To break free from addictive habits and the destructive pleasures of sin, we need to follow some basic steps:

• First of all we must recognize that we have a problem that is damaging to us, to our relationship with God, and, want to do something about it.
• We need to want to be set free and delivered from habitual sin and addictions, more than we enjoy any pleasure we derive from the addiction that is besetting us.
• We need to want to live a life that is pleasing to God, more than any pleasure we derive from the sin and addiction that is besetting us.
• Once we have determined in our hearts and minds that we want to be set free from sin and addictions, we need to start at the right place, the foot of the cross of Christ. When we come to the cross we need to come in true heartfelt repentance, acknowledging that we are broken and in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. We need to ask our Heavenly Father in Jesus name to forgive us, to break the chains that bind us to sins of addiction, to wash us free from all sin in the redeeming blood of our Lord and Saviour, and, determine to turn away from that sin and not return to it.
• You may need to get help from a qualified person or people who can provide prayer, combined with the good council and mentoring without being judgemental. This might be your pastor, church elders, local or online Christian counseling service, and/or maybe even seek help from public or private sector health agencies if the addiction is drug or alcohol-related. For those with chemical/drug related addictions, depending on the level of addiction and drugs involved, a person may need to seek assistance from specialized medical services to detoxify in a controlled environment.
• Don’t be afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to find help if you need it to break free from habitual addictive sins and behaviors. Know that no person has the right to judge us because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Without the incredible gift of God’s grace, mercy, love, and patience toward mankind, we are all broken and lost. Without the guiding power and influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the world, every living person has the potential inside to commit the most abominable sins. We are all in the same boat and are all tarred with the same brush of sin as a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God understands our struggles, He knows our weaknesses, but He has provided a way for every person to conquer sin if we will just turn to Him, wants to please Him more than we want to enjoy the short-lived pleasures of sin, and allow Him to be our strength to overcome.
• Check out the pages on this website on the subject of Know Your Enemy, to get another perspective of what we are all up against so that we can better understand the war we are in and how to defeat the hooks and baits of the evil one.

• Ask the Father in Jesus’ name to help us to overcome addiction and sin so that we can live a life that is truly pleasing to Him.
• Ask Him to give us His strength and be our strength, by asking Him to fill us anew with His Holy Spirit so that we have His power residing within us.
• Learn to better understand and use the incredible weapons and armor that God has provided for us in the Whole Armour of God.
• To become effective in using and wearing the Whole Armour of God, we need to study and understand what the Armour of God is and how to use it; (see Whole Armour of God on this website). We need to develop a love for reading the Word of God, to read it every day in an organized and strategic way to ensure we become familiar with God’s Word from cover to cover. This takes time and most people can easily read right through the bible one to two times per year. Read the Sword of the Spirit article in the whole armor of God on this website). Find a strategy for reading God’s Word that works for you.
• Develop a strong prayer life. Developing a strong prayer life and reading God’s word is key to overcoming sin and addiction. It is also key to developing a strong faith in God and a living life that is pleasing to God.
• To fully understand the principles and power of prayer and reading God’s word, I strongly encourage every Christian to buy and read what I believe is the best book I have ever read on this subject. This book has revolutionized both my prayer life and my understanding of the principles and importance of prayer and the word of God in our lives, and, how effective prayer and reading God’s Word unlocks the vaults of God’s power for and in our lives. This book is called; Understanding The Purpose & Power Of Prayer, by Dr. Myles Munroe. I have read several books by Dr. Myles and they are packed with incredible insights and blessings that come right from the heart of God. Dr. Myles’s books and DVDs are simply not to be missed. He has a deep understanding of the importance and principles of prayer, the Word of God, of our potential in God and how to release it, the Kingdom of God, and many other critical subjects and principles for living victorious lives. They will challenge and inspire all who read them to overcome sin, to reach their full potential, and reach new and increasing levels of achievement in all areas of life.
• Find God’s purpose for your life: If we are living only for ourselves and our primary goal is to do just enough to get through this life and enter into God’s kingdom, we will miss our calling, destiny, and purpose in life. It is not enough to just sit back once we are born again and muddle our way through life while we wait for our reward when our time on earth is done. In John John 15:1-8, Jesus commands us to bear good fruit. One meaning of bearing fruit is to live a life that is conducive to God’s word and laws, where our lives show evidence of Christ living within us, where we are concerned with and involved in reaching a lost world Christ by sharing the hope of Salvation and eternal life with those around us. Living a Holy life is bearing fruit. Caring for and helping others is bearing fruit. Preferring others to ourselves and our own selfish interests is bearing fruit. Showing love to others is bearing fruit. Exhibiting and demonstrating the principles in the beatitudes are bearing fruit.
• Matthew 5:3-14 ³ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ^{10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.}
• ¹¹ Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• Believers Are Salt and Light: ¹³ You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
• We are commanded to use our talents and not squander them as Jesus parable of the talents demonstrates. Matthew 25:14-30. In another of Dr. Myles Munroe’s books; Releasing Your Potential, Expanded Edition, he unlocks our thinking and demonstrates what awesome potential we all have, how to develop it, and, and our obligation to use the gifts and talents that God has placed within us all. This is a compelling and life-changing reading and is a book that should not be missed.
• If you don’t know what God’s purpose for your life is, ask Him to reveal it to you. God uses the natural talents and potential that he has planted within us at conception, and each person’s talents and giftings will be different according to what God has planned for us. If we are naturally good or gifted at certain things, those giftings are often the things that can be used to bless others and enable us to bear fruit for God. Sometimes God will really stretch us and take us outside of our comfort zone into some new and unexplored areas of talent we don’t even know we possess, and other times He uses the obvious talents he has planted within us. Read the books or watch the DVDs on potential by Dr. Myles to better understand the awesome potential within us all. Also, check Dr. Myles Munroe on YouTube.

• By cleaning the house we mean, getting rid of junk, baggage, and any negative influences in our lives that tie us to addictions and sin. For those with addictions to pornography, this will mean cleaning your computer of all and any files and images that are of a pornographic nature, and, determining not to go back to the sources of these images on the internet. Get rid of and burn or destroy any pornographic magazines and /or books, DVD’s, videos, and any other forms of pornography in your possession.
• If you have been involved in the illegal downloading or copying of movies, software, music of video games from the internet, get rid of the disks by destroying and binning them.
• Look for anything in our lives that is not conducive to God’s laws and principles and get rid of them. That can include bad habits, bad attitudes, or items in our possession we may need to dispose of.
• Once we have taken out the garbage, we can move on to the promises of God if we daily commit our ways to Him, use the powerful weapons He has provided for our defense, and wear the armor He has freely given to us.

Loving Heavenly Father, we pray that You will give us a willing heart to clean house and to rid ourselves of anything that is not conducive to living a holy life that is pleasing to You. We pray that You will help us to learn and find Your purpose for our lives, to bear fruit for you, and to overcome in all areas of our lives so that we may become all that You have planned and ordained for us to be. We pray You will give us a clear vision of Your plan for our lives, that we may walk with a clear direction and purpose to reach our full potential for You, for Your glory and the expansion of Your Kingdom on earth and in heaven. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.