“Struggling with Sin”

When we receive salvation through Jesus we are told through scriptures that we get a clean slate at that moment. No matter how sinful we lived we get to start anew. We do not have to feel guilty or burdened down with all the old skeletons, no matter how unworthy you may feel. Jesus died because he chose to lay down his life to be the last sacrifice in order that we may be saved. We are made perfect because we are forgiven, but that does not mean we never sin, or need to keep working on being a better Christian.

(John 3:17)  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

When we walk daily with God, we are told that we are to be Christ-like.  We are to be a glowing light for God in all we do and say. We were made in the image of God our Father, so do we daily reflect his image? (Gen 1:27)

Just as a parent with more than one child understands, each child acts and reacts differently to discipline, kindness, or their environment. It’s true for each Christian. We each are traveling spiritually at different levels. One Christian may grow closer to God because of hard times, while another pulls away. We as Christians have to stop comparing ourselves to each other spiritually or who’s sins seem worse. We are to build each other up so that we can all grow in God, but if we cannot examine and learn how to grow past some of our own sins, how can we help each other?  (Matt 7:1-5)

One way to examine our own sins is to look openly and honestly at what sins or sin we seem to commit the most. Sure we could go through the multitude of even the smallest thought, but looking at our main struggles gives us something to start working on. For what I may be tempted by, to another person it may not bother them at all. What they may be tempted by, I wouldn’t necessarily be bothered. How we were raised, our environment, or what we were taught will reflect who we are as individuals. It also sets the stage as to how we view certain sins, some seem worse than others. To God regardless of our beliefs or any preconceived views of certain sins, it’s all still sin. We all struggle with sins, especially in a world that seems so far from God, daily through omission or commission those sins keep creeping in.

Each day when you get up in the morning, you have no plans to commit any sins and try to be what God wants you to be, yet by evening you may feel as though you had a bad day. Most Christians are riddled with guilt when they sin and say they will try harder tomorrow and it’s a revolving cycle. You try to please God, you sin, you feel guilt, you repent, and do the same thing day after day. The pattern keeps repeating and you never get past it, because you have to learn and grow past it spiritually.

We do have the ability to change our behaviors, so then we also have the ability to get rid of some of those repetitive sins. God knows we are not perfect, that we are sinful in the flesh and struggle in this world. God loves us and wants us to experience the joy of being a Christian. God does not want you to keep laying guilt trips on yourself, which doesn’t do any good. He wants you to grow spiritually and learn, so you can live with joy.

So how do we deal with the sins, and please God? First sit down and write a list of some things you know you need to work on. What are some of the things right now you may be struggling with? You may be able to start naming a few things as you’re reading this. Take time to pray and ask God to reveal those things that are not pleasing to him.

One thing I realized was when I name a sin of say pride, I find that there are many little sins that trail behind. Pride seems to have a lot of company or connections to other sins.

Here’s an example;

As a Christian we should be peacemakers, but sometimes arguments between a husband and wife just happen.

So, say you start arguing about something which is probably much of nothing in the first place. You both are frustrated or tired or having a hard day so you start taking it out on each other. For about a good 10 minute argument people sometimes feel the need to state their position no matter what and the old man creeps in. So you argue and get loud and make all kinds of mean faces at each other. You try to talk over each other thinking you will win the argument by getting louder. Maybe slamming things down on the table, waving your arms wildly like that will make some sort of a difference.

Now, how many times do you believe you may have sinned in just that 10 minutes alone? Some would say, “Well, I suppose I would be guilty of showing the sin of pride, that started it, or kept it going.”

Is that including what you were thinking while shouting to get your point across?

There is no doubt the sin of pride would probably be on the top of that list, but believe me, in 10 minutes alone there was more than one sin committed.

I personally would say, “Well, I showed pride….arrogance, rivalry,  unrighteous anger, sarcasm, uncaring, unloving, vain, doubt, evil suspicions, little envy, sloth (spiritual laziness) etc… and throw in a slab of contempt.”  In 10 minutes I accomplished all that! There were probably more in there but we’ll just stop with the short list.

Now, even though you stopped arguing, what feelings and thoughts are running through your mind the rest of the evening? “Well, he still doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” “He never listens to me!” And your thoughts are still leading you down the wrong road. Now, how many people ignore all those other sins, maybe because they don’t recognize them or choose not to believe they matter? They lay down their head on their pillow at night and ask God to forgive…what? Their pride. Forget about all the rest, God knows I’m a mess, so I’ll just stick with the main one right?

If pride is what keeps leading you into arguments, then pride is something that is a struggle for you and you may choose to focus on just that one.

Make a list of what you know is a struggle for you. Don’t get yourself overwhelmed with trying to work on everything, just start with one or two things. Ask someone you trust to give you their honest opinion of what they may see you need to work on.

It may be pride, envy, lust, judging others, gluttony (addictions), anger, resentment towards someone, whatever it may be.  If for example it is pride, then find as many passages in scriptures about pride as you can.

What does God say about it?

What are some examples of pride in the Old or New Testaments? Learn from some of the tribulations and temptations that caused others to fall into pride.

Why is it so important for you to hang on to that pride? Is this something you always struggled with?

How would your life be different if you had control over that sin?

Sometimes it helps to write down occurences or temptations that causes you to sin. You can go back and read over each day or week, and try to objectively look at it if you were reading another Christians writings. What would you say to them? What ideas could you give them to help them to avoid repeating that same pattern?

Jesus understands what it means to be tempted. He understands that for us to be a light and live in this world we will have to learn to resist evil and temptations. Gods Word is a wonderful teacher, so trying to learn and grow past our weaknesses makes us stronger in our relationship to him.

(Romans 12:2)  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.