“They confessed their own sins” (Nehemiah 9:2).
That is the story of the Jewish exiles who returned to Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. They were working Steps 4 and 5 before Steps 4 and 5 had even been written. Taking a personal inventory of their shortcomings, they then released them with repentant prayers.
Two words make this work: “their own.”
Adding up the hundreds of 12-Step meetings I have attended, plus the Freedom Groups I have led, over my ten years in recovery, I have been in nearly 2,000 recovery meetings. Assuming each group had ten people in attendance, that means I’ve heard 20,000 check-ins. That is 20,000 people sharing the nature of their disease.
Sadly, in far too many cases, I hear the addict blaming everyone but himself for his actions – his wife, his mom, his dad, even God.
It is when we learn to confess our own sins, rather than the sins of others, that the healing begins.
Recovery Step: Take a moment and confess your own sins before God.
