How To Overcome A Sin You Love

Do you have a hard time getting your heart to see sin as evil? Or maybe you struggle to remember the dangers of sin in the moments of temptation? One of Satans greatest victories in our lives is not a loud, explosive, spiritually dangerous obstacle. It’s the subtle numbing of our awareness of the evil, the danger, and the brokenness of sin.

Here’s a few thoughts that I was convicted of as I read my reading in Genesis this morning:

Sin is not a pet

Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is to control you, but you must rule over it.

- Genesis 4:7

These words were spoken to Cain right before he brutally murdered his brother. The backdrop of the Scriptures leading up to this event is one of relative relational harmony. Yes, the fall had happened and things were strained. But no one had sunken to the level of killing another human being that God had made. In fact, the only thing that had been killed was the animals God used to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Consider the contrast of God creating humans and breathing life into them. And now someone de-creating that human. Sin.

I see in my own life a cycle of how I think about sin. I tend to go from one extreme to another. I will grow in my awareness of how evil sin is. Of how it kills and seeks to master me. Over time, though, this clarity fades. Sin becomes not a poisonous drink, but a tempting delight. Something that looks quite harmless and safe. Warm and inviting.

What can we do to help ourselves stay aware of the true colors of sin?

1- Stay In the Word daily

When you hear an alarm, your senses heighten. You become alert and vigilant of any incoming threat. Spending 10 minutes a day to read the Bible and pray to God is a way of hearing the divine alarm that you are in a war zone. It happened to me this morning when I read Genesis 4:7 “Sin is crouching at your door, it’s desire is to control you”. Those are sobering words. Being in the word awoke my soul to the true colors of sin.

2- Sin desires to control you

In our spiritual apathy we tend to see sin more as a pet than a monster. “It’s not that bad” or “I can keep it just to myself, it won’t hurt anyone else if it does cause damage”. Have you so quickly forgotten that Satan is a deceiver? When it comes to what sin places before you and in your mind, you cannot trust one ounce of it. This is why we must call to mind truths about sin. One is, it desires to control you.

We often think we can control sin. “Just one more time, I’ll look”. “If I only do this smaller version of the sin, it’s not a big deal”. But sin always progresses. You cannot control sin. When our sinful desires and appetites are awoken, rational thought often goes out the window. Our inner ravenous impulses take over. This is why God has commanded us, out of love:

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

- Romans 6:14-16

You will either be mastered by sin or by God. One is for you, one is against you. One leads to death, one leads to life. It is not easy to lay down our sins, but reminding ourselves that God’s way truly leads to peace and flourishing is helpful. We cannot tame sin, it will tame us. So kill it.

3- Sin Hurts others

What did Cain’s sin lead to? The death of his brother. His anger of an unacceptable offering lead to murder.

I can hear you now. “Oh, come on Josh. Seriously? My small lust problem, my argumentative tongue, my greed isn’t going to kill anyone.” Perhaps not. But on days I feel secured in God’s grace and look over the past landmines of sin I’ve walked over, with greater clarity than in the moment, I see how my sins hurt others.

My friends, there is no such thing as an isolated sin. It’s easy to believe, but it is yet another thought from the deceiver. Your sins hurt your husband. Our sins hurt our brothers. Our sins hurt our friends. Our sins hurt our congregation. Our sins hurt our pastors. Our sin hurts the women we objectify. Our sins hurt our family.

If your own damage is not enough to give you clarity over your sins, your love for others may be. Like a werewolf who can sit with his friends and have the most merry of times, only to, in the moonlight, turn and lose control and tear the friend he just enjoyed coffee with to shreds. That’s sin if it masters you.

4- Sin damages your intimacy with God

Out of all the reasons to not sin, the danger of sin should not be our primary motivation for obedience. There are days where it will be what keeps us from sin, and that is ok. But we should be cultivating a greater motivation to being obedient rather than simply the dangers of sin. Duty may keep us faithful to our spouses or vows, but that is a shallow reason if it is a long-term one.

We should be obedient because of love. Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me you will keep my commandments”. We grow in our friendship and intimacy with Jesus when we trust Him over the temptations we face. Enduring temptation is a pathway to greater intimacy, we forgo that intimacy when we give in to sin.

Not only this, but Jesus died for our sins. When we choose sin we are turning our backs on God for that moment. The God who has only done you good. Only had your best interested at heart. Only longed to bless you. That God, we turn to and say: “I do not care what you have to say, I do not care about your love, I do not care about your law and will not submit to you.” When we sin, we spit in His face. I do not write that to condemn you, but to awaken you. I’ve reminded myself of this in the moments of temptation and it has the effect of giving me a type of clarity I need.

I want to love God. I want to be faithful. I want to honor His sacrifice. Intimacy with God offers a greater and more full pleasure than sin ever could. So seek to kill your sin and choose God.

There are many reasons we kill our sins. I pray these few thoughts help awaken you to clarity. Sin seeks to kill you. Sin seeks to control you. Sin hurts those you love. And sin will destroy your life if you do not kill it. Maybe you’re reading this right now, contemplating sin. What you need is to see the face of God, so turn off your computer and spend some time with Him.

Perhaps you’re reading this after having sinned. I would commend this article to you: Four things to do after you sin.

Do not give up.

Asking God for greater clarity of sin with you,

Josh.

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