- Step 7
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
- Romans 12:1-2
Step 7 and Romans 12:1-2 go together like cookies and coffee. It's not that you can't eat cookies without coffee, but it's just easier and better and coffee. So often when I hear people discussing Step 7, I hear things like, "I'm really trying to work on my character defects." This isn't really any different from those who may or may not utilize the steps but who are attempting to live well spiritually. They will often strive to be more qualified spiritually, to eliminate negative aspects of themselves, their habits and natures while increasing positive things such as selflessness and love, especially if life becomes hard, in hopes of receiving more spiritual benefits. It makes perfect sense. If you struggle with self or sin or character defects or however you want to describe the natural tendency to go our own way and do our own thing without concern for God's will or care for others, it seems perfectly logical to try harder, double down on the determination, and refuse to give up.
The only problem is that as logical as it seems, it doesn't work. I cannot control my self or change my nature by myself and in my own power any more than I can control my drinking, drugging, etc. In fact, it's really even more difficult. Sure, I can try, try, try and put on a mask of goodness and selflessness and go awhile. But life quickly becomes miserable, and I soon discover that regardless of my will and determination I can 't live up the standard of love.
Then where's the hope? The hope is in realizing that Step 7 is Steps 1-3 together, only applied to dealing specifically with self (the root of the problem) rather than whatever unmanageable bondage was making us too insane to work on the real issue. Step 7 says now that I have done enough work and been sober, clean, have abstained from my bondage long enough to begin to be able to think a little realize that self is the issue, I can't manage it, there is One who can and wants to restore me to a life of right thinking and love, so I'll ask Him and let Him.
This is why I love Romans 12:1-2. It's a reminder that I don't do the work of Step 7. I don't have to fight against, struggle with or suppress my selfish and sin. My part is simply to present myself to God in submission, and the mercy of God will even help me do that part! He renews my mind. Not to make this feel like school, but the Greek word translated as bodies in verse 1 means whole self or old nature (often referred to as our flesh as opposed to our new nature of Spirit in Christ).
"My Creator, I am now willing that You should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that You now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to You and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do Your bidding."
- Step 7 prayer
Present your whole self and old nature to God as a living sacrifice, ready for God to have all of me good and bad. Cookies and coffee. A sacrifice is where something or someone dies so that something or someone else can live. Even if it is only my free time that dies so that something more important to me can have life, that's the simple way to look at sacrifice. Here, my old nature, my selfishness and self-centeredness need to die so that my new nature, selflessness, goodness and love can live. I need to be rid of every single defect of character in the way.
But let's be encouraged by and remember that a sacrifice can be presented or present itself, but it is sacrificed by another, unless you're throwing yourself on a grenade or something like that. Jesus gave Himself as sacrifice for us, but He didn't crucify Himself. We don't have to figure out how to sacrifice our selfishness or defeat our defects! We simply present ourselves and submit to His Spirit, that Power higher than all things able and mighty and quick to deliver, our refuge and strength who is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He's the one who does the sacrificing. He does the defeating and the work and makes us new and able to love and do what's right and deny self. He transforms us and makes us a new person.
I want to do better, to be rid of self, to love more and better, and be of maximum service to God and others. I want to have a deeper conscious connection with my Creator and live awake spiritually. So, I present myself to Him and submit to His work, allowing Him to rid me of everything which stands in the way, and in so doing, my life becomes a living sacrifice and an act of spiritual worship. I find that amazing! Walking through Walmart can become an act of spiritual worship rather than a fight, and that jerk who's blocking the isle can receive a smile and patience and the love of God from me as I remain under the control of the Spirit instead of becoming stressed out as I struggle with the impulse to knock their cart out of the way or cuss them out or just make sure they realize how they put me out and don't they know who I think I am?
This makes it more natural to stay in the will of God and to even know what that will is. It's not just less of a struggle to do the next right thing, it's obvious what the next thing is more often. Cookies and coffee. Let's stop fighting ourselves and surrender to the love and will of God who renews our mind, transforms us and makes us new. There is no easier, softer way to be rid of self.
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