Passion: The Bright Light Of Glory By Louie GiglioSample

Breaking Bad

Breaking with the old in our lives is possible. The finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross makes freedom from everything that binds us a very real possibility. For “all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27.

But how do we walk free, especially from the patterns of life that have dogged us for so long, ways of thinking, habits and addictions that have chained us to a past that is far less than God’s best for our lives?

For one, we set our gaze on Jesus.  The Psalmist writes, "I have set the Lord continually before me, because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad, my tongue rejoices and my flesh will rest secure." Psalm 16:8-9

It’s a proven reality that we are drawn toward whatever our eyes are fixed on. In time, our fixation becomes our reality. This is why the enemy wants us always looking back, deeper and deeper into our past. He wants to keep us focused on our shortcomings and failures. Or he wants to chain us to the bottle (or whatever it is that has held out the power to numb our pain), even though we know it will only lead us to more emptiness and brokenness again.

To break bad we have to fill our eyes with what is good. We have to find a new addiction. Doing so is not easy, nor is it a simple formula. It’s a hard-fought choice. But our fight is not won by struggling against our “demons,” but contending for what is good, perfect and true.

Paul encourages us to redirect our eyes so that God can fill our hearts.

At some point you have to stop blaming the past and the power of fallen flesh, and you have to make the choice to look away. To look away from the people who constantly attempt to tear you down, or those in your past who have tried to torpedo your confidence or worth. You have to choose to look away from the mistakes you have made and accept that they are covered by the blood of Jesus. And, forgiven and free in Jesus, you have to turn your eyes from the temptations that look so alluring and actually put roots down in the living pages of God’s Word.

To shift our focus we must sink our heart in truth and in His Church. Rarely do you meet someone who is trying to break free, yet failing to do so, who is daily or hourly immersed in the truth of God’s Word and grounded in community with His people.

We can’t control much in life, and we can’t always control what comes into our view. Yet, Jesus has given us control over what we dwell on. And in the end, what we dwell on is what we become. Where we camp, is where we live and die.