The Biblical call to salvation comes always with the call to repentance. Without repenting of our sins, we can’t be forgiven. If we’re not forgiven, then we’re still lost in our sins and in need of the Savior. My point being that sin in the life of a believer is supposed to be the exception, not the norm. This is not to say that we can ever become completely sinless in this life, but that as time goes on and we become closer and closer to Christ, sin should diminish from our lives more and more as God continues to sanctify us.
Unfortunately, however, sin can sometimes sneak into our hearts and wreak havoc on our lives, even after we’ve come to Christ. Just look at all the Christian leaders over the years who have fallen prey to the deceitfulness of sin and it becomes clear that no one is immune to its lure, regardless of how long they’ve been a Christian.
With that in mind, we should always take precautions to guard ourselves from sin. And in the event we find ourselves wrestling with sin, we need to know what to do. Fortunately, God’s Word is filled with wise counsel that can lead us out of sin and back into freedom – the freedom Christ secured for us on the cross. Here now are 9 Biblical steps you can take to overcome sin.
Step 1) Get Your Heart in the Right Place
As we seek to overcome sin in our lives, the first thing we must do is make sure our hearts are in the right place. What I mean by this is that any attempt to rid ourselves of sin that doesn’t come from a broken and sincere heart will not lead to the results we want. If we truly wish to live free from sin, we must be broken over the fact that we’re living outside of Christ’s will for our lives, and that we’ve returned to that which He’s saved us from, making His sacrifice in vain.
An example of what sincere, heartfelt recognition of sin looks like can be found in Ezra 9:3-6.
Upon hearing about the sins of his people, Ezra had this to say: “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.”
Ezra had a deep concern for the sins of his people, and that concern was displayed by the manner in which he prayed to God; a manner which we all would do well to imitate. This is not to say that we must tear our clothes or pull our hair as a means to display the grief we feel over our sinfulness, but that the recognition of sin in our lives should drive us towards authentic confession and repentance, as it did with Ezra.
If we attempt to rid ourselves of sin only out of a sense of temporary guilt, and not from a sincere desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord, then our efforts are in vain. Such attempts at reconciliation seldom bear much fruit simply because feelings of guilt quickly dissipate if not backed by an authentic yearning to live life according to God’s Word.
Simply put, we all experience guilt when we sin against God, but only those who TRULY desire to be pleasing to the Lord allow this guilt to lead them back to Jesus and away from sin.
Step 2) Confess Your Sins to God
Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
Principle to the Christian faith is the confession of our sins to God. This is something we must do at conversion and continue to do throughout the rest of our lives. This confession, however, must be more than just an emotionless account of what we’ve done. It must be a remorseful recognition of our failure to live according to God’s standard, backed by an adamant commitment to change.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Notice that God’s forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteousness is not automatic. It’s contingent upon our confession. Therefore, as we seek to overcome sin in our lives, we must always be willing to confess our sins to God in full recognition that we’re not worthy of His mercy, but also fully aware that we can’t live without it.
When we confess our sins to God, it allows us to see the true extent of our sinfulness in light of His righteousness. It allows us to be open and honest with ourselves concerning the condition of our heart, which dictates our actions. Not only this, when we confess our sins to God, we open ourselves up to receive from Him mercy, grace, and forgiveness. If we refuse to acknowledge the sin in our lives, and fail to confess them before God, we close ourselves off from receiving that which we most desperately need – God’s help.
Step 3) Know That You Can’t do it on Your Own
Often when we sin against God, feelings of inadequacy arise. These feelings often tempt us to go at it alone, as though we have the ability in and of ourselves to rid our lives of sin without God’s help. But truth be told, no one has enough mental fortitude or willpower to consistently live above sin. Sooner or later we’ll be tempted, and we’ll fall short.
With that being said, we need to get it out of our minds that God abandons us when we’re wrestling with sin. His attitude is not, “You got yourself into this so you’ll have to get yourself out.” It’s easy to get sucked into this type of mentality, but doing so only leads us further away from God, not closer to Him.
God never expects us to fight our battles on our own. He doesn’t want us to alienate ourselves from Him and come back when the matter is resolved. He wants to help us. And as His children, we must never be too proud or stubborn to refuse His help. We don’t have to fight our battle against sin alone, and God doesn’t want us to. Any thought that tells you otherwise is not from God. It is only with God’s help that we’ll ever be able to overcome sin, and live above it in a consistent manner.
Step 4) Be Receptive to the Spirit’s Guidance
In John 14:16-17, Jesus told his disciples that he would, “…ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
This “helper” or “Spirit of truth” is the Holy Spirit, as made known by Jesus a few verses later, and is available to us today as it was to the disciples almost 2000 years ago.
Part of what the Holy Spirit does is enable us to live the Christian life. He does this by placing within us the desire to do His will, part of which is abstaining from sin. All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they repent of their sins and turn to Christ. In fact, it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that any of us are able to come to Christ to begin with for it is the Spirit that convicts us of sin (John 16:8).
However, it is possible for us to “quench” or “grieve” the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30) by disobeying the convictions it places upon us. If done for too long it’s possible to become numb or desensitized to the Spirit’s leadings, making it even more difficult for us to get back on track. For this reason we must always be obedient to what we feel the Holy Spirit is telling us to do.
The Holy Spirit can speak to us through many ways, the most common being through our conscience or our thoughts. Being that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it makes sense that the guidance we receive from Him should come from within as well. Because of this, it’s vitally important that we stay “in tune” with the Spirit, making sure that we’re staying receptive to Him at all times.
The Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us away from sin, but only if we listen. He is not a dictator sent to force God’s people to do His will. He is the Helper, sent by God to aid His people in living the life God called them to live.
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16
Step 5) Seek Godly Counsel
As I mentioned earlier, God doesn’t expect us to fight our battles against sin alone. He wants to help us, and often He does this through the counsel of other believers. For this reason, we should always be willing to ask other Christians for help in our time of need.
This is why James said to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
What we need from other believers will vary. Some of us may need someone to keep us accountable. For others, a fresh perspective on our issue may give us the breakthrough we need. Regardless of what it is you need personally, you should never be ashamed to ask another believer for help. It could be someone in your family, a friend, or another church member. Whoever it is, however, just make sure that it’s someone you trust and respect.
When we seek the counsel of other believers, we open ourselves up to receive from them years worth of knowledge and experience that we ourselves don’t have. Who knows? Maybe the person you end up talking to has struggled with the same issue you are currently and could share with you how they overcame it.
Just know that it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. God puts people in our lives for various reasons, one of which is to help us in our time of need.
Step 6) Avoid Triggers
As we seek to overcome sin, one of the worst things we can do is put ourselves in a position where it’s easy to give in to the sin we’re wrestling with. For example, if you struggle with alcohol, hanging out with old drinking buddies is probably not in your best interest. If you struggle with pornography, being alone with an internet connection is also not a good idea.
Because of sin’s deceitfulness, we must always be on guard. We must always be vigilant in making sure we’re not putting ourselves in harm’s way. Instead, we must actively seek ways to eliminate temptation in our lives by 1) recognizing the instances in which we’re most tempted to sin, or have the ability to sin, and 2) removing those instances from our lives.
Being proactive in this manner is by far one of the most effective ways to combat sin. By not allowing yourself to be in a position where it’s easy to sin, you drastically reduce the chances of you doing so. Of course, this is only part of the solution and will only work if your heart is in the right place. For if you’re not ready to give up sin completely, you will find an opportunity to pursue it eventually. For this reason you must also commit to the next two steps.
Step 7) Devote Yourself to Prayer
Prayer is one of the most, if not the most, fundamental aspects of the Christian faith. Yet it’s often overlooked, probably due to its simplicity. And although the Bible is filled with examples of men and women praying to God, and having those prayers answered sometimes in miraculous ways, many of us just refuse to pray the way we should.
The Bible, however, is clear that prayer is to be part of everyday life for those who believe. The reason for this is that prayer is what strengthens us; it gives us hope; it demonstrates our faith; and it pleases God.
Among the many other things that prayer does is strengthen our spirit. Prayer is the means by which our spirit is edified, which allows us to fight against the flesh and temptation.
Paul tells us in Galatians 5:17 that “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” With this in mind we must always seek to build up our spirit while simultaneously weakening our flesh. We do this through prayer.
Remember the words of Jesus to Peter: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:40).
Many times throughout the New Testament we are exhorted to pray. A few examples include:
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
- Philippians 4:6 – “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”
- Colossians 4:2 – “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
The New Testament writers understood the importance and power of prayer, which is why they constantly told those whom they were writing to, to continue in it. A solid prayer life is crucial for all believers, but even more so when we find ourselves struggling with sin and seeking God’s deliverance.
Step 8) Stay in the Word
We know from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Like praying, the importance of reading and studying the Bible cannot be overstated. By reading the Bible consistently, we constantly reinforce God’s truth into our own lives. Meaning that the more we engulf ourselves in God’s Word, the easier it becomes to adhere to.
God’s Word is also the foundation upon which we stand when temptations arise. At the end of Jesus’s 40 day fast in the wilderness, Satan came and tempted Him. With each temptation Jesus responded with, “It is written”, quoting Scripture in response to the deceitful tactics of the devil (see Matthew 4:1-11).
This dialogue between Jesus and Satan illustrates to us the way in which we’re to use God’s Word in defense of our own testimony. Any time we feel tempted to sin, we should recall to memory what God has to say about the matter. Of course, we can only do this if we know God’s Word, which is only possible if we read it.
Step 9) Know That Your Sins Don’t Just Affect You
Seldom do we realize that God’s plan for our salvation extends past our own relationship with Him. Meaning that there’s more to our relationship with Jesus than just our own individual salvation.
When God calls us to Himself, it’s never just for the sake of us. Of course, God is concerned for us individually, but He’s also concerned for those that could be saved as a result of Him having saved us. Unfortunately, however, when we refuse to obey God and instead indulge in sin, we nullify God’s ability to work through us most effectively. This means that those who would or could be positively influenced by us for God’s glory will not receive that benefit.
For how can we, who have been saved, lead others to Christ if we fall back into the same sin we ought to be leading them out of? It’s for this reason that we must understand that the sins we commit never affect just us, even if they’re secret and involve no one other than ourselves.
When we sin against God consistently and without true repentance, eventually we’ll fall away from Him. This estranged relationship often curbs our zeal for the Lord, making us ineffective as servants of Christ. It hinders us from being able to carry out the Great Commission, which mandates us to make disciples and teach them to obey the words of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). Not only this, sin can affect us in ways that we don’t often perceive. It affects the way we treat our spouse, the way we raise our kids, and the way we engage with other believers.
Sin never accomplishes anything good, and its long term effects simply aren’t worth the very immediate and short term pleasures it provides. Thus, we must all be on guard to protect ourselves from sin, not only for the sake of self, but for the sake of those who would benefit from our walk with Christ. For who can say who, or how many people one may reach, if only he/she remains faithful to God?