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Yeah... so... help me, there's certain sins that I'm having trouble defeating, my will gets eroded, and some people just bug me so much, that I can't help but be mean to them or yell at them, which is a sin, and my thoughts, I can't keep sin out of my thoughts.
I know that I can defeat sin, that I can eliminate some of the sinful habits in my life, but its hard.
any advice on how to overcome sin?
I have the same problems. I can't remember the passage, but there's a part where Jesus says basically, whatever causes you to sin, freakin rid it out of your life. If your right eye causes you to look at women lustfully, gouge it out. That sort of thing.
So that's what I have been doing. Eliminating the cause for certain things. As for yelling--I, too, fall to that. I just take some steps back, and think in my head how person "x" might be a friend of mine, and while I might be mad, they have always been there for me. If I do yell, I apologize later. And then I keep trying harder.
But, for me, the most important thing is to pray to God to help you fight sin--to live a life more like Christ. You got to put in your effort, but, I can honestly say, every time I pray AND I put in my effort, the outcome is very positive. And then Im happy. When the going gets tough... pray for help. You can pray all the time. So do it.
I agree with the answer above. Also, I would add W.W.J.D? (What would Jesus do?) to your thoughts when you are thinking in the ways that will lead you to sin.
Sin can be a life long struggle, and can only be defeated with the help of God! Even Paul said he constantly does the things he knows he shouldn't be doing. "All have sinned and fallen short..."Rom. 3:23 But you shouldn't continue to sin. "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning...." 1John 3:6 If God is love, and you truly live in Him, you will live in love! "Love never fails..." 1 Cor. 13 Love conquers all and without love, we can be and do nothing! My best advice for you would be to study how to live in love! Jesus told his disciples the greatest commandments are to love the Lord... and to love your neighbor... Matt. 22:34-40 He said all else falls under this. So, here's what you can try! First, pray, and completely give this thing over to God. Next time it comes up, and it will, so be ready, tell it no!Remind yourself that you gave it to God and immediately grab your Bible and read about love in 1 Cor. 13. Now, you might still fall, don't beat yourself up, get back up and start all over. God will help you if you let Him!!
:) I agree for me too sin seems to be a uphill battle sometime's, but it's good to stop in your tracks and think WWJD before you say something or do something. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Clough
SameOldSituation I like your answer too.
You're only human. Human is to feel emotions, and have experiences.Quote:
Originally Posted by cal823
"I can't keep sin out of my thoughts", that is a huge struggle that we all go through. God's Word tells us us that we need to renew our minds, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2).Quote:
Originally Posted by cal823
The next obvious question is "how do we renew our minds?"
Think about good things - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
Meditate on God's Word (we have to be reading it first!) - "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2)
Another thing that has helped me is to avoid the places and the circumstances that tempt me. "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans 13:14).
This was mentioned in a previous post, but praying and committing our sinful thoughts to God will help. Matthew 26:41 - "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Reading through Ephesians chapter 4 is a good idea - put off and put on.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24)
The idea is that when we are trying to overcome sin, we replace that sin with something good. For example, in verse 29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. "
Finally, it is a good idea to find an "accountability" partner - a close Christian friend, someone in your family, or from church. This has been extremely helpful to me, I have a couple close friends that I share my struggles with. We check up on each other, and pray for each other. Galatians 6:1-2 - "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
You may find these articles helpful:
How Dead People do Battle with Sin , by John Piper
Putting Sin to Death , by J. Ligon Duncan
We all go through this, and we will until the day we die, but as Christians we have hope of eternal life in heaven through the Christ's death, who paid the penalty of all our sins (Romans 5:8; John 3:16).
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I hope this helps, and I am glad you asked the question because I needed to be reminded myself to stay focused when trying to overcome sin.
God Bless!
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