Influences and sin

What areas in your life influence you to sin?

Habits, friends, peer pressure, heredity?

Mt 18:18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jn 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Maybe we sin because of past experiences. Our spirit may have been wounded. If we have totally forgiven the ones who have hurt us, we can come in faith and ask for healing of those memories.

Is 53:4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.
:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and with His stripes we are healed.

It is sometimes hard to forgive others when they hurt us.

Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you , and thereby many be defiled.

Principles of total forgiveness:

1. Forgiveness is an act of will. I must want to forgive. Resentment is destructive to my mind, body, soul and spirit.

Pr 14:30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

2. I will not be forgiven by God unless I forgive those who have hurt me.

MT 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mk 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

3. Think about all that God has forgiven you.

Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one anothe, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

4. Thank God for the blessings the person who hurt you has been to you.

1 Thess 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

5. Think about the needs of the person who hurt you, then and now. They are probably greater then yours.

Phil 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory: but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better then themselves.

6. Ask God to help you love them and forgive them as He does and receive it by faith.

Rom 5:15 And hope maketh not ashamed: because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

7. Ask God to give you opportunities of expressing His love to them in work and deed.

1 Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

8. Become an intercessor for them.

MT 5:44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

9. When we have fully forgiven others, we won't want to speak of how they wronged us.

1Pet 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Ask God to show you how to change the habit patterns, believing that He will.

Find verses addressing the sin, memorize them.

We must forgive ourselves because God has forgiven us.