Struggling with the Same Sin... Again

May 23, 2024

“The power of the life-giving Spirit—and this power is mine through Christ Jesus—has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

Are you struggling with the same sinful problem over and over again?  

On the cross, Jesus paid for the penalty of your sins so you don’t have to pay for it. All of your sins—even the ones you haven’t committed yet—have been paid for on the cross.

But Jesus not only paid for your sin. He also paved a way for the Holy Spirit to enter into your life and break the power of sin over your life. Now you have a power you didn’t have before—the power to say no to sin. It’s more than willpower. It’s Holy Spirit’s power!

So, if you are a Jesus follower and have the Holy Spirit in your life, why do you still struggle with sin?

There is a battle going on around you. We have a very real enemy, and his name is Satan.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

There is also a battle inside of you - between your old, sinful nature and your new nature that comes from Christ.

So, how do you overcome habitual sin? If you truly want to live your life God's way (he isn't going to force you, but I promise you, living for God is the most rewarding thing you'll ever do) then here are three places to start:

1.  Focus on God more than trying to stop sinning.

A byproduct of a close relationship with God is that your desires will change. You will begin to desire what he desires for your life, and he can transform you from the inside out.

2.  Don’t do it alone.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)

Scripture teaches that we need to include others in our transformation process. This could look like getting into a life group or even seeking out a great therapist to help. Bottom line is, we need other people. That’s how God designed the transformation process to work.

3.  Replace old habits with new, positive habits.

All that time you were spending sinning, you need to replace with something else. If your old way of coping with a hard day led you to sin, find a new, healthy way to cope with hard days. Whether that’s through listening to worship music when you are tempted, or you fill up time with physical exercise, or you start spending your time serving and doing outreach. What you do with your time when you are trying to break away from an old sin pattern, matters.

The transformation process takes time. He is still working in you. If you follow Jesus, God's power is in you and God is for you in overcoming habitual sin.

Do not be discouraged.

Get back up again. 

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)