Resisting Sin with the 4 R’s
As Christians, we are free from sin, but we are not free from temptation. Sin and Satan are always creeping around trying to get us to mistrust and disobey God. (Genesis 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8).
In order to resist temptation, we must put on the full armor of God, be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. In order to do this, we recommend using the 4 R’s when temptation gets up close and personal.
The 4 R’s
REQUEST
-Request the help of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Pray: “Holy Spirit, please help me! Show me the way out of this! Give me the strength to run away from this sin.”
2. RENOUNCE
-Confess the attraction you have to the sin, and then renounce (throw off!) the attraction.
Ephesians 4:22-24 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Pray: “God, I confess my attraction to_________. I renounce my attraction to__________ in Jesus’s name. I throw off my old self and put on Christ and his holy and pure righteousness!”
3. REBUKE
-Rebuke Satan and his demonic influence in the power and authority of Jesus’s name.
Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
James 4:7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Pray: “I rebuke the enemy and all his demonic influence over me in the name of Jesus. God, I humble myself before you, and I submit my thoughts and desires back under You, my Lord and my God.”
4. REPLACE
-Replace the tempting lies with truth by praying and going to a Bible verse that addresses that specific sin.
-Feel free to use OpenBible to type in a topic and see all the verses.
John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Pray: “God, please show me the truth. Show me what I should desire instead of this sin. Show me how much better, sweeter, and more satisfying you are. Set me free to worship and enjoy YOU!”