Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn't Enough

Steps offers a guide for spiritual transformation when personal effort alone proves insufficient. John Ortberg addresses how people become attached to various sources of fulfillment—admiration, comfort, love, power, success, pleasure, escape, and control—often without recognizing these attachments as addictions. Drawing on the teachings of Jesus and using AA's 12 steps as a framework, Ortberg provides a roadmap for those seeking change. The guide helps readers distinguish between situations where willpower is necessary and where it is ineffective, and explores how God can accomplish what individuals cannot achieve alone. Ortberg examines spiritual attachment styles, core doubts, and practices including prayer, meditation, and mindfulness. The book emphasizes releasing exhausting attempts to control one's own life and discovering God's sufficiency in human inadequacy. Steps aims to help readers experience new freedom, fellowship, and happiness regardless of their circumstances.