HOW DOES FAITH IN CHRIST HELP A PERSON OVERCOME SINFUL HABITS?

We believers in Christ are called to walk with Christ and to live like Christ would want.  He came to save us from our sins so that they would not continue to destroy us, nor our fellowship with God, nor our relationships with others. 

Continuing in wrong habitual patterns causes our lives to deteriorate in many ways.  These habits personally affect us physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.  I could go into detail to show how the self-destruction works, but if you are struggling with sin you already know this.  The Bible is very clear that sin leads to death – not just physically, but in every other way.  We know this not only because God’s word says it, but we know it because we experience it.  We can have a hard time living with ourselves and God and others when we are unable to overcome.

Sinful habits are difficult to overcome.  Although some can claim to have been “delivered” from a habit when Christ entered into their lives, many others must fight to win.  It is easy to get tired of fighting when we lose so often.  We can always pursue grace from God to be delivered.  Deliverance is a real possibility.  But I want to address those fellow strugglers who have not yet experienced such deliverance.

Two basic necessities must be in place to be able to overcome a sinful habit:  (1) the determination to never give in to the habit, and (2) being free from guilt, and guilt feelings, so that we do not berate or “whip” ourselves and lose the battle by getting down and depressed.

Following is a fuller explanation of these two necessities for winning:

(1) Never quit.  In nearly 20 years of doing fifth-step counseling at an alcoholic treatment center I heard this often used phrase from those battling alcohol, “If you fall and get up every time, you are not a loser.” 
What motivates a believer in Christ to never quit?

The necessary motivation begins with a conversion experience.  Jesus called it by different names, such as, “being born again”, “being saved”, “drinking living water”, or “being transformed from darkness to light”.  The first three steps in alcoholics anonymous declare this need for conversion by saying that we must admit our powerlessness to overcome our habit, recognize there is a God who can save us, and turn our will and life over to the care of that God.  When this happens God does a miracle in our lives.  He puts within us His Holy Spirit which creates in us a new life.  It is this gift of new life that provides the motivation to never quit.  His presence within us results in thinking things like, “I hate this sin and I will not give in and let it destroy me”, or, “I love God because of his mercy and forgiveness and I want to please Him”, or, “God wants me to be holy as He is holy – and I want that”. 

In our newly motivated determination to never give up we look for any method to try that will work for us.  It may be finding a person to hold us accountable, or memorizing parts of God’s word, or forming a plan to avoid tempting situations, or learning to be rid of initial thoughts that start us down the wrong road to defeat.  It may be learning to quit trying so hard and resting in God’s provisions, not focusing on the habit, but focusing on a positive life of prayer and loving others by practicing good deeds. 
We strive to become willing to try and do whatever it takes, trusting God to help us.

The Bible gives us lots of practical guidance on things to do, like, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, or “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh”, or “bad company corrupts good morals”, or “be sanctified in truth”.  Learning what statements like these mean and practicing them can help us.  No matter what methods we try we need to always be praying for God to help us and show us what will work for us.  Different things work for different people.

One method I use to avoid a fall is to know where I am weak and not allow the things that contribute to my fall to be around so that they cause me to stumble.  For example, if I am not strong enough to keep from eating something I should not be eating, I simply do not have those things in the house.  Or, if pornography is a problem, I make provision to eliminate it from access.
Something else that has helped me is to see a broader perspective about my life.  I can easily look at the negative aspect of my life and let that be my focus.  But my life is not defined by a bad habit.  There is much more to who I am than that.  Look at all the good and positive things.  
It helps to get our focus off of ourselves and onto living for Christ – doing His work, engaging in the kind of lifestyle He is teaching and leading us to practice.  As we get involved in caring for other people and serving people’s needs we feel better about ourselves and our motivation to avoid sin improves.  We don’t have time to focus on our negatives and we see progress.  We enjoy the life God has given us.  Our faith in Christ’s forgiveness teaches us to say “my sin is not who I am”.  Constantly believing and affirming who I am in Christ is what defines who I really am.  It is the ability to have this positive perspective that forms the basis for the second necessity for overcoming a sinful habit. 

(2) Be free of guilt and guilt feelings and feelings of shame.  Without this freedom we get tired of our sin and we feel hopeless and we say “what’s the use”, and we give in to the sin and we give up believing we can ever be the kind of person Christ is helping us to become.

The spirit of Satan will often be around to accuse us of not being a good Christ-follower.  If an inner voice tells us that we cannot be a true Christian since we keep living like we do, don’t listen to these thoughts.  Counter them with the truth.  “I am in Christ and He is in me.  He loves me.  He accepts me. This sin does not drive Jesus away from me.  He will never dessert me, but is planning to bring me into His eternal kingdom.”

How does one gain freedom from guilt and shameful feelings? 

Every time I repeat the same wrong I say to myself something like, “Father in heaven, I have blown it again.  How can I love you and hurt you like this?  I hate this sin.  Thank you for sending Christ to me.  Thank you that he paid for my sin.  Thank you I am forgiven.  Thank you that you still love and accept me.  I want to do better.  Help me to live a life pleasing to you.  You deserve my best.”  Then I get up again and walk on without guilt and shame, but with determination to live right.

Faith in Christ means I believe His forgiveness.  His cross took away my sin and shame forever.  Every time I mess up I again exercise my faith in His forgiveness.  It is like having an on-going never-ending new start.  Some Christians, every time they sin, plead with God to forgive them, but feel no relief.  You need to stop pleading and believe that he has already forgiven you.  Thank him for His Son's death on the cross and for His forgiveness.
After practicing this kind of faith for awhile, the temptation is to think that it is easy to get God’s forgiveness and to stop trying to be rid of the sin.  This is where we must remind ourselves not to let this sin continue. I fight it, but without guilt and bad feelings about myself.

Eventually, this cycle of failure and faith in God's loving forgiveness begins to break me down.  I may weep when I realize how much God loves me.  That He keeps forgiving me is an overwhelming thought.  I may feel ashamed that I fail Him but I am never to think that I am a bad person.  I need to accept that I am a new person in Christ.  My sin does not define me.  I believe that I am of great worth to God.  He went to the cross for me and He is changing me.  This kind of thinking motivates me even more to ask and trust Him to help me live a better life.  I come away from such a humbled time with God renewed and happy again.  Guilt is never allowed to weigh me down and make me depressed.  I have renewed energy and a reason to live and to keep pursuing my walk with Christ.  I resume my work for Him, and my daily life with its “normal” activities, stresses, and good times.  Forget the sin you just committed again.  God has forgiven and removed it from his sight.  So must you.  Press on.  Concentrate on the good life He is giving you. 

If it is hard to believe that God loves you, it may be helpful for you to be around loving Christian friends who can affirm their love for you.  This may help you believe God’s love.

I refer you to read and meditate on Romans chapter six for a confirmation of what I have been saying.  And I remind you again that faith in Christ helps a person overcome sinful habits by providing two necessities:  (1) The God-given spiritual motivation to never give up fighting the good fight and to live the Christ-life, and (2) Freedom from guilt and shameful feelings by believing Christ’s forgiveness and loving acceptance, every time sin happens.  May the grace and peace of Christ be with you.
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