Don’t Give Up―You Can Still Break Free You've prayed. You've surrendered your sin to God. You've been more zealous about reading the Bible. But what do you do when you still can't shake your bad habits? After discouragement and defeat set in, you need a dose of genuine hope and some biblical, time-tested guidance on breaking free for good. More than just offering simple suggestions for behavioral change, How to Say No to a Stubborn Habit will help you overcome the struggles in your life through a lasting transformation of attitude and heart. Dr. Erwin Lutzer shows you   the three essential ground rules you must accept to truly change - the secret to doing away with tempting thoughts rather than rehearsing them - the roles of God, Satan, and your loved ones in your success or failure   You've resolved to break a stubborn habit. With the help of biblical insights and reflection questions in every chapter, you will discover the grace, courage, and wisdom to step out of the past and into a more hope-filled future. FOREWORD by Jack Hibbs Why are stubborn habits so difficult to break? That’s the question we grapple with every time we find ourselves pulled down by a habit or a sin we desperately want to overcome. No matter how determined we are, no matter how earnest our hearts, we fail. And we end up at square one all over again. Even though we know what is wrong and we’re eager to do what is right, it seems we cannot escape the alluring clutches of a bad habit. You may feel all alone in your struggle, but you’re not. You’re in good company. The apostle Paul―who wrote much of the New Testament and was used mightily by God―faced the exact same dilemma. Even after he had been a Christian for more than two decades, he expressed great frustration over the inward battle we all face with sin. Read carefully what he wrote: What I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do…For I know that in me (that is, my flesh) nothing good dwells…For the good I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice…O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:15, 18-19, 24). Paul wanted to do what was right, but found himself doing wrong―to the point he cried out, “Who will deliver me?” And his next words hold the key to breaking a stubborn habit: “I thank God―through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (verse 25). Breaking free is only possible because of what God has made available to us through Christ. That’s why the Bible can make the great promise that it does in 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” More simply, God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Now, that doesn’t mean the answer to breaking a stubborn habit is simple. It’s not. There’s more Paul wrote in Romans 7 that helps to explain our ongoing struggles: I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (verses 22-23). As long as we live in our fallen bodies of flesh, we’re going to find ourselves at war. We will always be vulnerable to temptation and sin. But that doesn’t mean we have no choice but to surrender in defeat. So what’s the key to victory? That’s what this book is all about. In it, Erwin W. Lutzer writes with great clarity and compassion about how we can put our past behind us and live in the freedom Christ meant for us to experience. He explains what it means to rely on the power of the Spirit and to renew our minds so that we can know victory. On every page of this book, you will find encouragement and hope, with good reason: At the cross, Christ conquered sin. And because Christ dwells in us, His power over sin is at our disposal. The same Paul who wrote “Who will deliver me?” also wrote that “Christ in you [is] the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). We are not without hope―because of Christ, we will know glory someday! Christ is in the business of changing lives. He is at work in us, transforming us toward a future of glory. Find out how in the pages to come! Jack Hibbs Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church, where he served as the senior pastor for 36 years. He is an award-winning author and the featured speaker on three radio programs that are heard on more than 750 national and international outlets. He and his wife, Rebecca, have three grown children and eight grandchildren and live in the Chicago area. Jack Hibbs is the senior and founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California and the president of the Real Life Network. He is also the host of the nationally syndicated TV and radio program Real Life , and his daily media programs reach millions worldwide. Jack and his wife, Lisa, have been married for more than 45 years and they have two adult daughters and three grandchildren. E