12 Step Prayers

Some suggested prayers (not conference approved)

SLAA Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Thy Will not mine be done.

The Full Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen.

Step 1 prayer

Dear Higher Power,
I admit that I am powerless over my addiction.
I admit that my life is unmanageable when I try to control it.
Help me this day to understand
The true meaning of powerlessness.
Remove from me all denial of my addiction.

Step 2 prayer

Heavenly Father,
I know in my heart that only you can restore me to sanity.
I humbly ask that you remove all twisted thought &
Addictive behavior from me this day.
Heal my spirit & restore in me a clear mind.

Step 3 prayer

God,
I offer myself to Thee
To build with me & to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

Take away my difficulties,
That victory over them may bear witness
To those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy love & Thy way of life,
May I do Thy will always!

Step 4 prayer

Dear God,
It is I who has made my life a mess.
I have done it, but I cannot undo it.
My mistakes are mine &
I will begin a searching & fearless moral inventory.
I will write down my wrongs
But I will also include that which is good.
I pray for the strength to complete the task.

Step 5 prayer

Higher Power,
My inventory has shown me who I am,
Yet I ask for Your help
In admitting my wrongs to another person & to You.
Assure me, & be with me, in this Step,
For without this Step I cannot progress in my recovery.
With Your help, I can do this, & I do it.

Step 6 prayer

Dear God,
I am ready for Your help
In removing from me the defects of character
Which I now realize are an obstacle to my recovery.
Help me to continue being honest with myself &
Guide me toward spiritual & mental health.

Step 7 prayer

My Creator,
I am now willing that you should have all of me, good & bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character
Which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do your bidding.

Step 8 prayer

Higher Power,

I am not responsible for the conditions which created me, but I am willing to try to be responsible for myself.

Help me to be willing to make right what I have done to each and every person in my life.

This I pray.

Step 9 prayer

Higher Power,
Please help me make my contribution to each relationship what God would have it be.

Free me from the bondage of self, so that I can honestly and without reservation do whatever possible to free each person in my life from all the pain and deception I caused.

Above all help me to be scrupulous in monitoring myself and cause others no further grief.

Amen

Step 10 prayer

I pray I may continue:
To grow in understanding & effectiveness;
To take daily spot check inventories of myself;
To correct mistakes when I make them;
To take responsibility for my actions;
To be ever aware of my negative &
Self-defeating attitudes & behaviors;
To keep my willfulness in check;
To always remember I need Your help;
To keep love & tolerance of others as my code; &
To continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You,
My Higher Power.

Step 11 prayer

Higher Power, as I understand You,
I pray to keep my connection with You
Open & clear from the confusion of daily life.
Through my prayers & meditation I ask especially for
Freedom from self-will, rationalization, & wishful thinking.
I pray for the guidance of correct thought & positive action.
Your will Higher Power, not mine, be done.

Step 12 prayer

Dear God,
My spiritual awakening continues to unfold.
The help I have received I shall pass on & give to others,
Both in & out of the Fellowship.
For this opportunity I am grateful.
I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day
On the road of spiritual progress.
I pray for the inner strength & wisdom
To practice the principles of this way of life in all I do & say.
I need You, my friends, & the program every hour of every day.
This is a better way to live.

Prayer for Trusted Servants

Higher Power:

We ask for your guidance in carrying out this work in service to the SLAA fellowship.

Relieve us of the burdens of our egos and perfectionism.

Grant us the grace of humility.

Remind us to place principles before personalities.

Help us to focus only on the greater good of the fellowship.

Let us know that we are responsible only for doing the leg work, not the outcome

Give us the faith to trust in You and the group conscience.

And give us the serenity

To accept the things we cannot change,

The courage to change the things we can

And the wisdom to know the difference. 

St Francis’ Prayer

(adapted for SLAA):

Higher Power, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, forgiveness;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

Higher Power, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in forgiving that we are forgiven,
and it is in dying to the bondage of Self that we receive eternal life.
Amen.

3rd Step Prayer for Dating

God,

I offer my dating, sexual and love relationships to Thee to build with and to do with as Thou wilt.

Relieve me of my low self-worth and my tendency to settle for less than You want for me, that I may be a better partner, choose better partners, and better do Thy will.

Please take away my romantic obsession and all of the thoughts and behaviours that are part of my sex and love addiction that victory over these will give me the freedom, and the opportunity to bear witness to those I would help of Thy power, Thy love and Thy way of life.

As I continue to date and learn how to form healthy relationships, help me to do Thy will always.

General Resentment Prayer Format

God, please free me of my resentment for ______. Please give them everything I want for myself, God; love, happiness, joy, and freedom and especially you, God! Please help me to have love and compassion and understanding for them. Please give them everything they need. Amen.

Withdrawal Prayer

Dear God, I surrender my relationship with ______ to your divine care and love. Thank you for replacing my fear of abandonment and loss with faith. I am learning to mange my relationships wisely and I believe that prosperous relationships come by first building a healthy relationship with myself, setting boundaries, and allowing others to have the dignity of their own choices and experiences. May my life be an expression of your love and light and may I accept that the intersection of my life journey with ______ happened when it was supposed to. I release control. Thank you for allowing me to experience that relationship and for the growth and healing opportunities which were offered to me through them. I release them so that I can receive the guidance and care you have for me today, and be in the flow of your Spirit. Amen.