The Bible warns of a deceptive voice that will try to lure many down the wrong path. Voices that excuse sin and convince people they can be saved while continuing to still live in sin. Don’t be deceived by such voices but turn to the scripture and see that those who live sinful lives will not inherit the kingdom of God. In fact, the Bible says those of God’s family do not make a practice of sinning and that those that do don’t belong to God at all.
1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 John 3:9–10 (ESV)
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
If you want to receive the reward of eternal life in Heaven then you most overcome sin. It must become a part of your past and not a part of your future. Sin must not be something you return to consistently. This is not an easy task where one day you live deep in sin and the next you never fall again. It is a process that requires dedication to the Lord and hard work. But it will have a greater pay off than anything else you ever do in your life. Through His word God has given us several surefire methods that when used will help us overcome the sins that once bound us.
Know Scripture
The Bible is the very word of God. Given to us to train, correct, and guide us through this life. So it only stands to reason if we want to overcome sin we must work hard to gain a strong knowledge of scripture. God’s word is likened to a sharp two-edged sword and we can use this sword to fight off the attacks from the enemy. Combating everything he says with a reply from the Bible.
Ephesians 6:17 (ESV)
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
This is the very thing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. Scripture says that Jesus is our example so we too should combat temptation to sin this same way. You will notice in Jesus’s encounter with the devil that he too has knowledge of scripture. So we must not only study to combat his attempts to tempt us but also so we can see through the devil’s attempts to use God’s word to trick us.
Matthew 4:3–11 (ESV)
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Take the time to find the verses that speak to the sin you are struggling with. Memorize them, write them down, store them on your phone, do whatever you can to have those verses with you whenever you need them. Whatever it is you struggle with, lust, greed, anger, hate, pride, stealing, etc. there are passages in the Bible that speak to those very things. Know them and use them when temptation strikes. When you feel yourself leaning toward sinning start saying, praying, and reading them don’t stop until you are sure you can move on without falling to sin.
Remove What Causes You To Sin
This is probably the most effective way to really overcome sin in your life. That being said it is also the simplest to do while simultaneously being the most difficult for many people. If you truly want to put sin in your past then you need to remove the things from your life that cause you to sin. We all have those things that spark sin in our lives. That always seems to easily get us walking down the wrong path.
A recovering alcoholic doesn’t go into a bar because they don’t want to risk reverting back to their old ways. The same should be true for Christians, we should not return to the very things that cause us to sin. No matter what, where, or who they may be. Friends, smartphones, television, social media, the internet, even places of employment are not worth missing out on Heaven.
Jesus said that one should cast out their eye or cut off their hand if it causes them to sin. Stating it would be better to get to Heaven without them than to walk whole into hell. There should not be anything in our lives we are not willing to give up if it causes us to sin and will ultimately lead us away from salvation.
Matthew 5:29–30 (ESV)
29 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. 30 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.
Figure out what it is that causes you to sin because you will be so much better off without it. Weigh the options. Is keeping the very thing that causes you to struggle really worth not being able to enter the Kingdom of God? If you can’t get on social media without greed, envy, or lust taking over your mind then get rid of it. The same applies to anything else that causes you to sin get rid of it before it’s too late. It’s not easy but it is necessary. Don’t try to trust in your own will power that so often fails. Instead, trust in God’s word and use this method straight from the Bible to overcome sin in your life.
Focus On God
2 Peter 1:10 (ESV)
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
Peter makes that statement we today would consider very bold if it came from the pulpit of our church. Stating that if we practice the qualities he has laid out we will never fall. The concept of never falling is one that is completely foreign to the church today. In large because we are often told that it is okay to fall everyone does it’s just a part of life. Yet a man that possibly spent more time with God than any other and even fell a couple of times himself says that doesn’t have to be the case if you do the following.
2 Peter 1:5–9 (ESV)
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Peter says to make every effort to add these qualities one to another. Saying that they should also continue to increase in our lives. Christians should be constantly working to be better, to fulfill the scripture, and to be more like Jesus. Doing this requires being dedicated to the Lord and His work. It requires all of our focus.
This is the very reason those who practice these qualities will never fall. They will be so focused on God with their minds so filled with Him they won’t be able to be taken by temptation. Place all your focus on God and you won’t be able to be distracted by anything else. Peter goes on to say that entrance to the Kingdom of God will be provided for those that do so.
2 Peter 1:11 (ESV)
11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Overcome sin by being so consumed with the things of God you don’t have the time or capacity for sin. Work on seeing the very qualities Peter listed manifest themselves in your life. Spend your free time in study, prayer, and worship. Surround yourself with Godly people and do the very work you are called to do. Don’t give sin the opportunity to renter your life.
These Won’t Help If…
Each of these methods will help you overcome sin and they work even better when you combine them. However, they will not do you any good if you don’t actually apply them. Read this whole article and even memorize it but don’t apply it and it won’t do you any good. Knowing scripture will only help you when being tempted if you pull on that knowledge. If you don’t remove the things that lead you to sin they will only keep doing it time and time again. If you’re not focused on God constantly working towards Him you will have all the more time to be taken by your flesh’s sinful desires.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God will always provide us with a way out of temptation. But He is not going to force us to take it. We must make the decision to leave sin behind. Using the tools He has given us and putting in our share of the work to overcome sin. These methods are the very way out God has given us so escape the room of sin before you fall.
Start To Overcome Sin Today
Please take what you have read in this article to heart. In order to see Heaven and experience its glory, we must overcome sin. It must no longer be a practice in our lives. Find a verse that speaks to the areas you struggle with and keep them with you always at the ready. Pray and seek God’s wisdom on the things you need to remove from your life. Become so busy in the work of God you won’t have time to fall to sin. Really do these things and you will start to see sin as only a thing of your past.
I pray this article has been a blessing to you today. If it has helped us show others how they too can begin to overcome sin. It only takes a moment to share this article and it could be the very thing that forever changes someone’s life. To share simply click the icon of your preferred platform below. Thank you and God Bless!
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