A friend asked me one time how to council someone who is struggling with the sinful desires and the enjoyment of the things of this world as apposed to desires of God and His will. Why is it so much enjoyable to sin rather than to follow Christ?
Because we are sinful by nature. It just comes natural to us. If we have been given over to sin for a long time in habitual sin, there is a deep deep path that has worn in that makes it so easy to keep giving over.
It takes a true brokeness of the heart and a willingness to let God change us that will make a difference in our lives....
"My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51:17 AMP)
But, this is hard work because it requires discipline to get rid of the old bad habit and to create a new good habit. This helps if there is true accountability with no condemnation but rather tough love attached to it.
In order for you to be set free from a life of bondage, you need to expose sin for what it really is! Don't sugar coat it and don't minimize it and no blame shifting! Just simply bring it into the light by confessing your sin to God and to a spiritual authority. And you WILL be forgiven! But it's important to live this way so the strongholds of sin will weaken to the point of you being free from that bondage.
"And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way]. [So] if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents]. But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. If we say (claim) we have not sinned, we contradict His Word and make Him out to be false and a liar, and His Word is not in us [the divine message of the Gospel is not in our hearts]." (1 John 1:5-10 AMP)
Don't give up but pray without seizing that God will change the heart. Most important is to stay honest and in the light where the devil and the strongholds of sin CANNOT grow. And also very important is to keep pursuing God diligantly. People say that it takes 21 days to create a habit so prayerfully read psalm 119 every day for 3 weeks!! I've done this along with many others who say it very much works. Even if what you are reading in Psalm 119 doesn't match up to what's in your heart pray it anyway as if it is true. All God needs is a willing heart. Pray read this psalm as if you believe in your heart that God will conform your heart to match what you are praying about.
-Doug McGowan
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