Step #3 of 12 Steps

“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him.”

Step #3

The first two steps of the 12 step program decide:

The first two steps of the 12 step program decide:

That we need help in our life because it is going in the wrong direction

That God is the power/influence that is going to bring me back to the correct path

The 3rd Step tells us we have to:

The 3rd Step tells us how to have God’s direction-healing in our lives

“Turning our lives and will over to God”

Trusting that God’s way and will is better than what we have been doing

Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

There are two forces that want to influence your will and life:

There are two forces that want to influence your will and life:

24 hours a day we are being drawn by:

God…may not know it

Flesh/satan…may not know it

It is up to us who we are going to listen to and follow

Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody

What made you wear that dress this morning

You looked in the mirror and thought what?

This makes me look :

Young

Sexy

Like I have alot of money

I am successful

This

What made you spend that money on that type of car

You looked at that car and thought what?

Makes me feel young

Makes me feel cool

Gives me status ( Lexus- BMW- Cadillac)

What made you go to that certain coffee place or walk past that certain desk at work

Because there is a good looking person there-secret crush

Because you are trying to get someone to notice you

or

You go a certain way to avoid someone

What made us give that hard response to someone

Because we were pushed around in our childhood

Because we won’t allow ourselves to be talked negative about

What made you think about God and the Spiritual world

What made you remember something you learned in Sunday School

What made you suddenly start thinking about living and dieing

There will always be two ways to live our lives

The need to be loved and felt cared for

The need to have respect and to be esteemed and appreciated

The desire to be successful and possess things we like

There will always be two ways to have those needs and desires met:

God’s way

Our Way

Life can give us the indications that our way of living and reacting can sometimes be unhealthy for us

Addiction

Broken relationships

Being Fired

People not wanting to be around us

Unfilled dreams and expecations

If we are lucky, we choose to live God’s will instead of ours(me 19)

Proverbs 14:

Proverbs 14:27 The Message

The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.

Trusting God’s will and way over our own starts at our point of conversion

But trusting God and obeying him is not a one time thing

Choosing God’s way of living is a daily thing

Hebrews 3:14 NLT

For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

How did we trust at the beginning of our walk with Christ?

Let go of everything very willingly

Started going to church

Started reading bible

Stopped many of our wrong behaviors

Walked away from wrong relationships

If we continue to trust God the way we did at the first......we will share in all Christ has

We need to hand situations over to God because we believe:

Romans 8:28 NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

We also need to believe:

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

We need to trust this about God

Psalm 103:8–18 NLT

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

If we do not believe this about God....we will never trust him with our struggles and cares

What is in your life now that you need to trust God about but finding it hard to trust him.