Dealing With Sinful Habits

As a Christian, you are an entirely different person than before you accepted Jesus. Now, you have been forgiven your sins and are justified. You have been born again spiritually, and the Spirit of God lives in you. However, we still have sinful habits that God wants to change. The Christian life is an overcoming life. Even though we will definitely have problems and personal struggles in this life, we will be able to overcome because of Jesus. God wants you to live an overcoming life! 

What are sinful habits?

Habits are any routine we feel compelled to follow. Some habits we developed when we were children, such as washing our hands before eating; Some are because of addiction (e.g. smoking or gambling); Others are developed because of bad influences or environment (e.g. cursing and swearing, smoking, drunkenness, womanizing). You can be a Christian and be struggling with sinful habits.

Effects of sinful habits

Sinful habits can be very harmful to us and other people. If we keep hold of sinful habits, we give the devil a way to destroy our lives. For example, if you have a habit of criticizing others or saying sarcastic words, then the devil can use that to destroy your friendships and family relationships. Sinful habits are like bits in the mouths of horses; Satan can use them to control us in the same way the rider controls a horse. Read: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Some of the Corinthian church had very sinful habits, attitudes, and addictions before God worked a miraculous change in their lives. The truth is, without God, we will never be free from the bondage of sin in our lives. Because we are born with a sinful nature, we will always be slaves to sin unless God comes to set us free (e.g. prison jail birds) . When we become Christian, God begins a work to change us. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and what He did for the Corinthian believers, He will do for you as well!

How to overcome our sinful habits

1. Truly repent of our sins

The first step to overcoming our sinful habits is to recognize those actions are sinful. The devil may try to tempt us by making those sinful habits seem insignificant, but God cannot tolerate any sin. The devil’s goal is to pull you away from God, and he will make the sin seem small. Remember how the devil talked to Eve in the Garden of Eden?  He lied and tried to make the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil seem desirable. Eventually, Adam and Eve decided eating the fruit was better than obeying God. Read Proverbs 3:7

Therefore, do not love your sinful habits!  Don’t be wise in your own eyes like Adam and Eve, and think your sinful habits are insignificant. Actually, every time the Holy Spirit reveals some sin to us, we should be ready to change. If we do not, then eventually our hearts will become calloused and we will go deeper and deeper into sin. Take some time to pray to God for forgiveness and repent of your sinful habits.

2. Receive God’s Word

When we study the Bible and listen to preaching and teaching and live it, God’s word will change us. The Bible says the word of God is living and active, and reveals our inner thoughts and attitudes. The word of God is like a double-edged sword that pierces our soul, and like water that cleanses us. It is God’s tool for changing our hearts. When we study the Bible or listen to the word being preached, we should open our hearts to change. God will use His word to mold us into His image. Read Hebrews 4:12

God’s word is also like spiritual food. We want to be strong spiritually so that we can win the spiritual battle against sinful habits. Therefore, we need to read the Bible and listen to good sermons based on scripture not church or man’s thinking. Read 2Timothy 3:16-17.

3. Depend on strength from God, not ourselves

Overcoming sinful habits in our lives is difficult, and so we need to pray and ask God for help. This principle of depending on God’s strength is the key to a successful Christian life. In fact, even Paul the apostle depended entirely on God’s strength to overcome problems and personal struggles (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Even through all of his hardships, Paul was not defeated by difficulties, but prevailed over them because he depended on God.

Practically, we can learn dependence on God by fasting and praying. When we fast and pray, we learn to say “no” to our flesh, or sinful desires, and say “yes” to the Holy Spirit. Of course, fasting and praying is difficult, but it trains us to not easily give in to temptation, which often comes through physical senses (touch, taste, or see). Fasting and praying trains our body to obey our spirit. When we pray to overcome sinful habits, we should not give up, but rather keep asking God for help. Read Psalm 121:1-2

4. Live Spirit-filled lives

The Holy Spirit is like a fire inside us that cleanses us from unholy things, including sinful habits. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is like a fire that burns up sinful things in our lives. (Matthew 3:11-12)

We should be filled increasingly with the Spirit so that God can change us quickly. Our sinful desires conflict with the Spirit of God; either you crave sinful things or you will hunger for more of the Holy Spirit. (Read Gal. 5:19-22). When hunger for the spirit becomes stronger, eventually hunger for the flesh will grow weaker. Paul wrote to the Ephesians not to crave alcohol, but to hunger for the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit. (Read Ephesians 5:18)

Christians who hunger for the Spirit and are continually filled with the Spirit naturally produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is defined in Galatians 5:22-23.          In order to be filled with God’s Spirit, we should stay in fellowship with other Spirit-filled Christians, and wait upon God by praying during personal time and fellowship.

5. Replace the old with new

Simply stopping our old sinful habits is not enough. We must replace them with godly habits, such as studying the Bible, learning worship songs/hymns, Evangelism/ visits and fellowshipping with other Christians. Anything you enjoy doing that gives glory to God is a terrific “godly” habit!

Similarly, we should also stop receiving negative influences and receive godly influences. Our environment and community makes a big impact on our daily life. For instance, if we continue to hang out with friends at the bar, then we will continue to be subject to temptations. Instead, we should seek out fellowship with other Christians who can encourage us to give up our sinful habits.

 We need to have godly relationships where we can practice “bearing each other’s burdens” and encouraging one another. If we really want to overcome our sinful habits, we should seek out good Christian fellowship. Read Hebrews 10:24-25.

What should we do with our non-Christian friends?  Well, if these people are associated with sinful habits, then you need to be careful to not relate to them in that context any longer. Instead, offer to do something else with them by witnessing to them and discipline them.

6. Don’t give up

God will always be on our side as we struggle against sinful habits. Therefore, we should never give up because we stumble or feel discouraged. Don’t give up, because God does not give up on you.

We should also remember to replace the old sinful habits with new godly ones. You can also share about your challenges with Christian brothers or sisters that you trust and ask them to keep you accountable.

Conclusion

We all have sinful habits that Satan uses to pull us away from God. But with determination to turn away from our sin, the truth of the word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can eventually overcome sinful habits. Read James 1:12-15. Amen!