I am in the process of beating a sin.  However, though I try and pray for strength, forgiveness, guidance, and help each day, I keep having these wrong sinful thoughts.  I keep praying they will go away, but they never do completely.  Can you help me get rid of this evil?  Thank you for your words and wisdom; God bless, and God help.

Sincerely,
Mind Over Matter

Dear Mind Over Matter,

Thinking about sin isn’t the same as sinning.  It is only when we dwell upon sinful behavior and eventually act upon those ideas that we sin.  For example, Satan put the thought of betraying Christ into Judas’ mind, but Judas didn’t sin until he took that idea, dwelt upon it, and then acted (Jhn 13:2).  Jas 1:12-15 explains that sin occurs when we allow wicked ideas that pop into our heads to become wicked lusts, and then those lusts turn into wicked actions.  You will face temptations to sin and opportunities to sin your entire life; the key is to endure the temptation (Jas 1:12), look for the way of escape (1 Cor 10:13), and master sin (Gen 4:7).  Don’t let the thoughts of sin discourage you… just make sure to subdue those thoughts and turn your mind back to God.

In Job 1:6 and Job 2:1, if these sons of God are people instead of angels (because it literally translates in Hebrew as "sons" or "children"), can the same thing be said about Satan here because "satan" here literally translates in Hebrew as "adversary", so this Satan is just a person and not the supernatural being that we know of, right?

Sincerely,
Adversary Aware

Dear Adversary Aware,

The word ‘satan’ does mean ‘adversary’, and it takes specific context to tell us what type of adversary it is.  If you were talking about a football match, the adversary would be the other team.  In this case, the adversary is someone that had the power to supernaturally destroy Job’s physical possessions (Job 1:12-19) and to strike Job with sickness (Job 2:7).  The context of this scenario makes it clear that the adversary is the devil.

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.

Hi.  I am single, and I am addicted to watching porn videos.  I was wondering if you had any tips for me.  I have tried to stop, but then I don’t know how to act, want to eat, or do anything.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Addicted

Dear Addicted,

We are told that a powerful tool in defeating sin is confessing our sins to one another (Jas 5:16).  Sin likes to be kept secret (Jhn 3:20), and bringing it to light by making it public goes a long way in defeating habitual sin.  A very popular way of getting this sort of accountability is by using accountability software that forwards your browsing history to a friend or trusted individual.  Companies like x3watch and CovenantEyes make accountability software, and many struggling pornography addicts have found it to make a huge difference.  If you want to defeat sin, you must expose it.  Confess your sin to others, and you will begin to see change.  It is time to get serious about removing this sin.  You know you are serious about defeating sin when you are willing to expose it at all costs.  That is the single most effective advice we could give you.  Some other details to consider:

1. Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33).  Stop spending time around others who are okay with this behavior and remove all illicit materials from your home.  Throwing away the pornography is a good first step to saving yourself from it (Matt 5:29)
2. Don’t give up.  A righteous man falls, but he keeps getting back up (Pr 24:16).  A failure doesn’t become permanent until you let it.  Keep trying.
3. Get help from others.  Trying to do things alone, especially when we’ve failed before, is just too hard.  We are stronger when we enlist the help of friends and family (Eccl 4:9-12).
4. Replace the bad habit with a good habit.  It isn’t enough to simply stop something; that void must be filled with something else that is positive (Lk 11:24-26).
5. Pray.  God blesses us when we turn to Him (Jas 5:16) and ask for forgiveness and help (Jas 1:5).

Now is your chance to start a new life free from this addictive slavery to pornography.  We would be happy to help you find a congregation in your area that can help you through this struggle and prepare you for a better and complete life in Christ.  E-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org if we can be of service.

How exactly do you stop a reoccurring sin… if you can’t tell anybody?

Sincerely,
Mum’s The Word

Dear Mum’s The Word,

We can’t fathom a single circumstance when you “can’t” tell anybody about a sin you are struggling with.  We can think of many situations when it would be uncomfortable, humiliating, or costly to admit a sin – but never any situation that it is impossible.  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.