I hope this can help a lot of people on here. :) May God bless you all!
Often times Christians are still in bondage to various sins or thoughts, but this should not be, since Jesus has set us free. People might still let Satan, or other people, bring them into bondage again. But the Bible says, "He who the son sets free, is free indeed!" Amen. If you are a Christian, know that you are completely free and you don't have to be a slave to anything or anyone ever again. Don't let anything or anyone master you. Paul says, "All things are permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything." This is true freedom. Here are some tips on how to come to total freedom in your life in every area.
Steps
1. Realize that Jesus has set you free for good. When Jesus died on the cross, he broke the power of sin and death.
⦁ On the cross he said, "It is finished." What he meant was that the price for sin is finished, and that any human being a slave to sin was conquered and finished. The only thing we have to do is put our faith in him and believe he is the son of God. "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved."
⦁ You may have a head faith, but make sure your heart believes too, as in you fully trust God and would do anything for Him etc. Once we believe in our hearts, we become his child and he sets us free from anything and everything. There are countless testimonies of people coming to faith in Christ and then no longer having any desire at all for drugs or alcohol etc.
2. Believe that you really are a "new creation" in Christ. Jesus changes lives, and if you are his child, he has changed your life. The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!" Live out what is already true of you. You are free! You are a new creation. If you really believe it, it will be true for you.
⦁ Jesus said in Mark 11:23, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." Believe that you are free, and you will be. Amen.
3. Take every thought captive. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Amen.
⦁ Don't just let your mind run wild and think about anything. Think about what you are thinking about and control what you are thinking about. Joyce Meyer always says that we need to talk to ourselves a little more. We need to put ourselves on time-out sometimes, or tell ourselves that certain things are not ok to think. This is called self-control.
⦁ Learn to control your own mind and your own thoughts. "Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." Don't let yourself think anything that Jesus Christ/God would not approve of. Guard your mind. Subject your thinking to the law of God and the teachings of Christ, always, always. Don't get lazy about this. Every single thought, you have to force it to be in line with "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." That is the only way to truly be free in your mind. Amen.
4. Understand that there is now no condemnation in Christ. Paul says in Romans 8,"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
⦁ We are no longer under the law as Christian, because Jesus has saved us. That does not mean the law is not important anymore, it just means that now we follow the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter of the law. As Jesus said, "All the law and the prophets are summed up in this one commandment, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" As long as you are doing that, you are following God's law.
⦁ Since Jesus died for us, we are set free from "the law of sin and death." There is now no condemnation, because Jesus paid the price in full for us. Through him we are justified and righteous in God's eyes. So don't let anyone try to condemn you about anything. Only God is your judge, not people, and he says that you are justified and that you are free.
⦁ The movie "The Great Debaters" has a comical scene about this. Denzel Washington keeps asking his debate team, "Who is the judge?" And they respond "God is the judge." That is very true. Only God is our judge, not people. Always remember that. Amen.
5. Understand that as a Christian you not required to be "nice." At least not in the sense that the world defines what "nice" is. This realization can really be very freeing.
⦁ The Bible says that we are to "hate what is evil." You can't hate something, like pornography for example, and be nice about it at the same time can you? No. Look at the character of Jesus; he was not "nice" about half of the time that he was here on earth.
⦁ For one, everyone knows about the time when he cleared out the temple with a whip. When it came to his enemies, the Pharisees, Jesus was extremely bold, very confrontation, and almost insulting to them. Yes we are supposed to love our enemies, but we are by no means supposed to let them walk all over us either. Here is one of the things Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." That's pretty direct and confrontation, and it's not very "nice" is it? But he was without sin.
⦁ Therefore, know that it is ok to stand up for yourself as a Christian and not be pushed around by others. Don't let other people try to dominate and control you in any way. Jesus has set you totally free, that includes free from the attempted domination of any other person.
⦁ There is a great quote, "People can only have power over you if you let them." So don't let anyone have power over you. Only God should have power over you, not a mere created, finite, human being, who is like the grass, here today and gone tomorrow. Remember that. You are free from the control of anyone else.
Tips
⦁ Grow in your own self-confidence so that you will believe that you deserve better treatment. Often times people who allow abuse have insecurities, or they think they actually deserve such treatment. Do things to boost your self-esteem, like working out etc, so you will know that you deserve better. Learn to respect and love yourself more and others will love and respect you more too.
Warnings
⦁ If you are in an abusive, controlling marriage, it might be wise to take time apart until the abusive person can learn to treat you with respect. Or just set boundaries with any controlling person in your life. You could be in an emotionally or verbally abusive parent-child relationship. Don't allow certain things, ignore them, or distance yourself etc. Don't let people mistreat you. God would not want them to, and He does not want you to let them either.
Thank you for reading. :) May God bless you!
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