I am dealing with a tough sin; I refuse to give up in defeating it, but will God?

Sincerely,
Soldier

Dear Soldier,

God doesn’t give up on us; we give up on Him.  God tells us that if we repent and confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us (1 Jn 1:9).  Our heavenly Father is ready and willing to forgive (Ps 86:5).  He doesn’t desire anyone to perish (2 Pet 3:9).  If you are truly and honestly throwing your heart into defeating this sin, God won’t give up on you.  God provides us with many tools to help defeat sin, including prayer (Acts 8:22) and confiding in others (Jas 5:16).  Take advantage of these tools; put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:13-18), and you will be victorious.

If you commit a sin and ask God for forgiveness, does God forgive you right away?  Or does He forgive you once you have proved to Him that you won't commit that sin again?

Sincerely,
Just Wondering!

Dear Just Wondering,

The Scripture gives every indication that when a christian (it is different for those who aren’t already christians) sincerely repents and asks for forgiveness, they are immediately forgiven.  God tells us to confess our sins, and we will be forgiven (1 Jn 1:9).  Jesus told the disciples to forgive their brother immediately if he repented and asked for forgiveness (Lk 17:3-4).  If we are expected to forgive immediately, it would only make sense that the Lord works the same way.  Ps 34:18 says that God desires a contrite spirit and that He is near to those with a broken heart.  When we confess our sins, God is looking for an attitude of sorrow and humility.  If that attitude is there, the behavior will eventually follow.

I’m so torn up inside!  Why can’t I stop sinning?  I really do try, and I succeed for a while, but then I fall right back into it.  I feel as if I’m slowly escaping this sin, but I still feel burdened by it, and I’m scared God will stop forgiving me.  I know it says in the Bible that God’s grace is endless, and that’s the only thing that leads me to succeed when I do.  I refuse to give up, and feel I am slowly winning the battle, but when I fall, I feel soooooo terrible.  Any advice?

Sincerely,
Repetitive Sinner

Dear Repetitive Sinner,

When a sin becomes so entrenched in your life that you are enslaved to it (Jhn 8:34), you are dealing with an addiction.  Addictions are formed by habits, and habits are formed by repeatedly making the same choices.  James describes this process in Jas 1:13-15.  All sins begin with a mental decision.  If you want to remove an addiction, isolate the choices that are putting you in the position to commit that sin.  If you change the environment and circumstances that lead you to a sin, you change the future playing field.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to let someone else know about your struggle (Jas 5:16).  There is strength in numbers (Eccl 4:12), and exposing a sin takes its power away (Jhn 3:20).

If I have been struggling with a sinful life, how do I un-harden my heart?

Sincerely,
Trying

Dear Trying,

God says that the only way to “un-harden” a heart is to start really listening and acting on what He says.  A hardened heart is stubborn (Deu 2:30) and proud (Dan 5:20).  A hard heart is another way of saying that someone won’t listen to good advice and won’t do what others tell them.  God gives good advice; it is up to us to listen and act.  Sometimes, we need to take a good long look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What does God say I should be doing (attending services, avoiding bad company, making better life choices, etc.)?”  Then we need to go out and do it.  Faithful people hear and act (Jas 1:22).  Start doing, and you start changing.

I am struggling with a very tough sin; I keep falling, but I refuse to give up the good fight.  Sometimes, I feel like I’m a terrible evil person for falling into this sinful life.  I guess what I’m asking is for any tips, advice, and verses to help me defeat this sin.  I’m too embarrassed and extremely scared to admit this sin to others; any advice to help me… just between me and God?  Please pray for me. Thank you.  The answers and verses have helped me many times, especially when you say never give up!

Sincerely,
Mums The Word

Dear Mums The Word,

Our hearts go out to you in this battle – good job not giving up!  We want to help you, and we will pray for you.  Unfortunately, helping you probably means telling you something you don’t want to hear.  It is almost always uncomfortable, humiliating, scary, or costly to admit a sin – but that is exactly why it is often the right thing to do.  God tells us that we should be ready to do whatever it takes to remove sin from our lives (Matt 5:29).  Many times, the right thing to do is also the hardest thing to do.  Confessing our sins isn’t easy (or everyone would do it), but it is one of the purest cures God gives us for a life stuck in sin (Jas 5:16).  God knows that we aren’t meant to handle life’s trials and temptations alone – and the devil knows it, too.  Sin hates the light because it scatters darkness (Jhn 3:19-20).  If you are afraid to admit your sin to others, it is probably exactly what you need to do.