In Genesis, Satan temps Eve with 3 avenues. She saw the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and she first saw it as good for food. Then, she saw it as attractive to her eyes. Finally, she saw it as a means to become wise.
The eye is like a gate because what comes in the eyes makes its way into your heart. That is why it is so critical to watch what we look at on television, etc. it will take root in your heart and eventually produce sin.
The heart plays a central role in leading us into sin or holiness.
Sin is a heart issue before it is a physical one. We must battle the internal level if we want to win the battle against sin.
Don’t take sin lightly, all sin is deserving not just physical death but everlasting death. That’s how hateful sin is to God. Therefore, it must be hateful to us.
Don’t allow sin to harden your heart. Sin will hard your heart. A hard heart prevents you from responding in faith when things get difficult. You end up responding with your human wisdom and selfishness. Our heart gets hard when we walk in disobedience and live a life that does not seek repentance and forgiveness.
Consequences of a hardened heart: you will not enter the rest that God has for you. Israel did not enter the land of promise because of this. They were left to wander in the wilderness the rest of their lives.
Perseverance and fighting sin do not have to be a sad affair. We are called to find delight in the Lord by repeating the good news of the gospel to ourselves and others. Below are some ways to battle sin.
· Knowing the Word of God, memorizing it and being saturated in it.
· Prayer is another way, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to his disciples, “pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
· Ephesians 6 talks about the full armor of God, which represents one of the means that God has given us to battle sin.
· We must take sin seriously, with a spirit of humility, we must fully rely on Jesus to help us avoid temptation.
· Make sure to have a close relationship with Jesus.
· Stay Spiritually alert.
· Pray in repentance when you’ve fallen into sin.
Conviction is not a bad thing. Feeling remorse over wrongdoing is recognizing sin is a trespass against God that gets in the way of your relationship with Him. This kind of conviction is what brings about positive change in future behavior.
The guilt and shame of sin will always tempt you to run away from God. Instead of allowing it to create a wedge between you and God, run to God so that he can close the distance with the cross of Christ. Because of Jesus, we no longer have to fear condemnation (Romans 8:1). His sacrifice is the all-sufficient price for our sins, past, present and future. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit. May he pull at my consciousness, may he tug at my spirit and highlight my short comings so I can repent. May he cause me to turn away from any sinful ways. As I humbly enter your presence, I am ashamed of my deeds and thoughts. So, I come seeking your forgiveness and cleansing. If I have wondered far from you or let my selfish thoughts and desires lead me in paths that are unrighteous forgive me Lord. Help me to walk in purity, give me the strength and diligence not to allow my thoughts to go out of control. Help me to judge my own actions. Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful about all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” I am grateful that you God search my heart. Lord, please continue to search my heart each and every day and remove anything that is not of you. Create in me a clean heart. Forgive me if I have let unforgiveness, dishonesty, deceitful ways enter into my heart. Forgive me if I have not been careful of the things I watch or listen to too. Have mercy Lord where I have fallen short. Ezekiel 36:26 says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you, I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Lord, I am grateful for this assurance. Your word gives me so much hope and I know I can have a fresh start with you. Please give me a heart that is pure. One that will seek to do things your way. I need a steadfast spirit. Give me strength to persevere in righteousness. Like David, I ask that you not cast me from your presence. Fill me with your presence, fill me with your spirit so that the fruit of the spirit will spill out of my heart. Guide my steps so I will never revert to sinful ways. Remove all idols from my life. Empower me Holy Spirit to truly repent and turn from my wicked ways. Thank you for restoring the joy of my salvation. I praise you for a new heart in Christ. Keep me steadfast and dedicated to you. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.
Exercise:
1. Has guilt of sin made you feel hopeless and cut-off from God? God hasn’t given up on you and he never will. Forgiveness is available. Take a moment and ask God to close the gap.
Scripture Reference:
Luke 22:40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
Psalms 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
Hebrews 3:7-8 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.