Freed for Life, 2007: Paul and Kathryn Hopkins
The Five Rs
Cooperating with God in our transformation
These five Rs are not in any way meant to be a formula, but a means to helping us live out the
timeless biblical truth that changes lives.
31
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32
The aim is that we not only hear truth through freedom teaching, but that we hold, and live out that
truth, and as we know that truth (that is knowing it experientially), then we see the evidence of the
truth setting us free in our lives. As the message puts it
31
Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out
what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. 32Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and
the truth will free you." John 8:31-32 MSG
To help us remember and start to live out this truth, each of the five points begins with the same
letter R. They are:
1. Recognise
2. Repent
3. Receive
4. Rebuke and Resist
5. Replace
1. Recognise
A. With Humility and determination resist every desire to defend and/or
justify yourself. Be intentionally willing to recognize in yourself feelings,
thoughts, behaviours that are broken, twisted, and sinful.
20
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds
will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen
plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:20-21
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts Psalm 139:23
Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:5
B. Recognising Sin
a. Thoughts
b. Feelings
c. Behaviour
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Freed for Life, 2007: Paul and Kathryn Hopkins
d. Works
e. Fantasy/Images
C. Key Attitudes
a. Humility
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honour.
Proverbs 15:33
b. Courage
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
1.Corinthians 16:13
c. The Pursuit of Gods Glory
...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father. Philippians 2:11
2. Repent
A. We must reclaim repentance as a wonderful gift
B. Repentance breaks the enemys hold on us
C. Name the sin clearly
D. Sin as a reaction to injustice
E. The need to forgive injustices against us
F. It involves a choice to turn away from the lifestyle of sin.
We must renounce in both word and heart. It is important to speak out loud the
decision of the heart to turn away from being aligned with sin to being aligned
with God. Our words are powerful and they carry with them the power of life and
the power of death. We must speak forth the life and transformation God is doing
in our hearts
3. Receive the forgiveness of God
Take time to thank God for his forgiveness and truly receive the grace, mercy and
favour God pours out into your life.
8
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1.John 1:8-9
Beware of "condemnation" turning correction and repentance into a depressing and exhausting
experience.
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Freed for Life, 2007: Paul and Kathryn Hopkins
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Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Romans 8:1
Repentance is the gateway into true life and freedom!
Therefore this is what the LORD says: `If you repent, 1 will restore you that you may serve me'
Jeremiah 15:19a
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
Ezekiel 18:32
4. Rebuke and Resist
The New Testament clearly takes the realm of the demonic with absolute seriousness
and this is essential for true and lasting change
Speak Boldly!
Jesus spoke directly to demonic forces attempting to tempt him.
But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are
not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Mat 16:23 ESV
Remember Christ has delegated authority to us
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luk 10:19 ESV
Speak Specifically
Name the specific foothold of the enemy that you are removing
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and do not give the devil a foothold. Eph 4:27
Jesus addressed each temptation in Luke 4 with a relevant rebuttal to the enemy from scripture.
Speak with authority
With authority command the enemy to get his feet of the foothold that you have given
him. Actively resist him, not merely ignore him
7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
The sacrifice of Christ, when appropriated by man, `disarms' the enemy of his
hold/legal right to the `foothold.'
15
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them by the cross. Col 2:15
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Freed for Life, 2007: Paul and Kathryn Hopkins
56
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1.Cor 15:56-57
Shut the door on any specific points of influence for the enemy
Where your will was overwhelmed:
o Eg. Trauma (eg car crash), some forms of intense abuse
Curses through what others have spoken (Word Curses)
Inappropriate influence from others (Soul ties)
5. Replace
The need to replace
Why does repentance seem ineffective at times? Repentance can seem fleeting and
short lived when the vacuum principle is in effect. The inability to embrace truth
throughout the whole of the person's soul is a major reason for an inability to stand
in a consistent place of freedom, security and healing. Replacing with truth shores
up the soul to resist evil and to bring healing to the holes/wounds from which the
sinful and wounded thoughts and feelings flow.
In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the
yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. Isaiah 10:27
In this verse the picture is of a yoke over a an ox being broken because the sheer size of fat and muscle
that has grown on the ox. The sense is that we become so filled with the truth it overwhelms our old
habit patterns and we cut a new groove of a lifestyle one of freedom!
Areas where replacing works out:
A. The Mind
...to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the
word. Eph 5:26
The mind, for many, thinks rationally, in a straight line, logically. Therefore there is a
need for didactic truth, and a need for us to take captive every thought.
2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will ishis good, pleasing
and perfect will. Rom 12:2
Action: Write some of the old ways of thinking that you have been living in and
next to those write biblical truth that stands as a correction to this.
B. The Imagination
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Freed for Life, 2007: Paul and Kathryn Hopkins
The imagination is the cinema of the heart. It embraces symbolic truth that nourishes
the heart's ability to feed on truth, beauty and goodness. The images in our hearts
determine our destiny.We need to replace the old imagery with holy and healthy good
new imagery. This is about replacing how we view ourselves and the world within
ourselves to a godly vision.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think
about such things. Philippians 4:8
C. The Will
We need to replace the old patterns of behavior by living aggressively and intentionally
in the very way that you ran / hid from. By living in the opposite spirit we
Face our fear
Choose life
Learn to trust God
Break the victim / passive/ defeatist mind-set
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
to death-- even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8
Christ actively chose to walk in the opposite spirit to sin, the world and the devil.
D. The Emotions
Having poured out negative and destructive emotions in an authentic way and brought
them to the cross, having rebuked the spirit that energized destructive emotion and made
a choice before God to live in the opposite spirit / attitude; we receive by faith the love
and grace that we need from God Himself.
Beware of trying to force the emotions
Beware looking to the emotions to determine your healing
Beware introspection and analyzing your emotions.
Remember: I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
This is the truth, I believe it, I choose to live out of it emotions catch up when
you are ready!
Conclusion
Each of the 5 foundational principles is key to Christ-centred transformation in your life.
These are not a religious formula, but these are principal which when employed by one who
has the humble heart condition of seeking God's will and character for their life, can help
lead the person into restoration and freedom.
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