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Page 12
Conquering the past and bad habits
Every time in our life where we have not made choices in line with God's wisdom, we have established thought patterns that are sinful, leading to destructive lifestyle patterns. Consider the following analysis:
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wrong clothes, broken vows, profanity, dishonesty, disrespect, debt, runaways, wrong music, bad habits, arguments, seduction & flirting
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inferiority, anger, fear, worry, rebellion, envy, jealousy, boredom, insecurity, guilt, frustration, depression
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When we respond to problems in life in ways which dishonour God, we actually give 'ground in our souls' to the devil. This ground needs to be regained one step at a time.
Page 13
To be free we need to:
1. believe the truth as to who we really are (see the 7 points mentioned earlier);
2. confess and renounce every aspect of sin in our life (see the table above);
When confessing to God, a sample prayer is:
"Lord, I confess that I have participated in (activity) and I renounce (activity). I repent. Thank you for forgiving me."
When asking for forgiveness from someone you have offended, a suggested wording to use is:
"God has convicted me of how wrong I've been in (basic offense). Would you please forgive me?"
3. show mercy by forgiving our offenders;
To maintain freedom we need to
1. Walk in the Spirit by actively and daily choosing to listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance.
2. Set your mind on godly things, remember God's truths, and avoid worldly entertainment.
3. Take up your cross daily, remember that you have died to sin, and fight any temptation in the name of Jesus.
4. Share with a Christian friend if the temptation is getting too strong, and pray together.
5. Prompt confession and renunciation of new acts of sin. Don't be embarrassed to confess your sins - that is a trick of the devil!
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