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 ran from temptation and sin and ran to God for help (repentance). How has your week gone in terms of freedom from that temptation and sin? Is there any other temptation and sin that you need to run from?
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.
RUN
We are to be holy as God is holy, so run from temptation and sin and run to God for help to be holy.
And now …
RENOUNCE
Involvement with evil spiritually pollutes us, so renounce (openly confess and verbally reject) any current and past involvement with evil and in Jesus’ name break its power over your life.
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 the 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 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?
Truth & Responsibility
This week’s freedom truth is:
Involvement with evil spiritually pollutes us.
This week’s freedom responsibility is:
So renounce (openly confess and verbally reject) any current and past involvement with evil and in Jesus’ name break its power over your life.
Not Able but Enabled
You won’t be able to break the power of sin in your life 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 own 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.
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.
Feel free to modify the prayers below 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
Satanic 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. I now renounce any and all involvement in this evil and I ask you to break its power over my life in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You for my freedom! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you have any books or paraphernalia associated with this evil, make sure to remove them from your home and destroy them. You could make this a “public ceremony” by bringing them to your group next week to destroy them together.
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. Also consider the list of sins covered in RUN. That list is taken from Exodus 20:1-17 (The 10 Commandments), Mark 7:20-23, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21 and Philippians 2:14-16. Here’s the list are again:
Theft
Hatred, anger, rage, murder
Coveting, greed, selfish ambition
Arrogance, boastfulness, pride
Lying, cheating
Slander, gossip
Jealousy, envy
Idolatry, witchcraft, false worship
Drunkenness, debauchery
Grumbling, complaining
Arguing, disrespect
Sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual activity, pornography, orgies
Lack of love, lack of mercy
Disobedience to parents
Lack of submission to authorities
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 and I ask you to break its power over my life in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You for my freedom! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dealing with the Demonic
There are three enemies constantly attacking us:
Sin-within (the flesh)
The world system and
Satan and his demons.
At times, the attack and oppression of Satan are so intense it calls for a spiritual intervention. You may have to deal with a demon if:
There’s a physical or verbal manifestation of a demon,
You spiritually discern the influence of a demon,
There’s a deep level of bondage, condemnation, hopelessness, oppression, lies and/or loss of control from which ongoing and intentional discipleship (such as prayer, confession, faith, community and worship) doesn’t bring lasting freedom.
If you sense the influence of a demon, consider this important story from Luke.
Luke 10:17-20 (NLT)
17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”
18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
Here are 5 vital truths to believe and announce when dealing with the demonic:
The power of the name of Jesus
Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!The assurance of the victory of Jesus
I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!The authority of the believer over the demonic
I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy.The protection of the believer from the demonic
Nothing will injure you.The security of the believer in heaven
Rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.
So if you are dealing with a demon, recite Luke 10:17-20 out loud and coach the person to boldly state:
I believe in
The power of Jesus’ name
The assurance of Jesus’ victory
My authority over the demonic
My protection from the demonic
My security in heaven
So in the name of Jesus, demon be gone
And Holy Spirit come and fill me
Amen!
Don’t use this as a magic formula like the seven sons of Sceva (See Acts 19 above). And don’t feel like you have to say it exactly like this. But this is Gospel truth that you can boldly use to set captives free.
And be persistent. Demons may push back. They did when Jesus dealt with them (see Mark 5:6-13). So don’t panic. Keep stating these biblical truths with faith-based confidence. Eventually, demons must give way to the authorized use of Jesus’ name.
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?