Week 5 - RENOUNCE
CONNECT
What are you thankful for?
What challenge are you facing?
Have there been any answers to prayer?
Pray for each other.
Did anything stand out to you from last week’s follow-up Bible readings?
Last week you confessed sin. How is your walk in the light going? Is there anything else you to need confess?
How did your “I will …” statement from last week go?
How did your sharing goal from last week go?
How’s your memory work coming along?
John 8:31-32 (NAB)
31 Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, 32 you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
DISCOVER
Let’s start with a review. We’ve worked through these freedom truths and freedom responsibilities:
OBEY
Obedience leads to freedom while disobedience leads to bondage, so obey the Lord and be free.
RESIST
Jesus resisted Satan by reciting the truth of God’s Word, so resist Satan by reciting the truth of God’s Word.
FORGIVE
God has forgiven you, so forgive others.
CONFESS
Confession is agreeing with God that our unrighteousness is sin, so confess your sin and find forgiveness and cleansing.
And now …
RENOUNCE
Not only does God call us to confess our sin but to renounce it, so make a decisive break with sin by verbally rejecting and intentionally forsaking it.
Ask God to speak to you as you read His Word.
Acts 19:8-20 (NIV)
8 Paul entered the synagogue [in Ephesus] and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas (several million dollars in today’s funds). 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Have someone retell this passage in their own words.
What stands out to you in this passage?
What does this passage say about God (The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit)?
What does this passage say about people, including ourselves?
What does this passage say about the life God invites us to live?
Digging Deeper
Who openly confessed their sin of involvement with the occult and burned all their sorcery books? Were they unbelievers or believers?
What does this say to believers about past and current involvement with evil?
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Isaiah 55:7 (NIV)
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Ezekiel 14:6 (NIV)
Therefore say to the people of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”
What does the stacking up of the words confess, renounce, forsake, turn and repent in the above passages say about the importance of decisively dealing with sin and evil?
1. Openly Confess Sin
Acts 19:18 (NIV)
Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.
Freedom always starts with confession. We agree with God that our unrighteousness is sin and ask Him to forgive and cleanse us.
2. Publicly Destroy Paraphernalia
Acts 19:19 (NIV)
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
The Ephesian Christians didn’t just confess their sin, they renounced it. Through a public rejecting, forsaking and even destroying, they made a decisive break with sin and evil.
3. Experience God’s Power
Acts 19:20 (NIV)
In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
What happened after they openly confessed their sin and publicly destroyed the paraphernalia?
Through this combination of confession and renunciation, spiritual power was released in their lives and community. Through true repentance, which is …
A change of mind that leads to a change of living
A turning from wickedness and a turning to righteousness
A denial of King Me and a surrender to King Jesus
… the power of darkness was weakened and the power of God was released.
4. Boldly Remove Footholds
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
As we saw last week, unconfessed sin opens a door in our lives to spiritual/demonic influence. Paul says that anger gives the devil a foothold—ground or turf—from which to access our hearts. That’s the bad news. The good news is that in Jesus’ name, we can remove the foothold and break his power over our lives.
Truth & Responsibility
This week’s freedom truth is:
Not only does God call us to confess our sin but to renounce it.
This week’s freedom responsibility is:
So make a decisive break with sin by verbally rejecting and intentionally forsaking it.
Not Able but Enabled
You won’t be able to renounce sin and evil on your own. That’s why we support each other. But more importantly, that’s why we rely on God’s grace. God never intended for us to live the Christian life in our strength. Instead, He gives us His grace to teach us to say “NO!” to sin. Then, what we could never do on our own, we do by grace through faith. Remember, grace isn’t just pardon for sin; it’s also power for living a godly life.
Titus 2:11-12 (ESV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
Notes on FREEDOM
As always, what’s shared here must stay here. Please practice strict confidentiality.
Satan doesn’t want you to be free. And he’ll do everything he can to discourage and distract you. For example, you may experience mental oppression as you go through today’s freedom exercises. Thoughts like, “This isn’t going to work” or “God doesn’t love you” or “Don’t believe this stuff or this person” may come to you. Resist these lies and trust God’s truth. If you’re experiencing mental oppression, it’s important to tell the others in the group so they can pray for you and help you stand firm on God’s truth.
These freedom exercises may take some time, maybe more time than one week’s meeting. Especially if you have several people working through these exercises, it may take more than a week. There’s no need to rush. Just take the time you need.
These freedom exercises may bring up some very personal and painful issues. Going through these exercises will give you greater freedom in Christ. You may, however, need additional help from a Christian support group, pastor, counsellor or therapist. Your group can help you discern if you need additional help.
If you’re unsure that you need to deal with something being covered, deal with it anyway. It’s better to be safe than sorry. For example, if you couldn't remember whether your jeans were washed or not and you threw them in the wash, it wouldn't be the end of the world, right? They would still be clean and you would know it. So, if in doubt, go through the freedom exercises. You may find greater freedom having done so.
Please don't use the prayers below as magic formulas. It's not about getting the words just right. It's about intimately and honestly connecting with our Heavenly Father. So feel free to modify the prayers to fit your situation and communicate your heart.
Renouncing Personal Sin and Evil
What follows is adapted from The Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson
Pray this discernment prayer out loud:
Lord, bring to my mind anything and everything that I have done knowingly or unknowingly that involves the occult, cult or non-Christian teachings or practices. Show me where I have allowed evil to defile me so I can renounce it and experience Your freedom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Areas to consider …
The occult - Ouija boards, spirit guides, palm readings, Tarot card readings, horoscopes, etc.
False religions & cults
Secret societies
Drugs
Witchcraft
New Age spirituality (health and wellness)
Satanic & pagan rituals
Subcultures (games, music, entertainment, communities) that glorify darkness, death, sex and evil
Any spiritual experience that has left you confused, frightened or questioning its source
Other? Explain …
Take some time and wait on the Lord to bring any sin and evil to mind.
Pray this prayer out loud:
Lord, I confess that I have participated in ______ (name sin). I know this is evil and offensive to You. Thank You for Your forgiveness and cleansing. I now renounce any and all involvement in this evil. And in the name of Jesus Christ, I remove the foothold my sin gave to Satan and I break his power over my life. Thank You for my freedom! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you have any books or paraphernalia associated with this evil, remove them from your home and destroy them. If you have apps on your phone, delete them. You could do this in a “public ceremony” with your group.
Renouncing Family Sin and Evil
Though we are not responsible for the sins of our parents or family, that doesn’t mean those sins don’t impact us.
Nehemiah 1:5-7 (NLT)
5 O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
Pray this prayer out loud:
Lord, I am grateful for my family, but I also know they are not perfect and their sin may still be impacting me. I want to be fully free. So show me any sin from my family that I need to renounce. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Once again, consider the list of evil above this time in regard to your parent’s or family’s involvement.
The occult - Ouija boards, spirit guides, palm readings, Tarot card readings, horoscopes, etc.
False religions & cults
Secret societies
Drugs
Witchcraft
New Age spirituality (health and wellness)
Satanic & pagan rituals
Subcultures (games, music, entertainment, communities) that glorify darkness, death, sex and evil
Any spiritual experience that has left you confused, frightened or questioning its source
Other? Explain …
Also consider the list of sins covered in CONFESS. The list is taken from Exodus 20:1-17 (The 10 Commandments), Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount), Matthew 20:20-28, Mark 7:20-23, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21 and Philippians 2:14-16, 4:6.
Theft
Hatred, anger, rage, murder
Coveting, greed, love of money, lack of generosity, hoarding, selfish ambition
Arrogance, boastfulness, pride, judgmentalism, racism
Self-righteousness, self-salvation
Anxiety, worry, fear, obsessing, people-pleasing, prayerlessness
Unbelief, hopelessness
Lording over, manipulation, control
Lying, cheating
Breaking your word (promises, covenants and vows)
Making of unrighteous vows
Mocking, belittling, cursing others OR yourself
Slander, gossip
Jealousy, envy
Idolatry, witchcraft, false worship
Drunkenness, debauchery
Ingratitude, grumbling, complaining
Arguing, disrespect
Sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual activity, pornography, orgies
Lack of love, lack of mercy
Disobedience to parents, rebellion
Lack of submission to authorities
And so on …
And the additional sins covered, such as:
Abortion
Suicide and suicidal tendencies
Divorce
Self-dependence, drivenness and perfectionism
Eating disorders or self-mutilation
Substance abuse
And so on …
The question is: Do you see any sinful patterns being passed down in your family from one generation to another? Take some time and wait on the Lord to bring any sin and evil to mind.
Pray this prayer out loud:
Lord, I confess that my family has participated in ______ (name sin). I know this is evil and offensive to You. I now renounce my family’s involvement in this evil and any other evil that I may not be aware of. I renounce it in my father’s family and I renounce it in my mother’s family. And in the name of Jesus Christ, I remove the foothold this sin gave to Satan and I break his power over my life. Thank You for my freedom! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
That One Thing
As we asked last week, Is there anything else you need to confess or renounce? Here was the question: What’s that one thing about yourself that you don’t want anyone else to know? If you’ve already revealed it, confessed it and renounced it, thank you. That takes courage and will lead to freedom. But if you’re still holding back, please consider this a safe place to deal with it.
LIVE
What truth have you discovered from today’s Bible passage(s) and conversation?
What would stop you from believing and obeying this truth?
How will you live out this truth this coming week? Finish this statement: “I will ….”
Who else needs to hear this truth? How could you share it with them?
When will we meet again?
Who will facilitate that meeting?
Pray for God’s help as you seek to follow Jesus this coming week.
WEEKLY BIBLE READINGS
Here are the Bible passages you are encouraged to read this coming week:
BUDDY SYSTEM
Connect with your buddy this week and ask each other these questions:
How are your readings going?
How’s your “I will …” statement coming along?
How’s your sharing goal coming along?
How can I pray for you?