Many Christians struggle with besetting sins. The sins cover the range of the whole human condition. Being that I minister in Skid Row, I have had numerous conversations with people to shepherd them out of their sinful habits and patterns.

Most people I meet have been told that they just need to "REPENT!". Others have been told that they need to just accept by faith the deliverance that God has given to them. Many are waiting for God to suddenly give them superman strength to overcome their addictions. Some have tried 12 Step programs and try to use accountability to prop each other up in the face of temptation. All of them are discouraged and have given up. Within this atmosphere of hurt and defeat, we seek to minister Christ's love and transforming power to these hurting souls who are so badly needing the Lord's transforming cleansing.

There is hope in the Lord! We can have victory over sin! True, lasting change is possible and can happen to even the worst sinner! Our Bible study on defeating sin has several regular attenders. These are comprised of a kind and gentle man who did hard time in jail for murder and was such a problem to the prison system that he was flown between prisons in an airplane alone and bolted with chains to the floor. Another man is wise man of God who spent decades selling hard-drugs on the streets. Another man spent 8 or more years living in a card-board box as an alcoholic and is just beginning to walk with his Lord. More attend, but these men are a testimony to being truly set free by Jesus.

This study hasn't transformed these men (in fact we've only just begun), so they have already been transformed by God. They have already been faithful to Him and He has blessed them and changed them. They were not changed by programs, but by the abiding, transforming presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of these attendees are actually co-laborers in our effort and essentially are the live-in servants downtown for the One At A Time Baptist Church. They have already been set free by the Lord and now they are teaching others also. So we have begun this study to help them in their own lives, to broaden and deepen their ministry, and to give help, strength, understanding, and support to the others who also attend.

Overcoming addictions requires fewer steps that 12, but many, many more principles. The underlying philosophy behind this ministry is that in Christ we have available to all of us all the power and strength we need to overcome our own individual sins. But that power is not like electricity so that we would be "slain", nor it is not like a soda machine where we pump in the right prayer and out comes victory. Rather it is the ability to obey given to the faithful soul who abides in the Lord.

In many ways, overcoming sin is simply growing in Christ. Though we will never be completly free from our struggle with, spiritual maturity naturally strengthens us against sin. Thus, this study is as much on the fundamentals for Christian maturity as they are for defeating sin. Once again, they are not "steps", but they are components.

Sin comes from our flesh so the flesh needs to be reckoned with. Sin also comes from our mind, so our thinking and thoughts need to be purified. Sin comes from our desires, so our hearts and "wants" need to be purified. Sin comes from our habits, so our habits need to be reshaped. Sin comes from our idols, so our worship needs to change. Sin comes from demonic forces, so they need to be reckoned with. As these areas of our lives are brought into submission to the Lord, we will experience great victory over sin.

These are the handouts of the study we are going through. They are mostly fill-in the blank questions. The material is straight-forward enough that several people have gone through the material on their own. Most fill-ins have the first letter of the word and thus all these studies are designed to be used with the New King James Version. The study is on-going (current as of 8/5/04) and I'll add to this page as the hand-outs are completed. The rough outline is at the bottom. It is very different from the course material, but gives a guideline for the direction we are going.

Please send me an email if these handouts have been helpful to you or if you have any thoughts or advice. Thanks.

      Principles for Defeating Sin - Handouts

Overcoming Sin - Part 1: Why we must be born-again

Overcoming Sin - Part 2: Become a disciple of Christ

Overcoming Sin - Part 3: Know what sin is

Overcoming Sin - Part 4: Confess your sins

Overcoming Sin - Part 5: Express repentance given from God

Overcoming Sin - Part 6: Remove your pride

Overcoming Sin - Part 7: Seek the Lord

Overcoming Sin - Part 8: Know God's Word

      Principles for Defeating Sin - Outline

 1) Become born-again.

a.       1 John 5:4

b.      1 John 5:18

2)      Become a disciple of Jesus

a.       John 8:31-32

3)      Recognize sin for what it is.

a.       1 John 5:17

                                                               i.      All unrighteousness is sin

1.      Sins of omission – not doing what we are supposed to be doing.

2.      Sins of commission—doing things we shouldn’t do.

b.      Ephesians 2:1

                                                               i.      Sin is death

c.       Ephesians 2:2

                                                               i.      Sin is walking according to Satan

4)      Confess your sins

a.       To God.

                                                               i.      1 John 1:9; James 4:8-10; Luke 5:8; Luke 11:4; Luke 15:18,21;

                                                             ii.      Being Unrepentant compounds sin (e.g. 1 Sam 13:11-2; 15:13-21; 24:16-21).

                                                            iii.      David repented without reservations (2 Sam 12:13)

b.      Confess your sins to others.

                                                               i.      James 5:16

5)      Repent

a.       Comes from God (2 Tim 2:25)

b.      Results of Repentance: break free from Satan (2 Tim 2:26)

c.       Turn from sin (Acts 3:19, 1 Cor 13:14)

d.      Accept His discipline (Heb 12:4ff)

                                                               i.      Sometimes pain and despair are discipline from God (1 Sam 16:14-16)

6)      Put away pride because God resists the proud and you won’t have His help

a.       James 4:6

7)      Seek God because He helps those who seek Him.

a.       Heb 5:7, James 4:8, 2 Chron 7:12; Genesis 20:6

b.      He has given us all we need for live and godliness – 2 Peter 1:3

c.       Ask God to keep you from sinning against Him.

                                                               i.      Ps 19:12-14; Hos 14:2

d.      Ask God not to cause you to stray from Him or to harden your heart against Him.

                                                               i.      Is 63:17;  Rom 1:24

e.       Ask others to pray for you

                                                               i.      1 John 5:16; James 5:15-16

f.        Seek to obey God because He is far from the wicked.

                                                               i.      1 Samuel 12:14-15

                                                             ii.      Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked.”

g.       People who see the power of God repent: 1 Sam 12:16-19

8)      Learn the scriptures

a.       Ps 119:11

b.      2 Tim 3:16-17

c.       Heb 4:12

d.      Ephesians 5:26

e.       John 8:32

f.        John 17:19

g.       Col 3:10

h.       1 Peter 2:2-3

i.         1 John 2:1

j.        Rom 15:14

9)      Renew your mind

a.       Lay aside the old ways: Eph 4:23

b.      Rom 12:2

c.       Col 3:10

d.      Titus 3:5

e.       Ps 19:7-11

f.        1 Corinthians 15:34

g.       Constant friction for those of a depraved mind and those of the truth (1 Tim 6:5)

10)  Put off the Old Man and put on the New Man

a.       Heb 12:1; Ephesians 4:22-45, Colossians 3:10; James 4:8; Rom 6:15-18; 1 Cor 13:14; Titus 3:14, 1 Cor 15:58

b.      We must give up things to change, even some things which we love.

c.       When patterns are broken, new patterns will emerge.

d.      Jesus says one must lose his life in order to find it.

11)  Radically remove the sin and sin areas from your life.

a.       Matthew 5

b.      Do not let sin reign in your body (Rom 6:12-14).

c.       Heb 12:1-3

d.      Heb 12:4

e.       2 Cor 7:1

f.        Do not be mastered by any thing but the Lord (1 Cor 6:12).

g.       Train yourselves for godliness

                                                               i.      (1 Tim 4:7-8)

12)  Put forth much effort

a.       2 Pet 3:14

b.      2 Pet 1:5-7

c.       Phil 2:12-13

13)  Stay away from evildoers

a.       Prov 1:10, Prov 4:14-15

b.      Rev 18:4-5

c.       Rom 12:1-2

d.      Bad company corrupts good character

e.       Principle: It is foolish to listen to the counsel of one’s own foolish peers (1 Kings 12:8-11)

f.        Stay away from false teachers – 2 Peter 2:19

14)  Commit to helping others to follow hard after Christ.

a.       Psalm 51:10-13; James 5:19-20; Matt 18:15; 1 Tim 5:20; Rom 15:14; 1 Cor 15:58

b.      Automatically purifies our own life.

c.       We get our own life right and then we talk with others.

15)  Put to death sin by the Spirit.

a.       Romans 8:13

b.      Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

                                                               i.      Gal 5:16-26

                                                             ii.      Rom 8:5

c.       Live by your conscience .

                                                               i.      1 Corinthians 8, Rom 14

16)  Make restitution for your sins.

a.       Luke 19

b.      Ezek 33:14-15

17)  Defeat Satan.

a.       Sin is of the devil

                                                               i.      Eph 2:2

                                                             ii.      1 John 3:8

b.      Resist Him.

                                                               i.      James 4:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:8-9

c.       Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

                                                               i.      Ephesians 5

d.      Overcome sin with Christ’s death.

                                                               i.      Revelation 12:11

                                                             ii.      Hebrews 2:14-15

e.       Put on the obedience of the new man

18)  Put on the whole power of God

a.       Eph 6:10-18

19)  Be cleansed from sins that involved Satan and the demonic:

a.       Witchcraft/voodoo/fortune tellers/drugs.

b.      Deuteronomy 18:10-13; Leviticus 20:6, 27; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; 1 Corinthians 10:20-21

20)  Be willing to accept counsel or rebuke that would release you from the snare of the devil who might hold you captive to do his will.

a.       2 Timothy 2:26; Matt 18:15; Luke 15:18; 1 Tim 5:20; Heb 3:13; James 5:19-20, Col 3:16

21)  Abide in Christ.

a.       John 15, John 6; Gal 2:20; Rom 8:10; 1 John 3:6, 9, 23-34*

22)  Purify your hope

a.       1 John 3:1-3

b.      Purify your hope in Christ because it is an anchor for your soul. (Hebrews 6:19-20).

                                                               i.      An anchor keeps us from going far from Christ.

                                                             ii.      Hope is our anchor.

                                                            iii.      Hope keeps us from going far from Christ.

c.       Purify your heart

                                                               i.      Matt 5:8

d.      Purify your desires

23)  Purify your faith.

a.       Ephesians 6:16

b.      1 John 5:4-5

c.       Acts 26:18

d.      1 Peter 5:9

e.       Heb 11:24-25

f.        Heb 12:1-3

g.       2 Peter 1:5-9

24)  Submit every thought to the obedience of Jesus.

a.       2 Corinthians 10:5

25)  Pray without ceasing.

a.       Luke 22:40, 46; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

26)  Commit yourself to loving Jesus

a.       Ephesians 6:24

b.      2 Corinthians 5:14 – The love of Christ controls us.

c.       Heb 12:1-3

d.      Abide in Him: John 15:1-8

e.       Try to be like Him

                                                               i.      1 John 2:6

                                                             ii.      2 Cor 3:18

27)  Understand what this life is all about.

a.       Since our lives are a collapsing tent preparing us to return to God, we ought not to be consumed by this world’s pleasures (2 Corinthians 5:8).

b.      Heb 12:1-3 Life is a race to run with endurance.

28)  Be willing to suffer

a.       1 Peter 4:1