How to REALLY overcome Sin

Sin is stupid. Some is oppressive. Sin that besets. Sin that torments. Sin that repeats. Sin that condemns.

There is a way out. Here are some steps that will help ANYONE get past the sin that wears all saints down. If you struggle with sin in your life (and who doesn’t including me) use this as a path out.

1. Be honest with yourself, admit it, tell God you admit it. Get alone scream it. Be very frank, very honest describe to the Father in Heaven what is going on with you. I loved the movie The Apostle. There is a scene where The Apostle is screaming at God. God’s not shocked or annoyed. But until you get honest in admitting this before God you will think he doesn’t see. Of course he sees. You just have conned yourself into thinking he doesn’t. That’s why the first step is admission before him.

2 Pour your heart out to him. Tell him how much you enjoy the sin. Tell him how it feels good. Tell him how much your flesh craves this sin. Tell him how you feel. Pour your heart out. He knows anyway. We sin because we like our sin. We sin because it feels good for a little while. We sin because our flesh is at war with our Spirit. We sin because we are sinners. That’s why we need him. Tell him the truth. Get it all out. Tell him, "I do it but I don’t want to". He knows that. He just wants to be sure you know that.

3. Meditate on the Word of God. You can’t meditate on anything that isn’t in there. So memorize parts of the word. Start with Psalm 119. Romans 7 and 8. Don’t use the book of Chronicles just yet. Meditate on Colossians. Meditate on Galatians. Mediate on Philippians. Ask the Holy Spirit to plant deeply in your spirit the verses that will help you. The more you meditate on the Word the better you will do. Heb 4:12-16. Do what Jesus did, use the Word in Warfare against the Devil.

4. Take Communion. Take it often. There is power in the Bread and the Wine. Don’t settle for the “Sheep Dip assembly line” Communion service as is practiced in Churches many times. You need a profound one on one communion with God. Pray over the elements. You can do this alone or with someone you can share it with. Family is good. Spend time discerning the Body and Blood of Jesus in the elements. Paul said that some died because they didn’t do this. You need to get right with God. Real communion is one way to accomplish this. Get some bread; Get some Wine (or Grape Juice if that makes you feel better). Break the bread, think on, ponder the broken Body of Jesus on the Cross. Thank him for it. Eat the bread. Take the cup; hold it high over your head. Ponder the shed Blood of Jesus fully able to take your sin away. Do this every day for a while. Every time you encounter him in the sacrament you will be covered and begin to recover.

5. Stop condemning yourself. You feeling like a failure is a gateway for the Devil to tempt you once again. There are lots of verses in the Bible about this. All of mankind struggles with Sin, even the Pope, even your Pastor. I do. You do. There isn’t greater or lesser sin. Just Sin. Quit beating yourself up. Start to speak of yourself as a conqueror. "I am more than a conqueror". Is it true today? Probably not. But the more you tell yourself that the more your spirit will begin to believe it. Eventually you will overcome as your spirit lines up with the reality of your salvation. Don’t confess your sin to the Devil or to your flesh. Confess only to God. He is faithful and just to forgive you all your sins. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. Of course she did. But he still didn’t condemn her. He doesn’t condemn you. Run to him when you sin, not from him.

6. Get someone you can trust to be accountable to. Here is a land mine but an absolute essential. It must be someone you can trust absolutely. They must NEVER be potential carriers of your sin story to anyone else. They are only to ask “how ya doing”. You must be truthful. This person must be filled with agape love toward you. Accepting and without any shred of condemnation. Here the Catholics have it right. It would be best if this were clergy or some minister. No advice, no condemnation. Just confession. Then prayer if possible. Then a time of recommitment. Never condemnation. No joking around. No making light of the struggle. Just an ear that stands in for Jesus. This must be a person of absolute trust. They have struggles too. However, you must not be their accountability partner for them. The two of you will go down the drain together. That’s what’s wrong with the model that doesn’t work from Promise Keepers. You tell him. Then his sin struggles and confession must be with another. Bear one another’s burdens doesn’t mean the same person bearing. How is my load lighter if you offload you sin on me right after I offload my sin on you. One another is a one way street. I know this is not conventional thinking. You want to get over your sin don’t you? Do it this way.

Do these things with intent to overcome and you will. I have not yet arrived, neither have you, but you will if you stay firm in your commitment.

We are not designed to be slaves to sin. Jesus came to set the captives free. Be at liberty.