Hey Joe,Sounds as though what you are looking for is a real life experience. So here goes.....A couple years ago I was saved. At the time, I was a heavy smoker. When I became a Christian, everyone was telling me "You have to quit smoking." Well, this seemed really strange to me. The whole reason I even came to Jesus was because I needed His help. I could not stop myself from sinning. And so, why would I stop smoking on my own, if I couldn't stop from fornicating and other such sins. So, I decided to talk to Jesus about it. I was completely honest with the Lord. I said, "My Lord, I like smoking. I really do. I have tried to quit many, many times. I can't quit. And so, if you want me to quit, tell me, and I will do whatever you ask. But you will to help me, because I can't do it." And I left it right there at His feet and went on smoking. About a week later, the Lord spoke to my heart. He said, almost plain as day, "You have to quit smoking." So, I said, "Okay Lord. I will smoke until midnight tonight, and then trust in you." At midnight that night, I put down my last cigarette.Because I was faithful and trusted in Jesus, He helped me through. I hardly had any cravings. I didn't struggle with it. I just stayed close to Jesus, and let Him help me. I have never smoked again and have complete victory over cigarettes.When I had this experience, I didn't realize the full and practical implications of what was going on. But, years later, I have learned how to apply this same experience to give me victory over sin in other areas of my life. The first thing you must realize is that you cannot conquer sin. You cannot do it with your own power. Don't try. You will fail. You may have a small and temporary victory, but then you will fail again. Once you realize this and accept it, then you are ready to turn to Jesus. You must give your sins to Jesus and let Him conquer sin in you. Now, I realize that this is a really abstract thing. How do you do this? Firstly, give up. Yes, give up. This means you stop trying to fight against sin. Once you given up, give to Jesus. Draw closer to Christ. How do you do this? Always remember this.....Jesus is with you everywhere you are. Start practicing the presence of God. This means, acknowledge Jesus at all times. Keep your thoughts and mind focused on Him. Think about this....Jesus is always with you. Everywhere you go, everywhere you are, Jesus is with you. Even when you are sitting on the toilet, Jesus is right there. This will help you. When the Devil comes, and you start to think about sin, remember that Jesus is there. Would you do those things in front of Jesus?Call out to Jesus. When temptation comes, call to Jesus for help. Don't try to fight on your own. Usually, I will pray and pray and pray calling to Jesus until He answers my prayer. At first, you may have to do this quite a bit. However, as you learn to walk with God, you won't have to repeat yourself. You will be confident and strong and immediately say, "Get away from me Satan. Jesus has already beat you on the cross." You will experience failures at first. However, don't be discouraged. These failures happen because God is teaching you to have a strong faith. Every time you fail, you must repent and then leave it with Jesus. But, if you go around thinking, "I am such a terrible person, look at me, look at how I sin"....then you have not accepted the forgiveness of God. Remember, you have been cleansed by Jesus Christ. This means that God does not see any of your sins. They are gone. All your sins. Even the ones you will commit years to come. You must remember this, because if you don't, if you allow sin to have power in your life, it will draw you away from God. Sin was conquered on the cross. You need God's grace and forgiveness. Don't ever, ever deny it. Always accept His love. Always apologize for what you do wrong. Confess all your sins openly to Christ. Then, leave them there. Don't think about them or remember them. Lastly, it is important to realize your part and God's part in victory of sin, and also in God's labors. Remember this....your part is always to have faith, and God's part is always to do the work. What does this mean? This means that Jesus, your God and Lord, is the one who is strong and powerful. He is the one who fulfilled the law, conquered sin, and reigns as King. He is the one who must do the work in you. You, however, must always be faithful. This means you always trust in God. You always listen to what Jesus tells you. You constantly say, "Yes Lord." If the Lord asks something of you, or tells you something, He will do it. He will give you all the words, the power, and the equipment to do what He asks. You just have to let Him do it in you. Always be willing to obey the Lord with an eager heart.Don't do anything apart from Christ. If you do, you will be greatly disheartened and anxious. You will not be able to sleep at night, and you will constantly fight with yourself. However, when you draw close to Jesus, you will always have peace, and be filled with joy. This does not mean you won't have struggles or hardship, but even through hardship you will praise the Lord. Give everything to Jesus and let Him be the Lord of your life. May Christ bless you indeed, and may you draw close to Him.Your brother in Christ,Blake