Episode 1078: STEP THREE, A Deep Dive.Episode 1078: STEP THREE, A Deep Dive.
Take 12 Recovery Radio
A DEEP DIVE INTO STEP THREE. From The Best of The Came to Believe Recovery Podcast., The hosts an...
1:06:46•20 May 2026
Step Three: The Game-Changing Decision to Let Go
Episode Overview
- Step Three is described as a “game changer” that requires absolute and complete surrender, not half-measures.
- “God as we understood Him” is linked back to the founders’ understanding, while still allowing a starting point of belief in something bigger.
- Belief alone is framed as knowledge; faith is presented as action that follows clear directions, such as those in the Big Book.
- Relying on meetings, steps or people without relying on God is highlighted as a trap that can keep people stuck.
- Step Three is portrayed as the beginning of an ongoing relationship and growth process, continued through later steps and daily practice.
“Not making a decision is indecision.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation on Take 12 Recovery Radio, featuring the Came to Believe Recovery Podcast, zooms in on Step Three: “made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” If you’ve ever wrestled with the idea of a higher power, this one hits close to home.
Alicia Martinez hosts alongside Monty Mann and Roger McDermott, with plenty of humour and honesty from the outset. They joke about holidays and swing sets collapsing, then quickly shift into the real heart of Step Three: surrender. Roger calls it “the game changer”, stressing that “not making a decision is indecision,” while Monty talks candidly about being a Bible-believing alcoholic who still couldn’t stay sober until he stopped relying on his own efforts and truly handed things over.
The trio unpack common misunderstandings, like treating “God as we understood Him” as a licence to invent any old higher power. Alicia points back to the Big Book, explaining that “as we understood Him” refers to how the founders understood God, while still allowing people to begin with a simple belief in something bigger than themselves.
They also address atheists, churchgoers who can’t stop drinking, and those stuck on Step Four for years, all with a mix of gentle challenge and straight talk. One recurring theme: belief alone isn’t action. As Roger puts it, belief is knowledge, but “faith is an action word.” By the end, Monty reads the Step Three prayer and frames Step Three as the start of an ongoing relationship, not a one-time religious moment.
If you’re wondering whether you’ve really let go or just said the words, this conversation might nudge you to ask: have you actually handed everything over, or are you still keeping a few rooms of your life locked?
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