The Power of Right Believing: 7 Keys to Freedom from Fear, Guilt, and Addiction

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Authors: Joseph Prince

Tags: #Religion / Christian Life - Spiritual Growth, #Religion / Christian Life - Personal Growth

BOOK: The Power of Right Believing: 7 Keys to Freedom from Fear, Guilt, and Addiction
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Copyright Page

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

This book is lovingly dedicated to my daughter and friend Jessica Shayna Prince.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

—Proverbs 31:29
KJV

INTRODUCTION

During the last two decades, I have had the privilege of ministering to precious people from all walks of life. I have had the honor of meeting people in my congregation and at conferences around the world and hearing their stories. I can see them in my mind’s eye even as I write.

Some of them brimmed with the exuberance that came with their release from condemnation. Others held back tears of gratefulness as they recounted addictions that had once shackled them with shame and the inability to do anything positive with their lives. For those whom I didn’t get to meet in person, their letters and emails to me told their stories. Stories of liberation from a life of anxiety and depression. Stories of being rescued from the prison of fear. Stories of breaking loose from destructive habits.

I am deeply moved and humbled that God has used my messages, books, and television broadcast in some way to help these amazing individuals navigate their way to freedom.

But not all stories that I’ve come to know have had a happy ending. At least not yet.

As a pastor, I’ve also encountered many who are still struggling today. Some are bound by severe insecurities, trapped by eating disorders, or gripped by constant fears and recurring panic attacks.
Others have been held captive by years of chronic depression, fighting suicidal thoughts that strip them of their ability to function in their everyday lives. There are also those who are caught in a destructive cycle of addiction, some to alcohol and others to nicotine, drugs, or pornography. And sadly, some of these people are still desperately trying to claw their way out from under the burden of more than one of the above.

They all long for freedom and have tried everything, including psychological and psychiatric treatments. They have tried exercising their own willpower to the best of their abilities, only to find themselves even more entangled in their addictions and insecurities than they were before. Many have become financially drained from seeing psychiatrist after psychiatrist, doctor after doctor, counselor after counselor, spending thousands of dollars every month on consultation fees. They’ve taken all types of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, in addition to trying quick fixes of every imaginable kind. And they are no better.

Hearing stories like that always breaks my heart, and I remember asking myself this: What is the difference between those who have experienced their breakthroughs and those who are still trapped and bound by toxic emotions and addictions?

I believe the answer is simple but powerful: their
beliefs
.

Right believing always produces right living. When you believe right, you will live right.

You see, people are struggling to control their behaviors and actions because they don’t have control over their emotions and feelings. They don’t have control over their emotions and feelings because they don’t have control over their thoughts. And they don’t
have control over their thoughts because they are not controlling what they believe.

Put simply, if you believe wrong, you will struggle with wrong thoughts. Those wrong thoughts will produce unhealthy emotions that will lead to toxic feelings of guilt, shame, condemnation, and fear. And those wrong feelings will ultimately produce wrong behaviors, actions, and painful addictions.

What you believe is critical. And wrong believing is the trigger that starts you on a path of defeat. It is what keeps you trapped and drives you deeper and deeper into paralyzing captivity.

The good news is there is a way out of this vicious cycle of defeat.

The Power of Right Believing
will teach you the powerful truths of God’s Word to believe in His love for you. It will show you how God is for you and not against you. It will open your eyes to see how He is on your side, rooting for your success and propelling you toward your breakthrough with His love and tender mercies.

In this book, you will learn what God really sees when He looks at you as His beloved child, what it means to be completely forgiven, and how to have a confident expectation of good for your future and destiny in Christ.

You will read many amazing testimonies from people across America and around the world. Their lives were touched and transformed when they encountered the person of Jesus and allowed their minds to be renewed with right beliefs about their true identity in Christ.

To accelerate your learning experience, I have distilled the essence of the power of right believing into seven simple but practical keys that you can begin to apply every day in your life. These
keys are easy and highly effective Bible-based principles that will calibrate your mind to develop positive habits for right believing. The seven keys are:

  • Believe in God’s Love for You
  • Learn to See What God Sees
  • Receive God’s Complete Forgiveness
  • Win the Battle for Your Mind
  • Be Free from Self-Occupation
  • Have a Confident Expectation of Good
  • Find Rest in the Father’s Love

My friend, if you are struggling with some of the issues I mentioned earlier, I believe with all of my heart that as you set aside some time to read this book, you’ll find inspiration, hope, and encouragement to break free from the crippling grip of all that has held you back. I am confident that you’ll find the freedom and power you need to live your life to the fullest.

God intended for you to live with joy overflowing, peace that surpasses understanding, and an unshakable confidence in what He has done for you. It’s time to let go of the life of defeat and step into a life full of victory, security, and success. Forget about merely dealing with the symptoms—the guilt, fears, and addictions. We are going after the root! If you can change what you believe, you can change your life! Now that is the power of right believing.

PART ONE

BELIEVE IN GOD’S LOVE
FOR YOU

CHAPTER 1

WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS POWERFUL

W
hat you believe is powerful. If you can change what you believe, you can change your life! I have met many precious people who keep struggling to control their behaviors and actions. No matter how hard they try and how much effort, time, and resources they throw into the fight, like a beaten boxer they end up returning to their corners, their bodies defeated, morale crushed, and confidence shattered—trapped once again in guilt, fear, and addictions that simply refuse to go away.

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