– Terri Fornear
Step 10 – Continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admit it.
Step 10 reminds me that freedom is a daily process. My personal daily inventory always starts with the Gift of Righteousness which was once for all given to me, and Jesus is at the right hand of the Father “loving me out loud” to the Father:
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. – Hebrews 7:25
Then peace, courage, patience, love, joy spring daily from His life within me.
In Your presence is fullness of joy; This is where my pleasure is today and forever. – Psalm 16:11
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them. – Galatians 6:15
Step 10 helps me tune in to those moments when this peace of Christ is disturbed in me. Contrary feelings that perk up are insecurity, fear, resentments, loneliness, self-pity. These feelings may stem from the inventory I took in step 4. I might have received a message from a person or a situation that made me feel incomplete. I stepped out of my completeness in Christ – though He never left me.
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone complete in Christ. – Colossians 1:28
When I step out of completeness, my flesh or self-centered part, becomes demanding and compulsive about getting what I need in unhealthy ways. This opens me up to hurting others who are “in the way.”
Step 10 wakes me up each day to being aware of my source of Life, whether flesh or Spirit. The Spirit actually leads me to love myself first – by receiving Christ’s view of me. Then loving others comes easier as I’m living out of completeness and fullness, not out of need or duty. Then I can go to anyone I’ve hurt and apologize without losing the truth about myself.
My job in Step 10 is to “keep myself in the love of God” (Jude 1:21) and to love others – in freedom.
Find out how Terri applies God’s Word to “situations” in her life. Her book, Dealing with Feelings, is part of our Free gift basket to cancer patients.
