When Sin Feels Good
What honest Christian can say they have never battled a sin in their life that they knew part of their heart loved, even though they knew it was wrong. It is something we all face. I write this article from a place of vulnerability, in hopes that what I’ve learned from my own experience, and in helping others, could be helpful for you.
We cannot lead people into waters we have never traveled. But sherpas are blessings when you find yourself lost on the mountain. For they have traveled the path before you. Perhaps I could be of some help to those of you who find yourself on the journey of fighting a sin that your heart loves.
When You Love Sin
All Christians feel temptation. If you don’t, you are not self aware. Even pastors and Christian leaders. Now, the question is, how do we respond to these temptations?
My Christian journey has not always been marked by walking in the light. I’ve made mistakes in my life when it came to how I responded to temptations. I’ve sinned before.
But as I’ve grown and as God has renewed me, He has taught me one central lesson that has been of the utmost help to me in fighting temptations that my heart still partly loves:
Communion with Him is sweeter than any sin.
What does this look like in reality?
I want to share with you something from my own journey. It happened recently. I don’t know why, but old temptations to sinful patterns and ways felt alluring recently. I felt drawn to things of my past. Although in this season of my life I’ve been in a very healthy place regarding obedience and walking in the light, my heart can still be, as James says, enticed by sin.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
-James 1:14
Sin can look good. It can seem like something we want. Have you felt this? You know what is right and yet something within you yearns for the forbidden. This is what is so difficult about fighting temptation, isn’t it? We get taught that we are to simply say no to sin. But what happens when sin not only tempts us, but our own hearts tell us that this sin is a good thing that will bring pleasure?
How do we battle the pleasure of sin? Just saying no will never lead to long-term victory. It’s not strong enough. It seems to crumble under the complexity and force of real temptations.
What can help us? For me, it has been the lesson God has taught me regarding fighting sin.
Communion with Him is sweeter than any sin.
So how did it play out for me recently?
Because I have communed with God in meaningful ways recently, when the temptations came and offered their goods, which looked good. My soul went to God and I prayed “I don’t want that God, help me. Sin looks attractive though, I feel it pulling me in”. I felt his gentle beckoning to go into my room, close the door, open my bible and enter into His fellowship.
Not to fight these temptations in my own power, but to rely on Him by going to Him.
Communion with Him is sweeter than any sin.
I opened my bible and read my proverb for the day. I prayed and tried to focus on God. I had such a sweet time with God. What happened? A superior pleasure beat a weaker one. I found my love for God increase as I became more aware of His love for me.
Don’t over romanticize this
It may be easy to read this, especially on a difficult day and say - “Ok, well my spiritual life isn’t like that. I get with God and feel nothing.” I would say, for me, leading up to this day of sweet communion with God, my daily devotions felt normal, boring, and mundane for weeks. I felt like I wasn’t getting anything meaningful out of them.
Don’t discount what the very “normal feeling communion” with God is doing in your life and your fight against sin.
We may not have immediate control over our actions and thoughts, but we can have eventual control. And that happens by being in the presence of God, becoming more aware of the Gospel and His deep, forgiving love for us, and seeing the relational heart of God.
He wants to walk this journey with you.
Beautiful Fellowship
When sin feels strongly alluring, and those old pleasures rise up trying to draw you away. Work to cultivate a communion with Him that is sweeter than any sin. Do this by being with Him often, even if you feel “dirty”. The scriptures say “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus died for you while you were dirty, He set his love on you while you were sinful. You are not out of His love if you find yourself struggling with sin.
The question is, how do you respond to your temptations and sins? Are you trying in your own power to prove that you are worthy of His love because you can overcome this thing on your own? You can’t. You will only get tired and depressed.
The Gospel offers a new way.
Are you tired?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30
All you must do is come to Him. If you have fallen, return to Him again, and again, and again. He is calling us to grow in holiness, but not in our own strength. We grow in holiness not by white-knuckle “just saying no”.
We grow in holiness by finding more pleasure with Him than with sin. So sit with Him, He offers rest to the weary. Get to know Him in the Bible, He is gentle and lowly. Learn to go deep in prayer, He is approachable. He never gives up on us. He will never turn you away.
Learn to trust Jesus with your heart. Learn the depths of intimacy with Christ that come when you stand with Him in the midst of temptation and learn “He isn’t leaving me, so I want to walk in obedience with Him”.
Communion with Him is sweeter than any sin.
Thankful God makes those of us who have been dirty, clean again,
Josh.
Why so many articles about sin?
Perhaps it is my own self-conscience, but sometimes I wonder if people who read these articles ever think “why so many articles about sin, Josh? Are you ok?”
I sat in a Seminary counseling class one day and the professor said (this is a rough recount of that moment): “None of you will be experts in every situation, but some of you can become experts in one. Maybe God will bring many to you that struggle with the same thing, maybe you will go through it yourself. And as you go through it, God wants you to become an expert on it so you can create resources the rest of us can use with our people in our churches.”
As I survey my life, the different temptations and doubts I have faced in my Christian walk, and those God has blessed me with the privilege to minister to. It seems that what God may be calling me to be an expert in is the fight against sins that feel habitual and attractive to our hearts.
If you’d like to get more resources like this, please signup for my newsletter below.