Sin – it’s attractive, it’s pleasurable, and sad to say even as Christians we all at times struggle with it. May I share three thoughts on how we can defeat sin cold in its tracks.
Thought 1
One of the most effective ways to not sin can be found in hiding God’s Word in our hearts, for we read in (Psalm 119:11): “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” There is nothing more powerful than God’s Word when it comes to defeating sin. If you remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness to sin, three times our Lord quoted a verse from the book of Deuteronomy that caused Satan to flee. And we have the same power to yield God’s Word against Satan when he tempts us to sin. So read and hide Scripture deep in our hearts – it will be a powerful ally in our battle against sin.
Thought 2
The sooner we learn to have a holy reverence for Jesus the sooner we will be able to say no to sin. (Proverbs 16:6) says: “In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.” My friends having a holy reference for God is one of the best ways to steer away from sin.
Every Christian should memorize this gem of a verse because it contains the greatest secret, I believe, in all of Scripture for overcoming sin. The concept here is not to be afraid of God but to have a holy reverential awe of Him. The more we reverence God and hallow His name the more we will want to do everything in our power to glorify Him. On the positive side this means to always praise Him for His mighty deeds and on the negative side to not sin. As we read the Bible more and spend time in the presence of Jesus we can’t help but fall more in love with Him. And the more we love Jesus and magnify His name the more we will live a holy life and not want to sin because we love Jesus too much to displease Him.
Thought 3
J. C. Ryle once said: “How can we love sin, when we remember that because of our sins Jesus died?”1 Did you ever realize that it was because of our sins that Jesus went to Calvary and died a horrific death so we could be forgiven of our sins, enter into a special relationship with Him, and avoid eternal damnation. These are monumental thoughts, and I think we don’t focus our full attention on them enough. I believe when we really understand what Jesus did for us at the cross, that knowledge will jolt us mightily into saying no to sin!
So the more we arm ourselves with the Holy Scriptures, develop a holy reverential awe for Jesus, and understand deep in our hearts that Jesus died so we might live, the quicker we will be able to say no to sin!