E - EXAMINE YOUR LIFE. To change you've also got to do a frank evaluation of your life. You can't cover up your faults. What are your weaknesses? How long have you had this problem? Where and when are you tempted most? What are your fears? Ps.32:4-5 says, "My dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration until I finally admitted my sins and stopped trying to hide them. And God forgave me! All my guilt is gone!" God says that if we will just admit that we've got a problem, he will forgive and wipe out the guilt in our life! Healthy people are always examining themselves: Am I slipping? Am I doing better? What do I need to work on next?

A - ASK CHRIST TO TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. Friends, you need a power greater than yourself to help you change. You can't change on your own power. Why not go straight to the source? Romans 6:12-13 says, "Don't let sin control your body any longer. Don't give in to its sinful desires but give yourself completely to God - every part of you - to be used for his good purposes." Every day you and I are controlled by something: other people, other time schedules, drugs, alcohol, food. Paul is saying that the solution to your addiction is choose the right master. Instead of letting something else control your life, say, "I'm going to have God control my life." That's when freedom takes place.

Look at the word "completely". Often we only want to give God the problem, not our whole life. However, it is only when we give ourselves completely to God that God will give you the power to overcome that temptation, that habit and provide a way out. It starts by making Jesus Christ the master of your life.

K - KEEP AWAY FROM THE TEMPTATION. This is just plain sense. You need to avoid the situations where you are tempted. Paul said in Romans 13:14, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Don't put yourself in tempting situations. If you have a problem with drinking, don't stock a bar in you house. If you have a problem with lust, don't go to the places that carry that kind of stuff. Put a filter on the internet. If you have a problem with overeating, don't stock pile you home with junk food. Stay away from the things that cause you problems.

Ephesians 4:27 says, "Don't give the devil a foothold." Don't put yourself in those situations. It may mean you have to choose some new friends. If your friends bring you down, you need new friends. Maybe you need to change jobs. Maybe you need to move. Be ruthless. Stay away from situations that cause your downfall. That's the negative part. The positive part is this:

F - FOCUS ON SOMETHING BETTER. Romans 8:6 says, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled b y the Spirit is life and peace..." Proverbs 4:23 tells us, "Be careful how you think, for your life is shaped by your thoughts." The Bible says that the spiritual battle for sin is fought in the mind. If you want to change your life, it starts right here. Whatever captures our attention captures us!

The key to having victory over our bad habits is not found in trying to resist temptations, but in working to refocus our attention on something else. Philippines 4:8 says, "Fill your mind with things that are good and deserve praise; things that are true and noble, right and pure, lovely and honorable." Replace the bad with the good.

When you want to get rid of a bad thought, fill it with something better. That's why Romans 12:2 says "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

R - RESTORE BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS. Romans 12:18 says, "As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone." That may take some time. But take the initiative. Make a list of people that your habit has harmed and go to those people and ask forgiveness and offer restitution and as much as you can, try to make things right.

Why? A clear conscious is essential for change. For permanent, lasting change you must maintain a clear conscious. Go back and make things right. The Bible says as much as it's your responsibility go and live at peace with everybody. Get that clear conscious so that you've got God's power in your life to keep on keeping on.

E - ENLIST A SUPPORT GROUP. The eighth Biblical principle in breaking free is to enlist a support group. We all need support. Eccl. 4:9-10 says, "Two are better off than one, because together if one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But pity those who are alone and fall, and have noone to help them up." That makes sense. We need support. You need friends who will pray for you, care for you, encourage you, keep you on track. Two are better than one because they help each other up.

Some of you have a bad habit that you want to break. However, you don't want anybody to know about your problem. Good luck! This is the very attitude of pride we looked at last week that says, "I can do it on my own. I don't want other people to know about my faults and failures." That is the very attitude that will keep you in bondage.

This is the real value of small groups. Every Christian needs to be in a small group. There is no such thing as Lone Ranger Christians. You need to be in a small group where people pray for you, care for you, and encourage you. There's a feeling of freedom to know that everybody's in the same boat. When you find somebody who says, "I've been there! I'm on the other side now. Let me give you some encouragement.", that can give you the hope and courage you need to get mastery over your problem. If you can't admit it to somebody you can't work on it. You need a support group.

E - EXTEND YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Paul said in 2 Cor. 1:4, "Christ helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others in trouble, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God." Sometimes God allows us to go through problems and helps us through our problems so that we can then turn around and help other people with the same comfort we've been given. When we can finally take what we have learned from our experiences and use it to help others, we have come full circle.

My hope today is that some of you are going to start putting into practice these nine steps, and that you're going to start getting victory over areas in your life that have been problems for too long. My hope is that a couple of years from now you’ll be reaching out to the very people who have the same problem that you have right now. There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that God is using you to help others.

I don't know what's out of control in your life. I do know that if you want to live a life of freedom, you need to start these steps today. Perhaps you’re ready, in your own heart, to pray, "God, I want to begin today. I'm going to quit blaming others. I'm not going to blame my parents or my environment or my husband or wife or my bad marriage or the bad breaks I got in life. I'm going to accept responsibility for my own problems.

Maybe you’re ready to say, "Lord, I need to honestly examine my life. I want to quit pretending and stop covering up my faults. I admit that I cannot change on my own. I humbly ask you, God, to help me to change. I invite you to take total ownership of my life. Every part.

Maybe it’s time to say, "Father, help me to keep away from the situations where I'm tempted. I don't want the devil to get a foothold in my life. I'm willing to change the friends that are dragging me down. I'm willing to change jobs. Whatever it takes." Maybe you just need to make the commitment this morning and say, "I'm going to join a small group. I’m tired of trying to live your life on my own." Whatever it is you need to do, begin now.

Maybe you need to say, "Lord, help me to stop fighting the temptations, but to focus on something better. Help me to turn my thoughts to you and to replace the bad with the good. Lord, I want to know the truth, so that it can set me free. Help me to restore those damaged relationships where I've caused grief to others and guilt to myself." Friends, whatever effort it takes, it will be worth it to finally break free!

Father, as I've looked out on these folks today, I see in their faces what you want to do. I pray that you would raise up out of this church an army of people who you have healed emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. Help us to rediscover your power for change in our lives. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.