Steps 6 & 7: Character Make-Over (Allowing God to delete my character defects)

Once again, I'm a bit behind on this blog. I am currently on Step 9 right now, but I don't want anyone who is following along to miss out on what God has been teaching me along the way.

**INCREDIBLE PRAYER ANSWERED** 

As of June 1st, I have been granted permission by those in spiritual authority over me to start raising support to go to Central Asia once again!!

Ok, back to the Celebrate Recovery Steps. Steps 6 & 7 flow out of one Biblical principle, so I will once again combine these two steps:

Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)

Principle 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

One of the symptoms of someone who is sick is a lack of appetite. When we are not well spiritually, we often don't hunger and thirst for God and a deepening relationship with Him. I often hear other believers say that they don't like a certain church because they 'aren't getting fed there.' Interesting. According to Jesus in John 4:34, "My food is to do the will of Him Who sent me and to finish His work."  The kind of food we are to hunger and thirst for is NOT in the listening of the Word (though it absolutely has value and is completely necessary), but rather in the doing of what Jesus commands us to do. Listening to a good sermon is like having a waiter tell you what's on the menu. To "get fed" properly, we have to participate in DOING.

What's my point? How can I do what God requires (i.e.: righteousness-doing what is right according to God) or even hunger for it when I have all these defects of character in my soul?

We often get so focused on "doing" that we fail to realize God wants to change our very "being." Hence, we are not called human doings, rather human beings. This is another tough pill to swallow, because it takes being intensely honest with ourselves and allowing others to be intensely honest about us.

After confessing all the horrible things I have done and allowing another human being to know these things, I am free to start taking a real, honest look at my character. I have many defects and shortcomings, but Jesus is greater than any of them. If I am humble and teachable, I can allow Him to teach me new ways of living that are righteous instead of sinful.

Allow me to share a story:

A couple of weeks before Easter, someone asked me to get them a Cadbury Egg. I said, "No problem." Fast-forward 2 weeks right before Easter. When asked by this friend of mine if I had purchased the egg, my response was, "Egg??" I had completely forgotten to buy the egg. This, of course, made this person feel hurt and unappreciated.

Why did I forget the egg? Well, I thought it was because it was such a small thing & I tend to be a forgetful person. FALSE. The reason I forgot: I wasn't the one asking for it. I forgot because this person and their desires were not near as important as me and my desires. Selfish...not forgetful. How's that for honesty? Sucks...right.


Jesus, please teach me how to stop being selfish by being humble and more thoughtful of others. Please teach me how to remember when others ask me for something, even if it's small or insignificant to me, because it's probably important to that person. I want to love like you love. Change my heart, my thinking, and my character...fill me with your righteousness.