How To Rid Your Heart Of Sinful Desire

How do you change your hearts inclination towards sin?

Our hearts are daily idol factories, grafting our affections onto created things that were never meant to hold our allegiances and affections. Idols promise us life, pleasure, and satisfaction, but in the end only deliver death. We all know the internal pull to sinful habits, relationships, websites, attitudes, and reactions.

The question is- How do we lay these sinful desires down? If we want to be growing as Christians, this is a task we must commit our lives to. As John Owen says, “Be killing your sins, or they will be killing you.” The internet is full of calls to kill sin, but how do we? How do we do work on the heart level to shape our spiritual affections away from sin?

In answering this question we turn to a familiar verse from Paul.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 

- Philippians 3:8

Notice here five components to this declaration that will aid us in shaping our spiritual affections away from sin.

1- I count everything

Paul considers everything. What is everything? All of his spiritual achievements (3:1-7) Everything that is sinful and things that are not sinful, which block his intimacy with God. If you want to align your heart with God, you must consider what in your life gets in the way of faith. If it hinders, instead of helps, count it as loss. Get rid of it.

Take some time to contemplate, what must you count as loss in your life? Both sinful things and non-sinful things.

2- As loss

What does Paul consider these things? Loss. It means he must give them up…

It is helpful for us to note that there is an element of loss when we must lay something down. Don’t expect it to be easy to get rid of your secret sin or your idol. Sins have their allure, this is why we sin. Because we think we will gain some pleasure, advantage, comfort… etc. Laying those sins down does feel like loss sometimes.

So when you lay your pornography addiction down, or you start serving early in the morning, or you integrate a more disciplined prayer routine, those sacrifices will feel like loss. But we count them as loss. As things, we’ve thrown away. Why?

3- Because of the surpassing worth

We count all things that block our faith as loss because we have a surpassing worth. Because the object you are giving them up for has a superior pleasure. A superior worth to you. It is better. More lovely. More promising. Far more worthy. Our problem is that we often consider sin more worthy than God. Isn’t this why we sin? Because it seems to offer us something that God isn’t?

Consider the anguish of Augustine, a pastor in the 400’s as he sought to fling off his lusts of 30 years,

I was held back by mere trifles. . . . They plucked at my garment of flesh and whispered, “Are you going to dismiss us? From this moment we shall never be with you again, for ever and ever.” . . . And while I stood trembling at the barrier, on the other side I could see the chaste beauty of Continence in all her serene, unsullied joy, as she modestly beckoned me to cross over and to hesitate no more. She stretched out loving hands to welcome and embrace me. (Confessions, 175–76)

Think of the process of buying something. I give up (count as loss) my 5$ to buy a taco. Why? Because I consider the taco as more valuable to me in that moment than the 5$. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t buy it. If it was overpriced, I’d keep the money. We give up things for better things.

This is what Augustine finally saw, that a superior pleasure had conquered his pleasure for lust.

How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys [his lusts for sex] which I had once feared to lose! . . . You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood, you who outshine all light, yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honor, though not in the eyes of men who see all honor in themselves. . . . O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation. (Confessions, 181)

“You drove them from me and took their place…” Surely this is what it means to taste and see that the Lord is good! Better than anything. Better than years and years and years of unbridled sexual pleasure to the max. Better than all the money in the world. Better than all of your deepest insecurities fixed! We fling off our sins and our lusts when the joy and pleasure of God stands before us. We fight the allure of sin with a greater pleasure.

So we count as loss all things that get in the way… get in the way of what?

4- Of knowing

The object of which has surpassing worth is not merely a thing, but someone to know, to love, to be loved by.

5- Christ Jesus My Lord

Who is this person? Christ. The God-man. The one who died for me. And His father, God.

How we lay down our sins as loss

In the Christian life you will be prone to be selfish, lustful, angry, prideful, self-seeking, lazy, or any other combination of sinful every day of your life. These things will feel like loss when you strive to give them up. And when that happens, Satan will whisper: “Why on earth are you giving this up? It’s easier this way… it’s better to sin than to be holy…it can mask your pain…”

What will you say in that moment? How will you practically, when the rubber meets the road, lay your sin down? With will power? Spiritual resolve? Sheer force? There are hundreds of practical ways to help train our actions, but none as powerful for the heart and its affections as considering.

When you are tempted to sin and that little voice comes to you: “Click the website” - or “Gossip about her” - or “worry about yourself, not others” - or “give up the faith, it’s not worth it.” What will you do in that moment to pursue holiness? One thing we do, is consider. We consider God’s Word and meditate on it before temptation and in temptation.

The Power of Considering

Notice in Philippians 3:8, twice Paul says “count”. This word can also mean consider. It means he dwells on it. Thinks through it. Prays about it. And considers it true.

When temptation comes, we might say something like: “Indeed, it might feel like loss for a moment Satan, to give this sin up. But I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3) We fight the allure of sinful pleasure with a superior pleasure, knowing Christ. In that moment, when sin feels attractive, what I need is to see Christ as more attractive. More beautiful. More glorious. Offering more pleasure in knowing Him than anything sin can offer. And the way we do that is to consider Him. To meditate on Him. We must spend time with God, it is how we consider Him as of surpassing worth.

Sanctification is a process

Go to Him friends. His arms are always open. He longs to help us in our walk of sanctification. Lay anything down He asks you to. It may feel like loss for a moment, but I promise you, it is far better to know Christ than to hang onto any sinful tendency. God is not against your joy, but for it. He is not against your pleasure, but for it in fullness. Remember, we fight sin not to earn God’s love, but because of God’s love for us.

Self-control does not come in pill form. Growth does not come without spiritual sweat. Love is not cultivated without sacrifice. Dependence on God is not born without a situation that depletes you of your strength. Whatever God is doing in your life in regards to your sanctification, trust Him… and count it all as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Him. There is more joy found in obedience than the slog of sin. Always.

Doing my best to imperfectly lay it all down for Him,

Josh.

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