These are all valid questions that Christians face. No matter where you live, your age or your background, all Christians will be tried and tested with sin in their lives. Living in a world full of sinful temptation makes the battle for Christian purity that much tougher. But the Bible of course, holds the solution to all battling.
One of the things that get people down the most when they are really trying to make spiritual progress is when they keep falling into the same sin over and over again.
You seem to be caught in a cycle of sin, repentance, and more sin, much like Israel in the days of the Judges and like Paul in Romans 7:14-24.
Many times, one is filled with guilt, regret and shame. It’s easy to want to give up.
We get frustrated and tell ourselves its not really a sin anyway or if it is it’s not serious. At times we are drawn to say that is how we were created – case for one struggling with the homosexuality, lie, porn, immorality temptation among so many more.
The first step to stopping sin is to recognize it. God is quick to forgive when we repent and turn back to Him. But as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, once we have been forgiven we are to sin no more (John 5:14).
As you have learned, we are not able to follow this command on our own. However, God has given us His Holy Spirit. As Scripture states, if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Paul states it this way in Romans 6:16 that when we yield to sin we make ourselves servants of sin; when we yield to righteousness we make ourselves servants of righteousness.
God wants to transform us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). As the trend is today, we like the instant fix, the painless solution and the easy way out. Be patient with your self, accept and pursue righteousness everyday.
Put your focus on The Lord. It is all about Him. In order to overcome sin, a Christian has to acknowledge it and have a heart to get right with God. If you are reading this article, that is a sign that you want to remove sin from your life.
If you feel there is an evil spirit dimension to your problem , take the deliverance ministry seriously. See you pastor and talk to him/her about it.
Otherwise, walking with the Spirit is achievable lest God would not have instructed us too. It is rather a constant communication with God and humbly seeking to obey God’s commands.
When I say “constant,” I mean having Him in our thoughts throughout the day, talking to Him about our lives, about our activities, in the moment while we are driving, or walking, or sitting, or standing, while at work, or at play, or whenever.
We want to be about the mission that Jesus has sent us to do. We want to focus our energies there. Sin occurs not because we slip up, but because we have stopped walking with the Spirit and therefore have lost the power to overcome sin. The remedy for sin is to live in the Spirit of God–to abide in Christ.
Contribution by Timothy Eric.
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About Eric
Well, I’m married (almost 15 years), have two kids, play guitar and piano (both just a little) and I’m a Christian. By “Christian” I mean I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. The Bible is the inerrant, ever-trustworthy guide to living, here on earth and eternally.
