I Am No Match For Sin

I am no match for sin. It feels intimidating to write about because it’s an ongoing battle and it is a very present reality. Shame would try and convince me to wait until I feel that I’ve reached an immutable degree of victory over this area of my life before sharing, but shame has no place here. I will be fighting sin until I am with the Lord & when it comes to sin - I fall. A lot. I certainly haven’t figured it all out, as much as I’m tempted to give the impression that I have. I need God to teach me and carry me in the battle against my flesh nearly every day of my life. While its emergence can shift, it's there. And though I’d like to serve this to you on a spotless silver platter… the truth is, sin is ugly and I’ve got a long way to go.

My prayer is that this would encourage you to keep fighting. To not let shame or the enemy win, but to pick your head up, run to God, and pursue holiness and freedom in Him. I also want to offer some practical ways to combat sin in your own life.

The Reality of Sin

I often relate to this confession from the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome. He writes,

Romans 7:15 [15] For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (ESV) Paul is describing the inner battle between the flesh and the Spirit. When I come face to face with the lure of temptation, it becomes very clear that dying to my flesh is much easier said than done. Fighting sin is hard.

Let’s unpack the reality of sin for a moment. Sin separates us from God. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Before we go any further, I want to remind you that Jesus paid for that on the cross. The weight and penalty of sin was nailed there. Mine. Yours. All of it. Feelings of remorse are purposeful and function to lead us to repentance. To turn away from our sin and back towards God. This is the gospel. While we were dead in our sin - not half dead, not kinda dead, but fully dead - Jesus sacrificed His life, so that sin would no longer separate us from our Father in Heaven. The blood of the Perfect Lamb was the payment for the wrath of God against sin. Because He loved us (not the other way around), God became flesh and dealt with sin and death forever. In God’s justice He had to punish sin, yet in His mercy, He sent His Son to pay the price on our behalf. And not only did He die for it, but He overcame it. The Spirit of God raised Him back to life! And that same Spirit is alive in us right now, enabling us to have power over sin. So how do we fight it? Here are 3 practical ways I want to offer you.

Go to God.

We can do nothing apart from God. Especially when fighting personal sin. Not for long anyway. God’s grace enables us to defeat the Enemy. Which goes to say, we can’t do this without divine help from God. His Holy Spirit within us is the source of power and grace from which we draw from. His presence in a moment can free us from the desire to sin. Prayer is an expression of our communion with God. So in those moments of temptation, seek the Lord and His counsel. Just start talking to Him. I challenge you. Then listen for His voice.

Go to God’s Word.

In addition to prayer, we must go to the Word of God and wield it as a weapon against the Enemy. Jesus modeled the power of God’s Word when He was led into the desert for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. Memorizing Scripture and meditating on His promises is what renews our minds. Storing up the Word in our heart allows us to fight sin with the light of God’s Truth. The Holy Spirit will illuminate the truth of God that’s hidden in our hearts at the right time when we are fighting the enemy.

Psalm 119:11

[11] I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you. (ESV)

Go to God’s People.

How do we fight habitual sin and actually resist the devil? James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (ESV) We need to fight sin within the context of community. James highlights the significance of confessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ, that we may be HEALED. When we walk in the light and expose sin, we take the power away from the enemy. Ugly things grow in the dark. In the light, his grip loosens. When we choose isolation in our sin, we can give Satan a foothold. At times, I think I can fight a particular sin on my own, only to be met with defeat time and time again. The enemy whoops my tail in isolation. It’s true. Secrecy is the adversary of healing. I needed to take James 5:16 seriously. The Bible says confess and then be healed. Do you want to be healed? Get out of the dark and tell somebody. I urge you to go to at least 1-2 people that you trust and shine a light on what’s hidden. People who fear God and will love you by holding you accountable. God can and will heal you. Watch Him work as you walk in the light. He’s done it for me and He can do it for you. Then keep that light on.

Now for some of you, this might stir up feelings of shame or judgement. The enemy is crafty, I’ll give him that. He would love nothing more than for you to read this and to self-condemn. Or to think that somehow, your shortcomings would cause God to turn away in disappointment. There’s a quote by Joby Martin (Church of Eleven22) that powerfully addresses this: “There is more grace in Jesus than sin in you.” And to that, I say, Amen! God has GRACE for you. Quite possibly more than you realize. God’s grace is not an invitation to sin, but the reality that we can run to Him and know we are covered in the perfect blood of Jesus. We can continue to pursue righteousness through Him because His mercies are new. The enemy over promises and under delivers every single time. God never compromises on His promises. The very consequences of sin remind me that the devil is nothing more than a liar and a thief of the freedom that God has for you in Him. That is ALL he can do.

While we are still in a battle against sin, the enemy cannot touch our salvation. Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. The same grace that meets you daily is the same power that enables you to resist the devil. We have a constant supply of the Spirit of God. We are redeemed and yet broken vessels, awaiting glory. When we look around us, we undoubtedly live in a messy and sinful world. But praise God, that our hope doesn’t end here in the presence of sin and darkness. Our hope is undefiled; it is in Christ and Christ within us. He is ultimately victorious. So again, I struggle. Without God, I am no match for sin. But God is faithful. If you have surrendered your life to Christ, you are redeemed. His Holy Spirit is in you and He will supply every need of yours according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, including the power to overcome sin and resist the devil.

- Summer Broadbridge