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Rick Burnett: To continue with Detoxify Your Habits, we'll now talk about Step 4:  "Make a Fearless Moral Inventory of Ourselves."  Exactly what does that mean and how do you do it?

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:   It means taking a complete honest look within ourselves.  If you can't feel it or if you can't see it, it's really hard to heal it.  So what we are really trying to do is get an honest and objective approach - what am I doing, what's going on within my life?  Once you have that objective information, you can do something about it.  Most of us are in many ways in denial in terms of what we're about.  If you are in denial, you cannot heal.  So, this step is about opening your eyes, using those "new glasses" and a new paradigm for your life. 

Rick Burnett: If a person is blinded by their addiction and their mind is shaped by a "sick" upbringing, how can they look at life differently?

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:  In that case, you have to go back to Step #1.  By the time people are at Step 4, they have already broken through the denial, and what they are doing in this "moral inventory" is they are looking at their history.  For example: What things have you done as a child that you're ashamed of?  What things have you done as a young adult where you've hurt people?  What things have you done in business that have offended individuals?  You start from your earliest memories and start to make a fearless and moral inventory of your shortcomings.  There are usually about 15, 20 or 30 different things that really bother people.  Those things just continue to degrade, tear at your self-esteem and constantly are in the back of your mind.  In order to grow through all of this you have to make a fearless moral inventory of your life's history and the things you're ashamed of, the things you know you shouldn't have done, yet you did them.  Basically, it's what the bible calls confessing your sins.  This is the start - where you confess them to yourself. 

Rick Burnett:  There are usually workbooks that people involved in 12-step programs use; i.e., with specific questions that help them inventory those deep, dark secrets.

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:  There is a version of "Dump Your Hang-ups" that includes a workbook.  It can be used in a small group setting.  It would have to be ordered through your local bookstore, or might be available through amazon.com.  Baker Book House publishes it.

Rick Burnett:  Moving on to Step 5:  Share Your Inventory with Another Person - "I will admit to God, myself and another human being, the exact nature of my wrongs."

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  These are all important steps and they ought to be done in order, but I think this is a very critical important step.  This step begins the accountability process.  One thing that is beautiful about the 12 steps is that it is a mentoring process and is about accountability.  Once you hold yourself accountable to God and another human being, I think you're on your way to the next step.  For us to be able to try and do it on our own, flies in the face of the entire 12 step program.  I encourage people who go through this 12 step program to get a mentor, someone who has been through this process, or someone who understands the program. 

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:  It is a very challenging thing to do.  To make a fearless inventory - you have to write something down - that's scary.  Suddenly, when you put something on paper that means someone can discover it - that's scary.  Then, taking this next step where not only could someone discover it, you're going to share it with someone - a real, live human being.  So, you want to make sure you share it with someone you can trust, someone to whom God will lead you.  You need to pray about that.  You might write things down and then hang on to it, praying about who you're going to share it with.  This is a process and you need to take the appropriate time to go through this process.  You might reach a point where you need to go back to step 1 again, so it is a process.  You have to realize you might not find the perfect person to share with, but you have to go with what God gives you.  You have to break through the fear and share your inventory with another living, breathing human being.

Rick Burnett:   We've said that we're as "sick as our secrets", if we don't dig down into those secrets we'll remain as sick as those secrets.  It's important for us to be able to open up to someone.  There are thousands who have come through their addictions by walking through the 12 steps.

Step # 6:  Grow Spiritually in the Lord.  Dr. Schuller, explain this to us - how do we grow spiritually and stay on a spiritual growth path?

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   Well, we started the process with the first three steps and our paradigm shift and what we are doing here is saying we need to take on the process of enlarging our boundaries and expanding who we are as individuals.  We need to realize that the God of love and care also wants to help us grow and mature and become the person that He wants us to be.  So, this is the process and time where we make ourselves ready to change our character and bring about the necessary changes that are required for us to succeed. 

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  God has a supernatural ability to change us from the inside.  He just doesn't change what we do, He changes who we are.  So, then who we are, changes what we do.  By that ability to present ourselves to God and grow in the Lord, He will allow us and empower us to change from the inside out.  

Step 6 also says:  "I will make myself entirely ready to have God remove any defects from my character and bring about the necessary changes in my life."  What is so beautiful about that is it means you are opening yourself up to God and saying this is who I am, this is what I am, I'm ready to change - I accept your power and healing quality.  He will do it - He will begin a new work in you. 

Rick Burnett:  The bible says that too!  People don't realize that these steps are Christian based!  That's our discussion for today, we'll pick up with Step 7 in our next discussion.