There are many on all Christian Forums that believe wholeheartedly that sin cannot be overcome and that we cannot live without it. "So there's no point in even trying", they say.
Most of those who believe this have heard, and been taught, this in churches and by those they esteemed as Bible experts in their lives. Well, I'm here to tell you from experience that it is not true. Yes, we all stumble often (James 3:2), but you can't stumble if you're not at least trying to walk upright. Sitting down in the mire of habitual sin does not count as any effort to avoid it.
Sin is greater today than at almost any other time in history. We have easier access to substances and visual stimulation via social media and internet connections to the sources of our unholy desires than at any other time since the flood. If you desire to live a clean and holy existence, God is ready and willing to help you achieve that. The Holy Spirit wants nothing more than to live in Light and shun darkness. We can utilize His assistance in overcoming our most difficult challenges in this dark and fallen world.
This is how I was removed from my group of friends who drank and used drugs regularly. In a little over a decade, God separated me from that group and, little by little, helped me to chip away at the unholy habits I had picked up in the world. There were a couple common, and easy to come by, intoxicants that were holdouts for me and this is the basic recipe for how I overcame them and the common triggers associated with them. This method works for all manner of sin.
First of all, it is absolutely essential to believe that God has the Almighty power to overcome anything in your life. Without faith, this is an exercise in futility. Reading the Bible is a must. It is the only way you can at least begin to nurture and grow your faith to a level that is strong enough to overcome your greatest enemies within yourself. It is essential to achieving a stable foundation of faith, and to maintaining it. The verses below will help you to understand just how God's Word can provide powerful sustaining nutrients to your spirit to help with the challenges you will face in life.
John 6:35; John 6:51; John 6:53; John 6:63; John 6:68; Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:93
The next time you are feeling overwhelmed with desire for that thing that you know, in your heart of hearts, is unholy and displeasing to God, there are a couple tricks that I have learned that, coupled with faith, can break the power of the enemy and free you from the sin that is defeating you.
Once you have a measure of faith to work with, you can use your awareness of yourself and your situation to call upon God's mighty power to help you in moments when you can't even find the will to desire His help. When every fiber of your being wants nothing more than to walk into that bar and start drinking, or pick up that drink you just ordered, or take that drug you just acquired or click on that sinful website or whatever it may be that has a chokehold on your will in that moment, if you can find the slightest ounce of choice inside yourself to say even the most insincere prayer to God, "God, I don't even want your help right now in this moment, but I'm asking for it. All I want to do is this thing, but I am asking for you to help me not to do it."
The very next step is to create, from seemingly nowhere, an excuse to wait, just for a short time, ... wait. Buy yourself some time for God to work on your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual condition in order to move you out of the line of attack from the enemy. Make a promise to yourself, from that place of overwhelming desire, that you WILL do that thing you know you shouldn't do. You are going to do it, absolutely, ... just as soon as you complete this one thing first. Then give yourself about 30 minutes to an hour for God to transform your spiritual condition. (I believe that God can change our circumstances in an instant, but it is the weakness of our faith that requires time for the change to take effect.) Run an errand, mow the lawn, clean your house, help a friend, take a long shower, cook and/or eat a meal. Do absolutely anything that is not directly taking part in that activity, turn yourself from it for a time, and watch as God changes your circumstances.
It is paramount during the break period to take your mind off of the sinful activity as much as possible. It doesn't work so well if you are fantasizing about the sin the entire time you are removed from it. Completely absorb yourself in the alternate activity for 30 minutes to an hour and you will find the overwhelming weight of the desire will subside enough for you to avoid that action.
When you discover yourself freed from the intense desire that you had previously, it is critical to give thanks to The Lord and remove that activity from your day. Don't tempt that desire to resume its attack, because it absolutely will. If you have done all this and still fall prey to the sin you are striving to overcome, have patience with yourself and keep praying for God to help you overcome. Faith and will are critical and God can use them, and strengthen them, to help you completely change your life for the better.
Also, the waiting period is very important to the success of this strategy. The Bible teaches us that waiting is a declaration of faith and allows God's power to work in our life.
Psalms 25:5; Psalms 27:14; Psalms 37:7; Psalms 40:1; Psalms 62:5; Psalms 130:5; Proverbs 20:22; Isaiah 25:9; Micah 7:7; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 1:6
In my years after recovering from my addictions, and habits that separated me from God, I have come to understand that even the most seemingly mundane substances can lead to, and trigger, sin very strongly for me. Caffeine and sugar are some of the worst things for you, especially if you are trying to get clean and to develop control over your mind, body, spirit and emotions. They both have a very strong effect on the chemicals in the brain which directly effects your thoughts and emotions.
The thing about caffeine, and any stimulant really, is that it causes the body itself to crave a downer, a suppressant. Alcohol is one of the most common and readily available sources of that desired state. Personally, I can have one small cup of coffee, of any kind - from anywhere, and as many as six hours later I want nothing more than a cold beer. Even when I know I have no desire for the beer, the taste, etc., I can't kick the desire for alcohol at that time and without the caffeine, this effect doesn't exist. These things, on the surface, a cup of coffee, a single beer, seem innocent, but for those of us who can easily fall into pre-established patterns of addictive behavior, they can be devastating, physically and spiritually.
Sugar can be just as devastating for many who often don't even know it's a danger. Just like all of the caffeine in America today, sugar is a man-made substance. Created in laboratories to have the most powerful effect on the brain possible. These are extremely addictive chemicals and they cause your brain, and mind, to do things it wouldn't do otherwise. They are very legitimately a drug. If possible, cut them both completely out of your life.
I hope this helps some who may be struggling to get a handle on sin in their life. Make prayer and the reading of the Bible top priorities in your life.
God bless.
ETA: It is also extremely important to learn to take every single thought into account. We do have control over our thoughts and we are capable of choosing not to think about things that do not serve us. All sin begins with a single thought that is allowed and nurtured. A seemingly innocent seed of evil.
Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
Most of those who believe this have heard, and been taught, this in churches and by those they esteemed as Bible experts in their lives. Well, I'm here to tell you from experience that it is not true. Yes, we all stumble often (James 3:2), but you can't stumble if you're not at least trying to walk upright. Sitting down in the mire of habitual sin does not count as any effort to avoid it.
Sin is greater today than at almost any other time in history. We have easier access to substances and visual stimulation via social media and internet connections to the sources of our unholy desires than at any other time since the flood. If you desire to live a clean and holy existence, God is ready and willing to help you achieve that. The Holy Spirit wants nothing more than to live in Light and shun darkness. We can utilize His assistance in overcoming our most difficult challenges in this dark and fallen world.
This is how I was removed from my group of friends who drank and used drugs regularly. In a little over a decade, God separated me from that group and, little by little, helped me to chip away at the unholy habits I had picked up in the world. There were a couple common, and easy to come by, intoxicants that were holdouts for me and this is the basic recipe for how I overcame them and the common triggers associated with them. This method works for all manner of sin.
First of all, it is absolutely essential to believe that God has the Almighty power to overcome anything in your life. Without faith, this is an exercise in futility. Reading the Bible is a must. It is the only way you can at least begin to nurture and grow your faith to a level that is strong enough to overcome your greatest enemies within yourself. It is essential to achieving a stable foundation of faith, and to maintaining it. The verses below will help you to understand just how God's Word can provide powerful sustaining nutrients to your spirit to help with the challenges you will face in life.
John 6:35; John 6:51; John 6:53; John 6:63; John 6:68; Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:93
The next time you are feeling overwhelmed with desire for that thing that you know, in your heart of hearts, is unholy and displeasing to God, there are a couple tricks that I have learned that, coupled with faith, can break the power of the enemy and free you from the sin that is defeating you.
Once you have a measure of faith to work with, you can use your awareness of yourself and your situation to call upon God's mighty power to help you in moments when you can't even find the will to desire His help. When every fiber of your being wants nothing more than to walk into that bar and start drinking, or pick up that drink you just ordered, or take that drug you just acquired or click on that sinful website or whatever it may be that has a chokehold on your will in that moment, if you can find the slightest ounce of choice inside yourself to say even the most insincere prayer to God, "God, I don't even want your help right now in this moment, but I'm asking for it. All I want to do is this thing, but I am asking for you to help me not to do it."
The very next step is to create, from seemingly nowhere, an excuse to wait, just for a short time, ... wait. Buy yourself some time for God to work on your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual condition in order to move you out of the line of attack from the enemy. Make a promise to yourself, from that place of overwhelming desire, that you WILL do that thing you know you shouldn't do. You are going to do it, absolutely, ... just as soon as you complete this one thing first. Then give yourself about 30 minutes to an hour for God to transform your spiritual condition. (I believe that God can change our circumstances in an instant, but it is the weakness of our faith that requires time for the change to take effect.) Run an errand, mow the lawn, clean your house, help a friend, take a long shower, cook and/or eat a meal. Do absolutely anything that is not directly taking part in that activity, turn yourself from it for a time, and watch as God changes your circumstances.
It is paramount during the break period to take your mind off of the sinful activity as much as possible. It doesn't work so well if you are fantasizing about the sin the entire time you are removed from it. Completely absorb yourself in the alternate activity for 30 minutes to an hour and you will find the overwhelming weight of the desire will subside enough for you to avoid that action.
When you discover yourself freed from the intense desire that you had previously, it is critical to give thanks to The Lord and remove that activity from your day. Don't tempt that desire to resume its attack, because it absolutely will. If you have done all this and still fall prey to the sin you are striving to overcome, have patience with yourself and keep praying for God to help you overcome. Faith and will are critical and God can use them, and strengthen them, to help you completely change your life for the better.
Also, the waiting period is very important to the success of this strategy. The Bible teaches us that waiting is a declaration of faith and allows God's power to work in our life.
Psalms 25:5; Psalms 27:14; Psalms 37:7; Psalms 40:1; Psalms 62:5; Psalms 130:5; Proverbs 20:22; Isaiah 25:9; Micah 7:7; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 1:6
In my years after recovering from my addictions, and habits that separated me from God, I have come to understand that even the most seemingly mundane substances can lead to, and trigger, sin very strongly for me. Caffeine and sugar are some of the worst things for you, especially if you are trying to get clean and to develop control over your mind, body, spirit and emotions. They both have a very strong effect on the chemicals in the brain which directly effects your thoughts and emotions.
The thing about caffeine, and any stimulant really, is that it causes the body itself to crave a downer, a suppressant. Alcohol is one of the most common and readily available sources of that desired state. Personally, I can have one small cup of coffee, of any kind - from anywhere, and as many as six hours later I want nothing more than a cold beer. Even when I know I have no desire for the beer, the taste, etc., I can't kick the desire for alcohol at that time and without the caffeine, this effect doesn't exist. These things, on the surface, a cup of coffee, a single beer, seem innocent, but for those of us who can easily fall into pre-established patterns of addictive behavior, they can be devastating, physically and spiritually.
Sugar can be just as devastating for many who often don't even know it's a danger. Just like all of the caffeine in America today, sugar is a man-made substance. Created in laboratories to have the most powerful effect on the brain possible. These are extremely addictive chemicals and they cause your brain, and mind, to do things it wouldn't do otherwise. They are very legitimately a drug. If possible, cut them both completely out of your life.
I hope this helps some who may be struggling to get a handle on sin in their life. Make prayer and the reading of the Bible top priorities in your life.
God bless.
ETA: It is also extremely important to learn to take every single thought into account. We do have control over our thoughts and we are capable of choosing not to think about things that do not serve us. All sin begins with a single thought that is allowed and nurtured. A seemingly innocent seed of evil.
Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
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