You’ve battled with that sin for as long as you can remember. It has gotten the best of you time and time again. Although you desire to overcome, somehow you just end up in the same place, feeling the same emotions, falling prey to the same temptation, and hearing that same condemning voice telling you that you just can’t get it right.

“You’ll never get over this!”

“Are you even a Christian?”

“You should just stop trying!”

“God is done with you.”

Does any of this sound familiar?

Throughout this series, we have been discussing how to keep walking in faith and resilience when tough things happen to us. However, as we come to the close of this series, I want to end off with an encouragement for you who feels like the biggest obstacle in your faith isn’t your health, heartbreak, or abuse as we’ve talked about in previous weeks, but is actually your own sin and shame. Like, you want to do the right thing, but you just keep falling. You even wonder at times if you should stop trying since you keep making mistakes anyway.

I just want to start off by being transparent and saying that I know what that’s like. Deeply and intimately. Sometimes I feel like I’m one sin away from God just saying, “Enough. I’m moving on to someone else because you just keep failing.” However, as I’ve been on this journey of learning and growing, there are a few things that God has put on my heart that I’d love to share with you as you live out your story.

Firstly, we are in a battle. Take it seriously.  When we sin, it can be easy to fall on one of two sides: either magnifying God’s grace and ignoring the severity of our sin or focusing so much on our sins that we forget the grace of God. However, both sides lack a complete understanding of the character of God who is both just and gracious.

When we choose sin over obedience, we need to recognize that our sin is an act of rebellion against God. It’s easy to cry a few tears, say we’re sorry and promise that we’ll try harder, but are we truly willing to die to ourselves? Are we willing to take radical action for the sake of righteousness? In Matthew 5:30a, Jesus says, “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. ” We know that Jesus isn’t actually asking us to mutilate our bodies, but He is asking us to mutilate our flesh. What I mean is that He wants us to do whatever is necessary to fight against the sin in our lives.

Struggling with comparison? Are you willing to delete that social media app that constantly causes you to obsess over what others have?

Dealing with unforgiveness? Are you willing to let go of that anger and hatred so that you can embrace freedom?

Falling prey to internet pornography? Are you willing to keep your technology out of your room to limit temptation?

These days, some would consider these steps to be extreme, but that is the kind of faithfulness Jesus is requesting of us.

Now, I would be remiss to move on without making it clear that fighting sin requires more than just the tangible stuff like downloading a software or deleting an app. Our habits matter, but so do our hearts. We need more than just behavior modification; we need heart transformation, and that only comes through God’s power. While taking the necessary steps to help us stand in the face of temptation, we also need to be seeking after the only One who can truly cleanse us from the inside out.

Secondly, we need to understand the difference between condemnation and conviction. I once heard someone say that, “Conviction is more than just a feeling; it’s the convincing of our minds of the truth.” See, while the devil will say things like, “You’re a failure. You messed up again! Why can’t you ever get it right?” and leave you feeling miserable, the Spirit’s conviction is there to lead us to repentance and back to God. Conviction is a painful grace. It can hurt, it can feel uncomfortable, but it’s meant to bring us home. Over and over again when God is upset with His people for abandoning Him, He mentions how much He desires for them to return so that He can bless them. God’s desire is for healing and reconciliation. So the next time you fall, instead of running away because you feel ashamed or like He doesn’t want anything to do with you, choose to run straight to Him. 

Thirdly, practice gratitude. Okay, so this is one that I just read about recently that has honestly changed the way I think about fighting against sin. The author mentioned that oftentimes, our sins are rooted in ungratefulness. Just think about it!

Jealousy: Disliking someone because they have something that you don’t

Lust: Desiring something that you can’t, don’t or shouldn’t have

Greed: Trying to attain something that you don’t have or desire more of

Now while this may not be true of all sins, I definitely think it’s something to reflect on for yourself. How can you practice gratitude for what God has given you in times of temptation? I have found that it has changed my focus and helped me to take my eyes off of myself and put them back on the Lord.

And finally, get up and keep running. The enemy will try to use shame and discouragement to keep you stuck. He’ll make you feel like there’s no point of trying again because you keep on failing. This is where resilience comes into play. See, resilience is the ability to recover quickly when obstacles are thrown your way. Ask God for the strength to get back on your feet and the desire to do His will, and then keep breaking ground for the kingdom. 

Friend, it’s not a mistake that you’re here in this moment. He is pursuing you. Keep running after Him, dear heart, and you will find that He is so much bigger than your failures and exceedingly better than your temptations.