Today we have a guest post from the amazing Caitlyn at Salt and Light!
Overcoming sin is something that is much easier said than it is done. We can repent all we like, but true repentance comes when we turn from sin and live righteously.
This is why I’m writing this post today – to encourage and challenge you in overcoming and turning from sin! Let’s look at a few ways to truly repent and gain victory.
Don’t just say you’re sorry, BE sorry
There’s a big difference between merely saying you are sorry, and truly realizing the weight of your actions and being sorry. Imagine your friend said something mean to you that really hurt your feelings. They could do one of two things
They could tell you they are sorry, and then continue to do the same thing in the days to come. Or, on the other hand, they could genuinely tell you they are sorry and strive to stop saying mean things.
If they went with the first option, they would be a pretty hypocritical friend who is not very truthful or loyal. However, if they went with the second option, you would tell they are a true friend who repented and made right what they did wrong.
Acts 3:19-21 (WEB) says: Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.
If we notice a sin in our lives, and merely tell God we are sorry, it does not benefit anyone and does not do much good. We will be much like the hypocritical friend mentioned above. When we choose to come to God and tell Him we are sorry, asking Him to help us see this sin as bad and to turn from it and live righteously, that is much more genuine and will lead to change.
Strive for change
Overcoming sin is NOT easy. However, we have victory in Jesus’ Name! Day by day, we must ask God for grace and strive to walk away from past sins.
I’M BEGGING TO BE PINNED. JUST HOVER OVER ME!
When you feel that God has convicted you of a sin, be sure to do something about it. If we do not replace bad habits with good ones, we won’t make any changes. However, if we are determined to make changes in our lives, even if they are little, we will improve!
1 Peter 1:15-16 (WEB) says: but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.” This verse is a wonderful reminder to strive to live holy lives!
Remember, though, change doesn’t happen overnight. When you notice a sin, get accountability and ask others to help point out when you’re doing something wrong. Rely on God for strength and to open your eyes to sin, and for the power to overcome. You can’t do it alone!
Don’t stop when you mess up
Romans 3:23 tells us that we ALL sin and fall short of God’s glory. Making an effort to live righteously by God’s holy power does not mean we will automatically be perfect.
There’s a popular quote that says “Progress, not perfection.” It’s so true though! If you find yourself messing up, KEEP GOING. Keep trying, keep seeking God, keep leaning on Him. He will help you live a holy life!
Philippians 4:13 is a wonderful reminder! It says: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. (WEB) We have so much power in His Name to keep going! Don’t give up, friend! We all mess up, but it is the strong ones who lean on Jesus who get up and keep going.
Hide His Word in your heart
Psalm 119:11 shows us WHY we should memorize God’s Word. It says: I have hidden your word in my heart, That I might not sin against you. (WEB)
I’M BEGGING TO BE PINNED. JUST HOVER OVER ME!
I love how this verse reminds me that when I hide God’s Word in my heart, it helps me from sinning against God! Isn’t that amazing? When we know the Truth, it sets us free!
I encourage you to memorize Scripture so you will know what is Truth and what is a lie, or sin. This helps SO MUCH! Even if you start with one verse every week or two, I promise it will make a difference in your life. Strive to hide His Word in your heart so you can know the Truth to battle sin.
I hope that you were encouraged today to overcome any sins you face! It’s not easy, but we have God on our side, strengthening us and enabling us to overcome!
LET’S CHAT!
Which of the tips was most encouraging to you?
How can you start battling sin today?
What is a sin that you struggle with? Have you done anything about it? If yes, what? If no, why?
Eyyyy nice work Caitlynn!
Thank you so much girl!!!! All glory to God.♥♡♥
Thanks again for this post, Caitlyn!
Thank you Madi!! I’m so glad and blessed to have been able to share what God laid on my heart on your amazing blog!!:)
Great post, Caitlyn! It was a great reminder and encouragement to me. 🙂
Sorry I’m just now seeing this comment! But thank you SO much! I’m so blessed and encouraged to hear that. 🙂
Hello, Madison, my name is Dana. My comment will not be in line with the post above, which I thought was nice and you must’ve put quite a bit of effort into it. I know you are on hiatus and I respect that, but please answer back once you come back, dear.:)
I have been doubting my faith in God lately. Or, well, for awhile. I haven’t gone to church in a couple years, and I am estranged from my family because of our differing views. I don’t believe that God exists, or that Jesus ever did. If God is all-powerful as the bible says, why have so many awful, awful things happened? Racism, gender inequality, both World Wars, the Holocaust, nuclear weapons, Donald Trump – even hardships of my own.
One day when I was fifteen years old, thriving in my local high school, not popular, but thriving and happy, and we’d been settled in North Carolina for awhile now, everyone was content and happy, except my father. So, out of the clear blue one day, my dad announces we’re moving to North Dakota because God told him so. We were forced to pack up and move almost immediately, and you must understand, the only reliable way to contact my dear friends back then was by landline, which was expensive, especially for a lower-middle class family such as we were, now with no income, and the mail, which was slow.
In North Dakota, we faced dozens of hardships. We were not welcomed into the local congregation, my father, who had been emotionally and verbally abusive towards us before, mostly me and my mom, not quite so much my younger brother, strengthened his abuse, going so far as to hit me and my mother regularly. Eventually, the house burned down, my father lost his job, the one thing keeping us afloat, and turned to alcohol, eventually being the cause that our house burned down, and my mother left and took us to Rhode Island to live with her mother, because we weren’t safe there. I still have nightmares about it all.
But why would God let all this happen, especially if he ‘told’ my father we must move to where everything happened? In my life, God has been used as a tool against me, manipulating me and forcing me to do as my father instructed, and letting him go about his terrible, terrible ways while using God to justify it? If he’s testing my faith, then I would’ve liked to fail that test a long time ago. But Jesus died for our sins, right? So why did all this happen? Why did he allow it?
I’m sorry if this is too large a question for someone so young to answer, but I have been reading your blog for awhile and finally decided to ask the big questions that have been on my mind. I understand if you don’t wish to answer, and respect that.
– Dana Harding
Hi, Dana! First of all, I’m sorry I didn’t see this comment sooner. Here are my answers to your questions — thank you in particular for phrasing them so politely.
Q: If God is all-powerful as the bible says, why have so many awful, awful things happened?
A: God gives man free will. He doesn’t force obedience or require love from anyone; He lets them choose whether or not they’ll serve Him. And, quite often, man chooses to sin and do awful things.
Q: But why would God let all this happen, especially if he ‘told’ my father we must move to where everything happened?
A: I believe the bad things that happen are never God’s fault. While I don’t know whether God did or didn’t tell your father to move, your father using God to justify his actions was wrong, and not God’s fault. When God really tells us to do something, He has something amazing in mind.
Q: But Jesus died for our sins, right? So why did all this happen?
A: Yes, Jesus died to redeem us from our sins! And the more people make Him their Lord and Savior, the less they’ll sin and hurt others.
I hope that answered your questions, and I’d be happy to answer any more. I hope you’ll turn to God and let Him heal the hurt your father caused, because He’s always ready for you with arms wide open. I know experiences can shape our view of God — the best way to know Who He really is is to read His Word.
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Dana. I hope the posts have been helpful.