Steps Guide · A 12-part masterclass from John Ortberg
Transform Your Life
When Willpower
Isn’t Enough
The Steps Workbook is your companion guide to John Ortberg's newest book, Steps, walking you through practical application and diving deeper into the content. Watch the video for each step, and then open your workbook to go further.
Workbook releases October 13, 2026Unsubscribe anytime
01 / THE MASTERCLASS
How it works
Each step builds on the one before. Start from the beginning or jump to wherever you are in the journey. Tap to expand the banner, then enter the lesson.
The first step is not to fix it or solve it or manage it or minimize it or claim victory over it. It’s to name it—write it down even.
Take a moment to reflect on an area of life where you have been living in the defeat of “but I . . .” Name that area concretely now.
Willingness implies a surrendering of one’s self-separateness, an entering-into, an immersion in the deepest processes of life itself.
First, gauge your willingness. Ask yourself: Am I willing to do whatever is needed to know the truth about myself as best I can, with God’s help?
Coming to the point of being willing to confess is difficult. Begin with prayer.
Naming our resistance brings great change. Take a few moments to allow your go-to excuses to come to the surface.
Humility may be harder for us than ever, but humility is necessary to approach God and ask him to remove our character defects.
Make a list of the people you’ve hurt. If in doubt, put them on the list.
Think of one specific way you have hurt one specific person. Ask, How would I feel if I were that person?
Begin Crafting for Yourself a Daily Review. Ask for God’s help. Inventory your blessings. Pray about significant feelings that emerge as you review the day.
Ask God to help you become more aware of what you’re thinking through the day. What am I thinking right now? What am I feeling? What am I doing?
The strange truth is that the story of our weakness, failure, and pain often becomes a gift we can offer that brings hope to others.
02 / THE FOUNDATION
John walks through all Twelve Steps as a framework for spiritual formation—not just for people in recovery, but for anyone willing to be honest about what they can't control. Start here.
03 / THE WORKBOOK
Published by Tyndale
Steps Workbook:
Beginning Your Journey Toward Lasting Change
The companion guide to Steps. Each section walks you through practical application of the step—reflection questions, key activities, Scripture, and space to go deeper. Releases October 2026.
Pre-order the workbookBe first to know
The next step
is closer than you think.
Join the list for workbook release updates and first access to the complete masterclass.