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Habitual Sin

August 28th, 2008 at 7:09 am (Miracles)

How does one overcome habitual sin? It’s the kind of sin that a person falls into over and over again no matter how hard they try to overcome. Some sin is easy to look away from or to get away from, but habitual sin is so ingrained that it has become a natural response. How can we break its hold? Overcoming Habitual Sin!

This is one of those tough if not impossible areas. It may be an area that brings shame to the person caught in it so they can’t tell anyone else who might be able to help. Maybe they’ve tried over and over again to stop, but the repeated failures have led to hopelessness and despair. Maybe they’ve shared with some trusted person only to be shunned by that person. Now they are not only dealing with one problem, but they’ve lost a friend also. Maybe they’ve prayed and talked to the Lord about it time and time again, but there seems to be no victory. What do they do?

First of all, we need to recognize the truth that sin is sin. It doesn’t matter what kind of sin, it is still missing the mark. I know that we could go another route at this point concerning sin, however, this is not my purpose for this post.

We need to recognize some truths. God is still God. Nothing is impossible with Him. If there is no one else to turn to, you have the best person for the job anyway. You are not alone. Father cares and He wants you set free. Now that you’ve seen this thing for what it is, you want to be free now, now, now. The problem is that it has such a hold on you, you keep going back, no matter how close you get to the Lord, no matter how much praise, worship, and reading of the scriptures you do, you still give in. The problem is that each time this happens, the deeper in despair a person can get even to the point of just giving up. Let’s dig a little deeper into the scriptures and see if we can get some help.

Paul talked about this thorn in the flesh that kept nagging at him. He prayed about it and even asked the Lord to take it away, but the Lord told him that His grace was sufficient. For the sake of this post, let’s look at this from a shallow point of view. We don’t know what this thorn was and I am not trying to suggest it was habitual sin. Whatever it was, it was a weakness in Paul that the enemy was allowed to touch, at least for a time or season in Paul’s life.

In my understanding, habits take time to develop and then they become natural. A habit can have a spiritual force attached to it, so there can be a supernatural entity to deal with also. Thirdly, they can involve a judgment or vow that can bind a person to it. These are usually formed when we are hurt by someone. Unless we deal with all these areas, the victory will not last or be complete. In some cases, a person can actually need deliverance from the spirit before they can get set free.

In order to break free, we must ask the Lord to help us clear our land. It can be like a vine twisted through a lot of trees in our garden. We can cut away at it, but until we get the root out of the ground, it just keeps coming back. Try to think back to how you first started down this path. Did someone hurt you or let you down? Did you make a judgment or vow about the situation? Did you actually call on some supernatural entity for power or help? Are you using an addictive substance? What ever your reaction was, this is probably the trigger and when you get in a similar situation or have a certain thought it triggers the sequence to begin again. If someone hurt you or let you down, forgive them and ask the Lord’s forgiveness also. Ask Him to forgive you both and bring healing. If the root cause was sin, again ask His forgiveness and cleansing. If you’re not a Christian, believer, then ask Him to set you free from the demonic force behind it and then ask the Lord to come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. If you are a believer, you can command it to leave and break its assignment over you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once, you have dealt with the root cause, applied forgiveness and know your authority in Him, you can do this.

I have been in situations where this all happens immediately. I have also been in other situations where the deliverance and freedom has come over a period of time. It is interesting to note that the Lord drove some of the inhabitants out of the promised land before the Israelites and others he left so that they could learn how to fight, grow strong and keep the land. I believe this is the same way for us. In some cases, He does things for us miraculously, while in others, He allows us the privilege of strengthening our spiritual muscles in the battle. Know that whether it happens immediately or takes time, you were forgiven from the moment of confession. The battle was also won from that point. If you fall again, get back up. You will eventually overcome and get the victory. Once you get the victory, it will be a great moment in your life.

The Lord’s miracles are awesome no matter how they come and no matter how big or small. I love living in the miraculous. One of the greatest miracles of all is letting Him come into our lives, change our hearts and make us brand new people. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

I hope this helps. I briefly touched on this subject, yet I believe I have shared enough to help us gain the victory. It is the Lord who does it all anyway, so He is the One we need to ask for help and guidance. In everything, seek Him and ask Him what He would have you do. Jesus never healed each person the same way, He treats each of us as individuals. He knows the roots and deals with them accordingly.

Joseph

p.s. - Due to the number of responses I have received on this post, I have now added a continuation. Please click here to continue.

broken but forgiven said,

September 1, 2008 at 5:43 am

this has hleped me so much..thank you. i am really struggling with one sin in particular and no matter wat i do it always seems to b there temptin me…often i hav found the way out and not given in but more pften i have given in.. i hate that I let God down an di hate that i feel like i cant talk to anyone about it…i appreciate wat u hav written and will definately b doin some soul searchin to see where it all began…

James said,

November 15, 2008 at 6:15 pm

Hello out there D.P.o.L.,

I have been a believer for a long time, and I seem to be growing as a christian (meaning that I am starting to realize how much we all under such incredible mercy & grace) more than ever before. Frankly put, I am awestruck by the unconditional love that God must have for us, and the price Jesus paid take away the sin of the world and restore our relationship with the Father. But I can also totally identify with the seriousness of habitual sin, and thought I would share a little bit…

In fact, I was specifically doing an Internet search on this topic because I could use a little help in this area myself, which is how I found my way to this post. I also found a few others sites–some that were also very, very good (like this one) and some that I’m afraid may not be all that insightful in my honest humble opinion.

But I also wanted to let you know that I’ve really appreciated the insight you’ve offered here, and I agree with what’s been said. That is, some issues may involve more than just making the right behavioral modifications, because some issues (without going to God for some serious help) are simply bigger than we are.

In my particular case, what I’ve been tempted by and still continue to struggle with, has been going on for a very long time, even though I know that it is not right attractive, and whatever it seems to wish to promise me is nothing more than a very unrealistic lie. The issue I’m speaking of began by seeing a pornographic movie that I wish I never saw way back when I was still in the 7th grade. I know why what I saw made some sort of logical sense to me as a 7th grader, but I’ll never completely understand why I ended up being so hooked by it, or why this is still an ongoing issue for me. After all, I know it is completely wrong and it has also helped paved the way for some other very real, heart-wrenching consequences that have taken place in my life. In fact, now that I really analyze it, what;s even more strange to me, is the personal failure to fully recognize that I must have been ensnared by something a long time ago when I find myself being tempted. But in all honestly, I’m not real sure how important it may be for someone to be aware of the point of origin of a habitual sin that they are caught up in–because in my case, I’ve always been aware of those details, and that knowledge alone has never really done me any good in helping to solve this problem.

But like most sins, a sense of immediate very short-lived gratification for the flesh is involved, which of coarse, is then immediately followed by a sense of spiritual defeat and undeniable shame. I have been so defeated by this so many times over the years, that I have often given in to the battle without putting up much of a fight. That of course, has only left me feeling an even greater sense of guilt over time as well.

I don’t know if God is allowing His righteous, holy anger to rise up within me now regarding this very personal battle cry, or what. But I do know that I’ve been defeated by this thing for so long, that if I actually do gain victory over it, it will truly be a miracle and it will be God’s victory much more than my own–which is perfectly fine with me!!

But I do believe that God can deliver me, and I know He’s willing, as the scriptures clearly define His willingness to set all of us to be free. Undoubtedly the breakdown occurs on our end of the equation. Personally, I may need to do a better job at engaging my active will on the onset of the battle, but I also believe only He’s the only one that can really make sure that occurs for me too.

But if nothing ever changes for me regarding this issue (while I’m still alive here on this Earth) the only “bright-side” I can possibly see about any of this is just one thing. I know that this sin (and the countless others that seem far less addictive) has made me recognize my incredible need for humility and my incredible need for our Savior Jesus Christ. In other words, it has helped me realize how desperate I’m in need of God’s unconditional love, and that I am totally reliant the His mercy and grace that He provided through His Son Jesus.

Again, I wanted to thank you for the insight you brought to the table here because I think you’ve pointed some things that are right on target. God bless you!!

Kelly said,

November 15, 2008 at 10:18 pm

Wow, all I can really say is that this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you to the author of this article. I was struggling and knew I needed help and surfed the internet for someone to talk to and I bumped into this. I feel like a overcomer, strong and victorious. I now understand why I was doing it in the first place. After many failed attempts I am thankful I know I have the victory with Jesus. I thought I was the only one who struggled with Habitual Sin. I didn’t realize this whole process will make me stronger, and that I can simply move on and let God help me forgive. Thank you so much once again.