Step 3 - Trust

We decide to trust God with our lives and wills by accepting his grace through Jesus Christ.

Foundation 3

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Key Theme

Decide to trust God’s grace through Christ.

Remember

There is hope for you – God understands your pain, has paid for your sins, and offers you the gift of recovery through Christ.

Things to Remember

• Without Christ, regeneration is impossible. Jesus is the door that opens us up to true recovery and transformation in our lives.
• When we trust Christ as savior, God gives us the gift of eternal life. And we receive Christ’s righteousness and the Holy Spirit. Until we receive this new life, recovery attempts for any hang-up or addiction is addressing symptoms of a mortal disease.
• The steps build on each other. If someone is struggling to accept Christ, they may need to do more work on Steps 1 or 2. Talk as co-leaders about where people are and if anyone is not ready, talk to your coach. If needed, connect with their mentor about where they are.
• Have your group watch the first Inventory Training video found at regenerationrecovery.org in the Resources tab.
• As a step group, watch Part 1 of the Inventory Training Module found at regenerationrecovery.org in the Resources tab. Take a few minutes to talk through the discussion guide for Part 1.

Key Questions

As you review the lesson, ask God which questions to focus on for the lesson. Some possibilities are:

• Day 6 review questions.
• Day 5, Q1: Did you trust Christ as your eternal savior with prayer on the previous page? Is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ as your savior?

Encouragement for Participants

• If someone has trusted Christ as savior this week, have them share briefly. Celebrate if anyone trusted Christ as savior for the first time this week!
• For those who haven’t yet received Christ, ask them to be honest about what is holding them back.
  • Remind them that it is God who opens our eyes, but that the scripture says we will find him if we seek him with our heart.
  • Ask them to send any questions they listed in Question 2 of the review day to their mentor and leadership and that you would love to help.
• Remind participants that the steps build on each other.
  • Step 3 is essential for true recovery. Steps 1 and 2 lead to a decision in Step 3.
  • If they are struggling to take Step 3, you may need to do more work on Step 1 or 2.
  • It’s ok if they aren’t ready, but the next step is to work through whatever is holding them back from trusting Christ.
• Allow time for other participants to share any re-commitments or their stories of when they first came to Christ.
• Ask participants to fill out the Participant Growth Survey accessed by the QR code on Week 2, Day 6 if they haven’t done so already.
• Have them purchase the Steps 4-6 book and an Inventory Workbook.
• Can anyone quote the Foundation 3 verse – Ephesians 2:4-5?

Encouragement for the Leaders

• God is using you in great ways! Isaiah 61 says that Christ saved you to make you into an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord so that he may be glorified, and will use you as a repairer of desolations of generations!
• Praise God for the work that he is doing! Imagine the day when we are all gathered before God and see the faces of the people in your group and those who God used you to lead to Christ! We will spend eternity with the lives God intersected with ours.
  
• Don’t be discouraged if people aren’t ready for Jesus. Remember it is God who saves – not you. Pray for those who aren’t ready. Ask God to open their eyes. Be willing to help them address what is holding them up.
• Celebrate Jesus! This may be a good time to plan a celebration time for your group.
• Praise God for new life! He is using you in his eternal plan! Praise God for Jesus!