward?

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 

Are you now ready and willing to complete your Step 4?

If so well done, and CONGRATULATIONS.

   

 If not, then you may want to consider the following helpful hints:-

1. Have you had any broken relationships? If so, describe them and how they hurt you and       others. Describe any grudges, anger or resentment that you have over these relationships. 

2. Did you try to get revenge? If so, explain the situation and if it hurt anyone else.

3. Describe the faults that you most detest in others. Do you have any of these traits yourself? Possibilities include selfishness, cowardice, dishonesty, fearful, controlling, manipulative, intimidation of others, overly power-hungry, possessiveness, prejudice, bigotry, greed, materialistic, snobbery, sarcasm, hyper-criticalness, gossiping, being a tightwad with money, harshness, non-forgiveness, being verbally abusive, being physically abusive, being sexually abusive, impatience, procrastination, being overly dependent, being judgemental, being overly preoccupied, adultery, sneakiness, lying, cheating, being ungrateful, being cynical, being intolerant, being self-pitying, bitterness, rage, jealousy, insecurity, and envy.

4. Describe in detail any major experiences in your life that you believe changed your life forever afterwards (good or bad).

5. Read about the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20. Have you ever broken any of these commandments?

6. From Step 1, you learned about the nature of sin and how it first entered your world.

How about the 7 deadly sins?

Let's remember that some day each and everyone of us, will have to face God, and be accountable to Him for how we led our lives. So it makes sense to get into the habit now.

7.Finally, do you have someone trustworthy, that you can share your Step 4 experience with, and who will hold you accountable? 

You may also find it helpful to say this step 4 prayer now.

Step 4 Prayer

Dear God,
It is I who have made my life a mess.
I have done it, but I cannot undo it.
My mistakes are mine, and I will begin a
searching and fearless moral inventory.
I will write down my wrongs,
but I will also include that which is good.
I pray for the strength to complete the task.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

If you would like Private one-to-one Life Coaching, or any additional support, with completing this, or any of the other12 Steps, of our program; and if you would like to participate, or attend a meeting with us locally, then kindly email your inquiries to CVF Support: 

bolaamail-church@yahoo.co.uk 

Please remember always, that God loves you.

Peace, Love and Light....Pastor Bola
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