Inner Vows

Inner Vows are often preceded by words such as; "I will, I won't, I will never," and "I will always.”

So what is an INNER VOW?

 "An inner vow is a self-directed and self-focused promise that we make to ourselves in response to our difficulty, frustration, or pain."

1.  Unscriptural 

 Matthew 5:33-37 [NLT],"You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.' 34 But I say, do not make any vows! ...37 Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will, or 'No, I won't.'  Anything beyond this is from the evil one."

2.  A wrong reaction to pain

 Proverbs 20:25 [NIV],It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows. 

 When making an inner vow we turn to ourselves rather than God. 

 Jeremiah 17:5 [ESV],Thus says the Lord:  “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

 Psalm 18:2 [NLT],The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. [stronghold] 

3.  A form of self-dependency 

An inner vow says, "God, if you can't, then I will."

James 4:13-15 [ESV], Come now, You who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring…Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  

4.  Backfire 

 Habit Structures...

• hard hearts

• produce unhealthy fruit

• false reality/expectations

• live from extremes

• live from fear, rather than love

• passing judgment

Proverbs 14:12 [TPT],You can rationalize it all you want and justify the path of error you have chosen, but you’ll find out in the end that you took the road to destruction.  

"The Holy Spirit will never partner with things that are birthed out of our flesh." 

5.  Creates hostages

We become hostages to our past, even if our circumstances have changed drastically!  

Ezekiel 36:26 [MSG],I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.  

Extra thoughts and scriptures:

"Although God invites you into intimacy with Him, never forget the wonder [magnitude] of His holiness and power.  God has such a passion for you, therefore He will not let you be any less than you can be."

Prayer:  "Father, I recognize that you are God and I am not.  Therefore, I confess to You that I have attempted to protect myself and those I love in my own strength.  Father, I repent for pushing You out of that part of my life. I repent for not trusting You and for not submitting to Your authority in my life.  I repent for thinking that I could do a better job than You of keeping me and those I love safe.  I repent for trying to rely on my own strength instead of Yours.  Lord I ask You to forgive me for making an Inner Vow in that area _______.  I renounce that Vow and break my agreement with it.  By the power in the Name of Jesus, I thank you for breaking off every negative Consequence of my sin.  Thank you for breaking off every negative Habit Structure I have created.  I choose to bring every part of my life back under Your authority and protection...I choose to trust You and Your will for my life. I ask You again to be Lord over every part of my life.  

 I choose to forgive those who hurt me [name] _____ .

 I choose to forgive myself for making this Vow.

Thank You for Your grace and mercy.  Thank You for the Blood of Your Son covering my life.  I ask You to remove and transform my heart of stone...I ask You for a Tender/Sensitive new heart for You...so that I can walk in Your ways. Father, I declare that You are my Rock, Shield, Fortress, and my Defender.  Thank you for setting me free today in Jesus' mighty name.  Amen!"

Ephesians 1:18 [ESV],…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may now what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

Leviticus 5:4 [NLT], “Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt.

MSG,“Or if you impulsively swear to do something, whether good or bad—some rash oath that just pops out—and you aren’t aware of what you’ve done at the time, but later you come to realize it and you’re guilty in any of these cases;

AMP, Or if anyone swears [an oath]thoughtlessly or impulsively aloud that he will do either evil or good, in whatever manner a person may speak thoughtlessly or impulsively with an oath, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty in one of these. 5 So it shall be when a person is guilty in one of these, that he shall confess the sin he has committed. 6 He shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

James 5:12 [ESV], But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath…so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Proverbs 18:21 [NKJV], Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 12:37 [ESV],"for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

2 Corinthians 10:3,For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 [CEB], Although we live in the world, we don’t fight our battles with human methods.4 Our weapons that we fight with aren’t human, but instead they are powered by God for the destruction of fortresses. They destroy arguments, 5 and every defense that is raised up to oppose the knowledge of God. They capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

Proverbs 14:12 [AMP],There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.

Galatians 3:3,Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Romans 2:1 [ESV],Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.  For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.