Why do I sin? And how can i STOP IT ?

[david1988]

I hate sin! But I'm almost always doing it.

For some weird reason before sinning I somehow convince myself that it's ok to sin just one last time.

But then after I've sinned I feel really dirty and ashamed of myself.

I don't want to go to hell, but that seems to be the direction I'm heading towards.

The Bible says, the road to hell is wide and many people choose it's easy route. And the gate to heaven is narrow and only a few people will find it.

Why is sinning so EASY to do, and SO HARD to stop?

I want to stop, but I can't.

I've prayed and prayed asking God to help me fight against sin, but I always end up sinning again.

My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.

When I was younger I asked Jesus to come into my life, and I was baptized.

I pray every night before going to sleep. But I still sin over and over again.

How do I stop sinning??

 

[rocklife]

one way to help stop is confess your sins. ask for prayer request about it also.

if it is a sexual sin that is common to man, I suggest listening to some www.wayofthemaster.com, listen to ALL of their audio lessons #1-8 in the "Get Equipped" section, they have some encouragement about lusting, and other sins too. The preaching is also very funny and interesting, also being serious at same time. I highly recommend

 

[AlyTigger]

I think the main thing to concider is the fact that you cant stop sinning, at least, not in this life.

Since the fall into sin, it has become natural for us to sin. And no this does not mean that we can just give up. especialy if we have given ourselves to Him, He expects us to fight against sin. He knows that we cannot win, and thats why time and time again He picks us up and puts us on the right path again.

we can only live a holy life with His help, and like was said before, our most effective and strongest weapon agains sin is prayer from the heart. We cant just pray, we have to pray from the heart, and acnowledge that God CAN help us. This is very important!

I hope this helps, and just keep Fighting! Never Give Up!

 

[Kol]

There are two natures we have: the new nature of our reborn spirits, and the old natures of our flesh bodies. The new nature has no desire to sin after repentance. It has been born of God, and can't go on sinning. The old nature can't stop sinning, and can never be pleasing to God.

You have to find a way to strengthen the spirit and weaken the flesh.

 

[Sida]

David: I don't pretend to be an expert on theology, but I once read (I think from C S Lewis) that we only realise now much we need Christ when we realise (from first hand experience) how utterly hopeless we are without Him.

I used to think that sin was something that I did, but I wasn't that bad a person and I could live, at the very least, one perfect day, if I wanted to. When I became a Christian I realised, the hard way, that I could not even help myself for one single day.

The first passage that comforted me was Romans 7:14-25. I will not paste it here, but I really do think that you should look it up yourself. The second is 2 Corinthians 12:1-9.

The thing that I learnt is that we can't live a perfect life by ourselves and our own efforts, but if we pray for the Spirit to take over, then we may win small battles against the "old" self. We don't always succeed, being human. But God knows this, and he has loved and used impure humans just has ourselves before.

I hope this helps. As the others said - never give up!

 

[Weasel7711]

Congratulations OP! You are a human!

 

[alwx]

the reason that you can't stop sinning as that there;s lust in your heart.i'm talking from my own experience.all you need is to drive lust out of your heart.talk to spiritually strong people,confess your sins,reject them and pray with those people.let someone know about it,preferably those who are strong spiritually.once you get lust out of your heart,it will be easier to control your natural sexual desires.it is lust that makes it impossible to stop sinning.i think nothing will help if there's lust in the heart.those people who got it out of their hearts still have their natural desires,but are able to control them.but then if you look at porn or read erotic literature,you'll get lust back in your heart and start sinning again.once you are free of your sins,avoid those things.

 

[MarkEvan]

There are two natures we have: the new nature of our reborn spirits, and the old natures of our flesh bodies. The new nature has no desire to sin after repentance. It has been born of God, and can't go on sinning. The old nature can't stop sinning, and can never be pleasing to God.

You have to find a way to strengthen the spirit and weaken the flesh.

allthough I do not agree with the duel nature theory I do accept that we live in the flesh (allthough I believe that is very different to the "old man") and that essentially what Kol says is true, the more you feed the flesh the stronger it will become where as the more you feed the Spirit the stronger it will become. all this you can try in your own strength and you will fail, but remember hope is at hand for what is immposible for man is possible for God all we have to do is give Him our lives,...........our whole lives. Pray to God that He will help you to desire more of Him, that He will enable you to be obediant to Him.

Mark

 

[Aussiechildofgod]

Be careful however, in saying that we flat out cannot stop sinning...thats a lie that Satan would LOVE to have you believe. You cannot stop sinning ALONE...but you are born again...you're no longer alone. You have a wonderful gift, the gift of GRACE...grace is not just a covering for our sins, it is what gives us the strength to not do it anymore PERIOD. Jesus said, Go and SIN NO MORE.....you dont have the ability yourself, but you DO have it in God. Allow God to ingrain His word into your heart....only when you dwell on the word of God day and night, when you allow it to take root in your spirit will you have the tools to combat evil. Be encouraged, Paul make similar wonderings...but Paul also knew the strength of God that he could tap into....do that, and you CAN overcome! We are more than conquerors!

 

[Angel_of_the_Lord]

You have to find a way to strengthen the spirit and weaken the flesh.

That's not to say stop exercising, though! Remember to keep healthy.

 

[micbmac]

I know we sin because of our sinful nature given to us thanks to adam and eve. But if you figure out how to stop let me know because i daily struggle.

 

[Aussiechildofgod]

Absolutely! It sure is a struggle...Paul talks about the "thorn in his (my) flesh" as being something that bothered him often....but this is also the guy who said that because of God's grace he has the strength to overcome.....I refer to Hebrews 12:28 in the NKJV that says "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may[j] serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." The only way to be acceptable to God is to be sinless, and to choose life....we have the power to do this through grace.


Look, Im not saying its easy, but the bible is clear on how to overcome.....the ONLY way to overcome is to tap into the strength of God, and the grace that God purchased for you on the cross. There is a VERY high standard that we've been given...to live holy lives, to die to self, and we ALL stumble....but we are NEW CREATIONS in Christ....we are NOT bound by the sinful nature of Adam and Eve because we have been saved!!!! We do NOT have to sin....we definately have tendancies to falter, but the choice is always ours. Of course, God forgives anyone who comes with a repentant spirit, ANYONE who seeks to turn away from any sin....but do not be fooled....all the tools we need to be completely changed by the power of the Holy Spirit we already have! If we dont learn from our stumblings...if we dont become a little better, a little wiser everytime God picks us up and dusts us off...then whats the point??? We are not our old 'before we were saved' selves....we are new creations....the old has passed away and the new has come. THAT is what we should be aiming for, and working towards, and running towards and labouring for...anything less is living below what God intended for you when He sent his son to death. Be encouraged......the situation is not hopeless! press in to God, and ask God to show you how to begin living a life acceptable to Him....ask Him for His grace and His strength....and you will be carried to greater places than you could ever imagine!

 

[SeekingtoserveYHWH]

Why is sinning around every corner? Because that is where the adversary is, he is the ruler of earth (though still answers to God and must get permission for his doings) and knows his time is short and is frantic in trying to hold anyway back that he can. Temptation is what you seem to be struggling with, the enemy comes in to kill steal and destroy, he's killing your faith in yourself everytime you give in. How do you stop sinning? You stop giving into temptation. You stop justifying your sin, you know its sin, and its wrong, and you'll feel like crap after you've done it. The mind/flesh will justify any action you could take in order to please itself.

So what can you do? Repent. Confess your sins, and repent of them wholeheartedly and with a single mindedness. And be aware that repentance means to turn from a thing, and to not willingly do it again. Does repentance mean that you will no longer be tempted? Absolutely not! When will you no longer be tempted of a thing? When you put your flesh under, you spirit man in control, and you stand up to the adversary with the power you've been given. Does it not say that if you resist the devil he will flee from you? Do you not know that he has already been overcome? The adversary knows it, what he's counting on is that even if you do know it, if he can steal your faith, and make you believe you have no power, he will win.

Rom 12:21 Be not3361 overcome3528 of5259 evil,2556 but235 overcome3528 evil2556 with1722 good.18

I have had much experience in being tempted and justification. But surely as I breathe I have learned that the more you fail, the more you will be tested in that area, the more often it will arise, the more advanced your justifications will become, am I correct? It may not be the same for you, but I have seen it in others as well. Stop giving into your flesh, take control. And oh will your flesh through a fit. The first day of a fast doesn't your body make you feel like your starving? The second and third day doesn't it make you feel like you've gone weeks without food? It will throw a fit, but if you overcome it, it will be easier and easier to overcome, and the voice that was tempting you in that area will be quieter and soon it will no longer be a temptation, it may even make you laugh. I've said many times, "your still trying that?" lol!

Hopefully this has helped a little. I confess I didn't read all of the posts, but most of them, so this may have already been covered. If you'd like to talk more personally about what type of sin, pm me or send me an email, I'd be more than happy to share my experiences with you and pray with/for you.

Just remember, you have to be willing to control your flesh, if you leave it in control, you'll always sin. And realize that we are not expected to be perfect, we are expected to be trying to please our master at all times. that leaves only room for accidental sin, not purposed, or thought out beforehand, justified, and then carried out.

Blessings in the name of the Most High!

 

[Recievercereal]

We all sin and fall from God's glory.

You have to spend time daily in God's word and spend time with Him.
You have to remove those situations and temptations from your life, that will make not sinning easier.

 

[Silver Speak]

Congratulations OP! You are a human!

I second that

Sure, we are to aim at perfection but at the same time knowing we won't reach perfection in this life. I'm not saying there's any excuse for sinning but expecting perfection from yourself will only burn you out.

What is your image of God, really? Do you see Him as a loving Father who's faithful even when you're not, willing to forgive anyone who turns to Him with a humble heart or a tyrannic being looking to put the spotlight on every little thing you do wrong and punish? I used to think the latter and not only was it untrue but it actually turned me away from God. I had someone re-explain the whole idea of mercy to me in a very six-year-olds-would-understand sort of way and it was a turning point for me. There's such a joy in finding you can come to God imperfect, with nothing to offer. He knows we can't do perfectly and that's why He sent Jesus to die for our sins. That means, even what you didn't yet do is already forgiven.

Here's another question that helped me: what is sin really? It's something that hurts you, hurts people around you and, most importantly, separates you from God. Good news: God wants only the best for You. He wants to keep you close to Him because He loves you and enjoys having you near Him! More Good news for you: nothing you do surprises Him and He can bring the best out of the worse.

Instead of beating yourself up over your imperfection, I think the best thing you can do is to admit you're a sinner and need God's grace. It's very simple I like to look at this life as taking victory over one sin at a time. When you're struggling with something take it to God, pray, discuss it with people and have them pray for you. God wants to help you out and He doesn't expect you to stop doing whatever it is you're doing with mere willpower -you need His power and grace and He's happy to give to anyone who asks according to His will.

So, in summary: it takes time, it takes grace. Keep in mind that you're allowed to enjoy life instead of spending it wallowing in guilt....

 

[kuntrygurl_26]

You sin because you are a human being and well all sin every day of our lives. The way to stop it...become Jesus Christ!

 

[Kol]

You guys have me beat. I screw up once and God knocks me off my feet. I'm glad He's excessively merciful to someone. He has me walk the straight and narrow. :whew!:

 

[Silver Speak]

You guys have me beat. I screw up once and God knocks me off my feet. I'm glad He's excessively merciful to someone. He has me walk the straight and narrow. :whew!:

Well, I think you'll find that when God knocks you off your feet He IS being merciful. Hell is when God says have it your way. When you repent and come to Him, however, He can turn the situation around. Sometimes it's painful, yes, but that's where your trust in Him grows, knowing His best will shall be done -all you have to do is yeild.

 

[Aussiechildofgod]

Well, I think you'll find that when God knocks you off your feet He IS being merciful. Hell is when God says have it your way. When you repent and come to Him, however, He can turn the situation around. Sometimes it's painful, yes, but that's where your trust in Him grows, knowing His best will shall be done -all you have to do is yeild.

AMEN!

 

[DavidPresently]

The advice you get on questions like this can be good, but also bad and ugly. Those in line with the Scriptures are good - those not are bad and ugly.

I have to agree with the power to overcome mentioned by Seekingtoserve... as this is what the Scripture tell us to have faith in, God's power to change our lives and make us new creatures, the old passing away. It does not tell us to just wait helplessly in our sins until Jesus returns. That ugliness doubt and unbelief that comes from some people is in complete contradiction to the Word of God, though it sounds good to the flesh that wants to justify its continued sin without repentance.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CONTINUALLY SIN! I'm not the only one saying it, the Word of God says it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 MKJV So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

John 5:14 MKJV Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold, you are made whole. Sin no more lest a worse thing come to you.

Now, if Jesus could tell one not yet made new (born of the Spirit - John 3) to stop sinning, he surely is correct in telling us who are to stop sinning - and he will not tell us to do something we are unable to do with his help. The question is, are we trusting in his help and overcoming by the power he's given us? Or are we accepting defeat?

Romans 7:14-25 MKJV For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do, I know not. For what I desire, that I do not do; but what I hate, that I do. (16) If then I do that which I do not desire, I consent to the law that it is good. (17) But now it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I do not find. (19) For I do not do the good that I desire; but the evil which I do not will, that I do. (20) But if I do what I do not desire, it is no more I working it out, but sin dwelling in me. (21) I find then a law: when I will to do the right, evil is present with me. (22) For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man; (23) but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin being in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

That is the perfect passage for your question. Yes, we struggle with this, as Paul said, but "who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" That is, the old corrupt flesh that wants to keep on sinning. "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Then notice that he mentions two different natures - one in control of the new man in Messiah, and the other is old and of the flesh. The old and of the flesh wants to keep sinning, but the new man must overcome such.

This is what Seeking... was trying to tell you. That you can overcome, if you have been made new in Messiah. You do not have to keep doing the things you know to be wrong. Grace is not that God just accepts us as we are and then leaves us that way. Grace is that he has something better for us, that he accepts us as we are, though Messiah, but then CHANGES US from faith to faith and glory to glory until we are perfected in his image.

You must be daily about submitting to the Potter's work to perfect you in his image. If you aren't going forward, you are going backward, and that is called backsliding. Most believers I meet these days are lukewarm at best, and in a continual backsliding state though they keep playing church.

I can testify to you, that when I began to partake in the POWER of God to change me daily, instead of daily giving in to the temptation of sin, I've overcome much. I no longer do things on a daily, or even weekly basis, that violate the conscience or are scripturally found as "sin." I used to have all sorts of strongholds of sin in my life, and felt like "I just can't help it. I don't want to do this, but I just seem to have no power against it." Well, you don't! Not in yourself! Which is where HUMILITY comes in. To be humble before God, and admit you need his HELP to deliver you from the bondage of sin.

This is why Jesus said, "take up your cross and follow me." We must crucify the flesh and follow him daily. As you do so, over time, the flesh sin nature gets weaker and weaker, because you, by the power of the Cross and Holy Spirit aiding you, are killing it. Also at the same time, your spirit becomes stronger and stronger in Messiah.

Doing this breaks the cycle of weakness against sin, and puts you in a cycle of getting stronger and stronger, till one day you can praise God for his help, that you haven't had to confess anything for weeks! Or longer. Have faith, not doubt.

Doubt says, "Oh, that's impossible." Faith says, "By the power of his Spirit helping me I CAN DO IT!" For "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I affirm that you have grace while you grow and learn. But, I also want to get you having faith in the Word that he has said you CAN OVERCOME. It is a matter of SUBMITTING to him daily, taking up your cross to follow him, and dying to your old flesh ways. He never said it would be easy. But he promised to be there with all who submit, to help them by the sent Holy Spirit.

YOU CAN DO IT WITH HIM! Quit listening to the bad reports that say you cannot, and just learn to live with it. NO! Don't learn to justify your sin and live with it. Learn to conquer it, being more than a conquerer in Christ. Remember, there were only 2 witnesses in the wilderness among Israel that spied out the land and said, "We can do it!" The other 10 spies said, "We are but grasshoppers in their sight," speaking of the giants they didn't think they could overcome. Remember, there was a whole army of Israelites cowering before one giant. Yet, a young man who was a shepherd came up and said, "Is there not a cause!" Basically he was saying, "What are you all doing sitting on your butts, ye of little faith, when there is a giant to slay??" "Well, if you won't do it, I will, because God has helped me before, and he'll help me with this giant, for his namesake."

David went out before that giant without fear. How? because he knew the POWER OF HIS GOD, which is much greater than the little power that giant had. He was not trusting in himself, he was trusting in God to deliver him. I recommend you do the same. Listen to the 2 witnesses that preach faith in overcoming the giants in the land, not the 10 who say, "Just stay here in the wilderness and die with us."

Have faith in God - and faith without works is dead - so have living and active faith. You prove what you believe in your overcoming or lack thereof. It is easy to say "I believe," but how many really believe in the POWER OF GOD to change lives, making sanctified vessels for his glory? Not many, from my experience in many different churches and groups. Most people in churches are no different than ancient Israel. And they perish in the wilderness without receiving of the promises in this age.

I for one am continuing to go into the land of promises and take my inheritance, by the power of God with me. I invite you to join me on this most exciting adventure. There are certainly hard times, struggles, and tribulations, but we enter the Kingdom through many tribulations - the reward is WELL WORTH IT!! So come on, lets get to it!

** I speak to you as one who has overcome the following and not fell back into such destructive sinning
1. nicotine addiction as a smoker (2.5 pks a day)
2. cocaine addict
3. pot head
4. lsd tripper
5. pornography
6. fornications
7. lying
8. spiritual slothfulness
9. rebellion against God (running from him and his ways)
Ect. I've overcome many snares the enemy and my old flesh had me bound up in, by FAITH IN THE POWER OF GOD. If I can do it, so can you WITH HIS HELP! Only believe and submit to his working, taking up that cross daily to follow him, and dying to the old self.

Acts 14:22 MKJV confirming the souls of the disciples, calling on them to continue in the faith and that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God.

Your servant in Messiah,

David