Step 4 - Inventory

We make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Foundation 4

“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” (Psalm 51:6)

Key Theme

Realize God’s grace; what he wants to change in you.

Remember

You are a new creation. Take off the old nature and live by the new nature in Christ.

NOTE: Attend Inventory Training as a group or watch the Inventory Training Module.

Things to Remember

• Welcome to Steps 4-6! In this book, you will be focusing on:
  • Identifying your sinful nature (Step 4 – INVENTORY) that gets in the way of intimacy with God and loving others.
  • Confessing your sinful nature (Steps 5 – CONFESS).
  • Turning from your sinful nature toward Christ (Step 6 – REPENT).
• Email all the mentors telling them you finished Steps 1-3 and are beginning Step 4. Invite them to attend Inventory Training with the group. Ask them to pray and walk closely alongside the participant during this step.
• It is human nature to fear and resist inventory – sin dies when it is exposed to God’s light. With God’s strength they can face anything and God will use it bring freedom in many areas of life.
• Encourage them that this is just another step of healing. It’s another step where God wants to love and transform them.
• The Holy Spirit is critical for inventory. He opens our eyes. Pray for openness in participants’ hearts for his work.
• Have your group watch the second Inventory Training video found at regenerationrecovery.org in the Resources tab.
• Watch Part 2 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 2.

Key Questions

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

• Day 6 Questions, especially “how to” questions about inventory, such as Question 3.
• Day 1, Q4: What immediate changes did the Holy Spirit make within you? What changes has he made since that time?

Encouragement for Participants

• Work through your questions about Christ and salvation before Step 4.
• You are a new creation. Take off the old nature and live by the new nature in Christ.
• God is giving you a new heart by the power of his Spirit. He has set you free from the power of sin in all areas of life so that you can experience the life he created you to have.
• Because of Christ, you don’t have to be afraid of inventory. There is nothing you have done that Jesus did not joyfully pay for and hasn’t forgiven – you are not condemned! This process is here to help you. Inventory will reveal what has captured your heart and help you to see God’s love more clearly through Christ. It is a picture of the price Christ paid for your soul!
• Step 4 takes longer than other steps. While you will need to continue to work on it daily, you should also schedule time away to focus on it, such as an extended time on a weekend. Set deadlines for yourself. Don’t prolong it by procrastinating. Work with your family and mentor to create this time.
• There are 6 inventories. Think of each inventory as a different window into the same house. Read over the overviews before beginning inventories. Don’t get hung-up on which events fit perfectly into each inventory. Getting it out on paper is more important than fitting everything in the perfect place. You don’t have to record an event in multiple inventories, but you can if it helps you see it from different perspectives. Read the Inventory Overviews before starting!
• Inventory is an in-depth look at your sinful nature – it is not a balanced inventory of both strengths and weaknesses! Don’t list all the good with all the bad. In Christ, we are fully-accepted and loved by God. He has given us gifts and worked through our lives. But the purpose of this step is to have greater awareness of what Christ died for and what God desires to change through his Spirit.
• Group time over the next 5 weeks will include workshop and discussion. Encourage the participants to come with as much done as they can, and with questions. Based on the need, share items on your inventory, answer questions and give some time for personal work.
  • Week 2: Resentments and Fears
  • Week 3: Harms to Me and Harms by Me
  • Week 4: Sexual Inventory and Recovery Issue
  • Week 5: Wrap Up and Complete All Inventories
  • Week 6: Daily curriculum resumes (this is a very important week to complete all lessons)
• Encourage them to fill out what they can rather than an “all or nothing” or perfectionistic attitude! Not all blanks on the chart have to be filled out if they get stuck. They can always go back and fill these in as more understanding comes.
• If participants want to learn more about their struggles, point them toward the StruggleFinder survey accessed by the QR code on Week 1, Day 6.

Encouragement for the Leaders

• Downplay this as just another step. Participants will need a lot of encouragement. Present it as an opportunity to better understand God’s love for them through Christ
• Encourage those that haven’t accepted Christ to work through those questions first.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would carry the group through this step and remaining steps.
• Do your best not to extend Step 4. They will tend to procrastinate revisiting the past. Help them by setting deadlines, communicating with mentors and by checking progress/answering questions in workshops.
• Be an example to your group. 1 Timothy 1:16-17: “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor, and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
• Inventory your own current struggle and talk about it with your group.