The Personality of Sin Have you ever wondered why you are more vulnerable to certain types of temptation than to others? Have you ever wondered why your sin diagnosis looks different from that of a friend or a family member? Why does your problem happen to be with this sin and not that? Each of us has a …
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Becoming a Recovering Sinner Trying to live a holy life is a complex proposition. It is not as simple as deciding to obey a few rules and then doing it. While temptation may change its aspect or approach us from a different angle, it never goes away. It is like driving a car. Whenever you …
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Introducing the Sin Families Sins tend to gather in what we call “families”—groups of related sins. If you have a problem with drinking, for example, it is a part of the overindulgence family, which includes such sins as gluttony, drunkenness, drug abuse, shopaholism, and the overuse of media. All such sins relate to indulging too …
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Expecting Victory Athletes know that if you go into a game believing you are going to win, you will play much differently than if you think you are going to lose. It is the same with sin habits. We must expect victory over the sins that beset us and expect victory in establishing new habits …
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Latching On to God’s Promises Shortly before His death, Jesus pleaded with His Father on behalf of His followers, “Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth” (John 17:17). Our loving God has given us a tool for our spiritual well-being: His written Word, which is “full of living power” (Hebrews …
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Considering the Flesh to Be Dead When we speak of “flesh,” it is important to understand that we are not talking about the human body.¹ Rather, the “flesh” is the part of us that is opposed to the Spirit of God—our ungodly desires and selfish motives. Thus, while the “world” is an outward spiritual enemy, …
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God wants us to succeed in resisting temptation, and He gives us help to do what is right. “The Lord is faithful; He will make you strong and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). So the Devil, while ferocious, is not a foe we are incapable of defeating in the Lord’s power. …
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God on the Throne It is important that we see the world, the flesh, and the Devil as acting together in opposition to us. Sometime ago I (Bill) tried to explain how it all works to a young woman who came to see me. This young woman was unattractive and overweight and her face was …
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Prayer 3: “God, forgive me.” Once people feel the full weight of what they have done by their sin, they often move into fix-it mode. They want to do a greater amount of good than the harm they have done. Or they want to penalize themselves in some way, as if they could in that …
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Prayer 5: “God, empower me.” When we pray for cleansing, we are asking for the spiritual effects of our past sin to be wiped away. When we pray for empowerment, on the other hand, we are asking for God’s help to avoid a repetition of our sin in the future. This is the fifth and …