Breaking Bondages - conquering the past and bad habits

But as already indicated, beyond coming to an understanding of the above truths of who we are in Christ there is the necessity of also breaking bondages to sinful lifestyle patterns which we have committed ourselves to in the past in our attempts to find life.

In this stage, the material written by Neil T. Anderson (Set Free, The Bondage Breaker) is excellent, and it essentially consists in making, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a fearless inventory of every sinful lifestyle pattern that you have adopted in your life and renouncing your involvement with it in Jesus name, preferably in the presence of another wise mature Christian. It is an elaboration of the biblical principle to publicly confess our sins (cf 1 John 1:5-10; James 5:16). I reproduce here in short form the 7 Steps to Freedom in Christ which God has used so effectively:

Step 1: Counterfeit vs Real
Renounce any involvement with occult practices, false religions, and idolatry (includes wrong priorities).

We need to renounce any activity and group which denies Jesus Christ, offers guidance through any source other than the absolute authority of the written Word of God, or requires secret initiations, ceremonies, or covenants.

In order to help you assess your spiritual experiences, begin this step by asking God to reveal false guidance and counterfeit religious experiences:

"Dear heavenly Father, I ask You to guard my heart and my mind and reveal to me any and all involvement I have had either knowingly or unknowingly with cultic or occult practices, religions, and false teachers. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Use the 'Non-Christian Spiritual Inventory' below to determine which activities you have been involved in any way:

Astral Projection
Astrology
Automatic writing
Bahaism
Black and white magic
Black Muslim
Blood pacts or self-cutting
Christian Science
Clairvoyance
Dungeons & Dragons
Eckankar
Father Divine
Fetishism (worship of objects)
Fortune-telling
Ghosts
Hare Krishna
Herbert W. Armstrong
Hinduism

Horoscopes
Incubi & succibi (sexual spirits)
Islam
Jehovah's Witnesses
Magic Eight Ball
Masons
Materialism
Mental suggestions
Mind swapping
Mormonism
New Age
Ouija board
Rod & pendulum (dowsing)
Rosicrucianism
Roy Masters
Science of Creative Intelligence
Science of the Mind

Seance
Self-hypnosis
Silva Mind Control
Speaking in trance
Spirit guides
Swedenborgianism
Table-lifting
Tarot cards
Telepathy
Theosophical Society
Transcendental Meditation
Unification Church
Unitarianism
The Way International
Yoga
Zen Buddhism
Other

Ask yourself:
1. Have you ever been hypnotised, attended a New Age or parapsychology seminar, or consulted a medium, spiritist, or channeler? Explain.

2. Do you now have or have you ever had an imaginary friend or spirit guide offering you guidance or companionship? Explain.

3. Have you ever heard voices in your mind of had repeating and nagging thoughts condemning you or that were foreign to what you believe or feel, like there was a dialogue going on in your head? Explain.

4. What other spiritual experiences have you had that would be considered out of the ordinary?

5. Have you ever been involved in satanic ritual of any form? Explain.

When you are confident that your list is complete, confess and renounce each involvement, whether active or passive, by praying aloud the following prayer, repeating it separately for each item on your list:

"Lord, I confess that I have participated in (activity). I ask your forgiveness, and I renounce (activity)."

We also need to recognise those areas of our lives that have become more important than the true God, Jesus Christ. These areas become idols, and they too must be renounced.

Consider this list of things which are not evil in and of themselves, but can usurp God's rightful place as Lord of our lives:

Ambition
Food or any substance
Money / possessions
Computers / games / software
Financial security
Rock stars / media celebrities / athletes
Church activities

TV/movies/music/other media
Sports or physical fitness
Fun/pleasure
Ministry
Appearance/image
Work
Busyness/activity
Friends

Power/control
Boyfriend/girlfriend
Popularity/opinion of others
Spouse
Knowledge/being right
Hobbies
Parents

Use the following prayer to renounce any areas of idolatry or wrong priority the Holy Spirit brings to your mind:

"In the name of the true and living God, Jesus Christ, I renounce my worship of the false god of (name the idol). I choose to worship only You, Lord. I ask You, Father, to enable me to keep this area of (name the idol) in its proper place in my life."

Step 2: Deception vs Truth
Confess ways that you have been deceived by the world, your own pride, fears, etc. This is similar to engrafting God's truth, as we looked at earlier, and believing the truth instead of lies. We must openly confront the lies we have held on to.

Consider these deceptions:

Self-deception
Hearing God's Word but not doing it (cf James 1:22; 4:17)
Saying we have no sin (cf 1 John 1:8)
Thinking we are something when we aren't (cf Galatians 6:3)
Thinking we are wise in our own eyes (cf 1 Corinthians 3:18,19)
Thinking we will not reap what we sow (cf Galatians 6:7)
Thinking the unrighteous will inherit the Kingdom (cf 1 Corinthians 6:9)
Thinking we can associate with bad company and not be corrupted (cf 1 Corinthians 15:33)

Self-defence
Denial (conscious or subconscious refusal to face the truth)
Fantasy (escaping from the real world)
Emotional insulation (withdrawing to avoid rejection)
Regression (reverting back to a less threatening time)
Displacement (taking out frustrations on others)
Projection (blaming others)
Rationalization (making excuses for poor behaviour)

For those things that have been true in your life, pray aloud:

"Lord, I agree that I have been deceived in the area of ________________. Thank You for forgiving me. I commit myself to know and follow Your truth. Amen."

We must openly confess 'creeds of faith' based firmly on God's Word in the Bible. Apart from creeds such as the Apostle's Creed, we need to affirm truth about who God is as Father to us. I reproduce the following marvellous example:

I renounce the lie that my Father God is ...
1. distant and uninterested
2. insensitive and uncaring
3. stern and demanding
4. passive and cold
5. absent or too busy for me
6. never satisfied with what I do, impatient, or angry
7. mean, cruel, or abusive
8. trying to take all the fun out of life
9. controlling or manipulative
10. condemning or unforgiving
11. nit-picking, exacting, or perfectionistic

I joyfully accept the truth that my Father God is ...
1. intimate and involved (Psalm 139:1-18)
2. kind and compassionate (Psalm 103:8-14)
3. accepting and filled with joy and love (Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 15:7)
4. warm and affectionate (Isaiah 40:11; Hosea 11:3,4)
5. always with me and eager to be with me (Jeremiah 31:20; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Hebrews 13:5)
6. patient and slow to anger (Exodus 34:6; 2 Peter 3:9)
7. loving, gentle, and protective of me (Psalm 18:2; Jeremiah 31:3; Isaiah 42:3)
8. trustworthy and wants to give me a full life; His will is good, perfect, and acceptable (Lamentations 3:22,23; John 10:10; Romans 12:1,2)
9. full of grace and mercy; He gives me freedom to fail (Luke 15:11-16; Hebrews 4:15,16)
10. tenderhearted and forgiving; His heart and arms are always open to me (Psalm 130:1-4; Luke 15:17-24)
11. committed to my growth and proud of me as His growing child (Romans 8:28,29; 2 Corinthians 7:4; Hebrews 12:5-11)

Step 3: Bitterness vs Forgiveness
Ask God to bring to your mind those people you need to forgive, and then pray to forgive those people. Note that most people have their parents at the top of the list.

Remember these following points regarding forgiving:

• Forgiveness is not forgetting.
  
• Forgiveness is a choice, a crisis of the will. Since God requires us to forgive, it is something we can do.
  
• You don't forgive someone for their sake; you do it for your own sake so that you can be free. Your need to forgive isn't an issue between you and the offender; it's between you and God.
  
• Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person's sin. Forgiveness is costly. You pay the price of the evil you forgive. You're going to live with the consequences whether you want to or not; your only choice is whether you will do so in the bitterness of unforgiveness or the freedom of forgiveness.
  
• Decide that you will bear the burdens of their offences by not using that information against them in the future.
  
• How do you forgive from your heart? You acknowledge the hurt and the hate.
  
• Don't wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving; you will never get there.