The First Step and the Serenity Prayer

“We admitted we were powerless to overcome our weaknesses—that our lives had become unmanageable.” —The First Step

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” —The Serenity Prayer

“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil.” —2 Timothy 2:25, 26

When we took "The First Step" we acknowledged that we were trapped in our addictive or compulsive behavior. After repeated efforts in our own strength to overcome our weaknesses, we recognized that we were powerless to achieve our goals.

The Bible teaches that we can be trapped by the devil to do his will. In a similar way, we can be trapped by an addiction to alcohol, our drugs of choice, food, gambling, sex, other people or other behaviors; such as, lying, cheating, gossiping, not forgiving, hardness of heart, stealing, or slandering others. The devil can also work to keep us enslaved to harmful choices. God wants to free us from our sins, while the devil wants to keep us in bondage to him and lead us to destruction.

Thankfully, neither the devil nor our weaknesses need keep us in bondage. When the Bible says that gentle instruction and prayer to God can help us repent or turn around, we are encouraged to follow the Bible’s teachings, to take "The First Step," and to pray "The Serenity Prayer." By praying "The Serenity Prayer," we can enjoy personally and individually a conversation between “God” and “me.” “God, grant me.” When I pray "The Serenity Prayer," I trust that God will grant me the freedom I seek and the serenity that will help me stay free from the traps that I have fallen into in the past.

When I completed "The First Step" and began praying "The Serenity Prayer" daily, I started a new life of striving for pure humility. I opened my eyes and ears to look and listen for what God wanted me to do. As I prayed and surrendered all that I knew about myself to God, He did His part and released me from the trap that was too strong for me to escape by myself. As God did His part, I responded by doing my part in following Him and "The Twelve Steps Journey." Daily, I am admitting the fact that I cannot, but God can, so I am asking him to help me overcome my weaknesses.

When I pray, “God, grant me,” I am admitting that I do not deserve His help. Precisely because I am powerless and my life has become unmanageable, precisely because I am unworthy to ask Him, God has promised me His love, grace, and mercy when I repent and turn to Him. In "The First Step," I am completely giving up and not just asking God to fix a thing or two. In "The Serenity Prayer," I am trusting in God to grant me a total life change as I trust in Him for deliverance. When I took "The First Step," I admitted that when I tried to manage my life without relying on God that my life became unmanageable. When I pray "The Serenity Prayer," I ask God to manage my life and give me the fruits of His labors and His Spirit, which are the Serenity, Courage, Change, and Wisdom I need each day.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, I am truly powerless to overcome my weaknesses. I have proven my powerlessness to myself by trying over and over again to help myself. Everything I have tried apart from you has failed. Therefore, I am admitting my weaknesses and powerlessness today, and I pray once again, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Help me now as I continue to pray and bring before you this day my greatest concern and fear . . . . Amen.

Excerpted from
“Prayer Steps to Serenity the Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition,” pages 43-45. Published by Agion Press, 2006 ISBN 978-0977805389. Copyright 2006 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.