Fighting and Killing Sin in Our Lives

Fighting and killing sin is as harder than many of us expect and that is part of the reason why we can't seem to kill sin. We think we have turned the corner and before we know it, there it is again and there we go again. And we ask God why we have not changed. Part of the reason is we think killing sin should be simple. 


Granted, sometimes God does meet a person with such a deluge of grace that they are able to overcome a particular sin all at once. But this is not the norm. For most of us, fighting sin is like fighting terrorists, only we don't see it that way. We are like those to whom Hebrews was written. 

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:3–5)

We think we are suffering terribly in our struggle but in reality we are spiritual wimps. Many of us are more willing to die for our country or for our political party than we are for our King, his Kingdom and the assurance he grants to us when we are valiant in battle against sin. Do we have the will to resist sin to the point of shedding blood? Jesus says we should. He describes the battle with sin as painful and difficult in the Sermon on the Mount.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." (Matthew 5:29–30)

Just imagine having to cut off your own hand - that's hard and painful! We should expect all our battles with sin to be this hard and this painful. We should pray for the resolve and determination to be holy at all costs. 


But there is another reason that we struggle to gain victory and that is we often do not know how to do battle. Part of this has to do with our ignorance of the scriptures. The promises in God's word help us find the resolve to put the sword to our own hands and eyes by showing us how much better God's promises are than the hollow, fleeting "promises" of sin.  As Jesus puts it - cutting off hands and plucking out eyeballs are worth the pain and difficulty BECAUSE the kingdom is FAR better than the moments of sinful pleasure we experience in this life. If we truly believe this then we will waste no time chopping away at our own flesh. It may leave us maimed but that is by far better than entering hell with all of our parts intact! What does this mean practically? Jesus is using rated R imagery (rated R for gore and violence) to get his point across. We may not be literally cutting off body parts, but we may find we have to inflict harm or completely sever careers, relationships, material possessions and so forth in order to have victory over sin. 


Here are a few other blog posts I came across on the subject that you may find helpful.


Fight hard brothers and sisters!   --Pastor Dave


http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/some-proven-weapons-in-the-fight-for-holiness
http://www.ccef.org/blog/fighting-sin-hurts
http://www.ccef.org/blog/fighting-sin-tiring