Step 6 - Were entirely ready and willing that God remove all these defects of character.

Ephesians 4:22-24 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

There is a certain amount of readiness and willingness that will have been evidenced in our lives when we reach step six. If we carefully read the first five steps of our program, can we say that our understanding of them is clear? Has our work on the steps which require action been solid so far? Have we examined ourselves and identified what needs to be changed in our lives? Have we confessed our sins to God, ourselves, and another human being? Can we see how our defects keep us in the dark, contaminate our relationship with God, and block the work of the Holy Spirit in us? Can we see how this effects our usefulness to others?

All of us would like to be rid of our most glaring and destructive handicaps –the ones that people can see, the ones that make us look bad, or the ones that cause us excessive misery. It is good for us to examine our motives for taking step six. Mind you, self-interest is better than no interest when it comes to step six, but we will get much better results if our motives are driven by our love for God and our sincere desire to be useful to Him and our fellow man.

Some questions that we might ask ourselves: Do we want these defects to be removed to glorify God, or do we just want to stop appearing to be so sinful? Is our greatest desire to be a good and faithful servant, or do we want folks to admire us for our righteous way of life? Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness and holiness because we love God, or will we settle for just enough perfection to get us by in life and to hopefully let us slide into Heaven. Are we striving for a self-determined objective, or are we striving for the perfect objective, which is of God?

Here are ten scriptural reasons for becoming entirely ready and willing that God remove all of these defects of character.

1. Because we love God.

1 John 5:3 – This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.

Matthew 22:37-38 – Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

2. Because we are so gratefully thankful for what God has done for us. Because of His love, kindness, grace and mercy, He has saved us from condemnation. He is not going to give us what we deserve. He has given us the gift of eternity in Paradise with Him.

Ephesians 2:4-5 – But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus

3. Because Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us

Galatians 1:3-5 – Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

4. Because Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

1 Peter 2:24 – He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

5. Because we want to be useful –He created us to do good works.

2 Timothy 2:19-21 – Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

6. Because we are Christ’s ambassadors.

2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:1 – We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 6:1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.

7. Because we are God’s temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

8. Because we are the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

9. So that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

Acts 3:19 – Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

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

10. So that we may have a new life.

Romans 6:3-7 – Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:3-7 says that we may live a new life, our body of sin might be done away with, we will no longer be slaves to sin, and we will be freed from sin. It says that we can have all of our defects of character removed, and that they will stay removed! Praise God! What is standing in the way of us receiving all of these promises of God? Is it because we are not entirely ready and willing to die to our sin? Maybe it is because we are only entirely ready and willing to die to some of our sins –the ones that are causing us the most grief.

As Paul continues, the following verses are at the very heart of Step 6.

Romans 6:11-14 – In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:11-14 explains our part in claiming these wonderful promises. This is what we have to become entirely ready and willing to do:

We must count ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
We must not offer the parts of our body to sin
We must offer ourselves to God, and offer the parts of our body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

Romans 12:1-2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

We cannot live an abundant life in Christ by striving to do it ourselves. We cannot just try to do better, or try to live better Christian lives by self-determination or self-discipline. We will always fail, because we are wretched human beings.

What we can do is submit ourselves completely and entirely to Jesus Christ, so that He can live the abundant, fruit-bearing, Christian life through us. He knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus said that we can’t do it alone.

John 15: 4-5 – Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.

God will remove our character defects, Christ will remain in us, and the Spirit will bear fruit in our lives, but the process always begins with surrender, submission, and denial of self.

If we are struggling with the readiness and willingness spoken of in this step, we can ask God for it. He has promised to give us the ultimate Spirit of willingness –His Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.

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