How To Overcome Sin

Looking back, now I know, the devil was working overtime to get me off track. A lot of sinful habits and temptations overcame me. Some of the sinful habits were very unlike me. I had never done it before I became a Christian, and now, after my conversion, I had new temptations to deal with. I could not understand myself and was filled with guilt, grief and despair. Thoughts about my unworthiness and my hypocrisy gnawed at me day and night. It is only by God’s grace that I did not give up on my faith. Somehow, by His mercy, I always ran back to Him. Praise God.

I hurt inwardly each time I fell and promised myself to take corrective measures, but like a dog that goes back to its vomit, I frequently did. And soon, I realized, I had no power in me at all to walk in obedience to God’s Word even if I genuinely wanted to. My actions did not match my words. Exactly as Paul wrote in Romans 7.

So, all that to say, I am a war veteran. I write this post from everything I have learned over my years of many battles.

The verse for the day basically means this – When you touch a hot stove once, you learn fast. Same with an electric shock—once is enough. That’s the picture: real pain creates real change. Hebrews 12:4 reminds us that overcoming sin isn’t casual. It’s a fight—the kind that requires sweat, choices, and sometimes tears.

There are two main reasons why we continue to struggle with sin.

• We have no fear of the Lord
• We have remorse but not repentance

Fear Of The Lord

Modern Christianity portrays Jesus like a friend, (which He is), but He is also LORD. It portrays Jesus as a cool buddy. It’s all about love. Loving everyone and not offending anyone. Expecting miracles, healings, signs, prophecies, and more. But He is GOD. He is sovereign. He does what He wants, when He wants. If He chooses to heal, He will. If not, He won’t. If He chooses to show a sign, He will. If not, He won’t. He is GOD.

We must approach Him with reverence and awe. The fear of the Lord is the “beginning” of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10). Many believers have “Faith” but not “Fear”. And this is one of the reasons why they struggle with sin.

Proverbs 16:6 – “By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil”.

Exodus 20:20 – Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid… God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning”.

Remorse vs. Repentance

There is a difference between remorse and repentance. Judas felt remorse and killed himself because of grief and guilt. Peter repented and became an apostle for Christ.

• Remorse hurts after the fall. You genuinely feel bad and even cry. You promise you will never do it again but then at another vulnerable moment, you repeat. This cycle continues. This is what remorse does. But God’s word does not command us to feel remorse about our sin. It commands us to “repent”.
• Repentance turns away and doesn’t go back. It chooses a new path and blocks the old one. Repentance is a complete turn towards the opposite direction. If you are driving your car towards the “East”, then “repentance” is making a U turn and commence driving towards the “West”.

If I keep my “escape route” open, I’m planning to fail. Repentance seals the exits.

What Jesus Meant by “Radical”

Jesus’ words about cutting off a hand or plucking out an eye (Matthew 5:29–30) aren’t about hurting our bodies—they’re about removing access. If something keeps dragging me down, I don’t negotiate with it; I eliminate it. That’s love for God in action. Following Jesus requires us to love Jesus and the life He offers so much so that every kind of pleasure this world offers should pale in comparison. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” Perhaps we don’t love Him as much as we think we do. But we genuinely WANT to.

This is why He said, Apart from Him, we can do nothing. This is why we need the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to live the Christian life.

Wack A Mole

Every played the game “Wack a Mole”. Those little furry creatures pop out of holes randomly and we must wack them in with a mallet. Sin is like that. We get one in control, another pops up elsewhere. Sometimes it is a sudden outburst of anger, other times its a lustful temptation, and at other times, its a strong desire for alcohol or nicotine. We must wack them in as soon as it pops up.

Galatians 5:17 – “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.“

We have a flesh with fleshly desires wanting to fulfill the lusts of the flesh and we have a spirit with holy desires wanting to fulfill the will of God. These two natures are at WAR with each other. So if you want to win the war, then don’t FEED the fleshly nature and make is stronger. Starve it and make it weaker, so that it dies eventually.

Simple pictures to remember

• Fire drill, not wishful thinking. Fire drills are there in many commercial buildings for a good reason. You don’t plan your escape during a fire; you pre-plan. we must do the same with temptation.
• Change the channel, not the volume. Turning down temptation isn’t enough; switch it off. Go do something else. Remove yourself from the location of temptation. Deal with sin harshly with no mercy. It needs to be put to death, not nursed. in Romans 8, Paul teaches us to put to death the lusts of the flesh by the Spirit.

A 7-step battle plan

1. Name the sin and the trigger. When, where, and why does it show up? is it when you are bored? Lonely? Late at night? After conflict? Know your trigger.
2. Pre-decide your escape. Write a 2–sentence script: “When I feel __ at __, I will __ instead.” Choose to DO something else instead. Play music, mow the lawn, go for a walk, go to the gym, wash your car. Do anything, but remove yourself from the place.
3. Remove access. Uninstall apps, block sites, change routes, avoid places, ditch numbers, use filters. I use a filter called Canopy on my phone. Move the “stove” out of reach. (This is not an affiliate link. I am only recommending it because I use it.)
4. Replace with life. Temptation hates a full schedule. Use your calendar. Make appointments. Add Scripture, worship, a walk, call a friend, serve someone, shower and sleep. Have a busy full on day everyday including family time. Schedule pre-planned appointments with godly friends, even if for a casual chat over coffee.
5. Bring it into the light. Confess to God and a trusted believer. Weekly check-ins. Ask them to ask you. I have one such friend and I did exactly this. It is amazing how quickly the sin becomes weak when you do this.
6. Train your body. Eat, sleep, and exercise wisely. A tired body and scattered mind make easy targets.
7. Fight with Scripture and prayer. Memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 6; Galatians 5:16. Pray out loud when tempted.

Practical examples

Follow these guidelines if you are serious about overcoming sin in your life.

• Fasting: I recommend you fast from food at least one day a week. When you starve your body of food and remain hungry, but feed on the Word of God, it is amazing how spiritually strong you become. Also fast one day a week from all gadgets, screens, and technology other than for work. This includes TV.
• Phone purity: Try not to use your phone in solitude other than for work. Have the charger in the kitchen or a common place at home. Use filters + accountability apps. Use a dumb phone for a season if needed. Never carry your phone into the toilet. Just go in, do your business, and get out.
• Anger: When you feel you are about to get angry, step away for 10 minutes, breathe, pray Psalm 141:3, then return to talk. Apologize fast.
• Greed/impulse buying: Have a 24-hour rule before purchases. Remove saved cards. Set a giving goal that “bleeds” a little. If you are able to comfortably give 10%, increase it by 1%. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• Gossip: If they’re not part of the problem or solution, don’t say it. Change subject or walk away.

Encouragement for the fight

• You’re not fighting to be loved; you’re fighting because you’re loved.
• Falls don’t define you; getting up does (Proverbs 24:16). Be like a cork in the wine bottle. It floats in water. Push it down with your thumb. It will bounce back up again.
• The Spirit in you is stronger than the habit in you (Romans 8:13).

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I choose repentance, not just remorse.
Give me a clean heart, a strong will, and wise boundaries.
Show me the exits and the better way.
Fill me with Your Spirit to say “no” to sin and “yes” to You. Amen.

Reflect & Act

• What one access point must be cut off today? Do it now.
• Who will be your weekly check-in? Send them a message.
• Which verse will you memorize this week as your “sword”?

Keep going. Grace forgives; grace also trains (Titus 2:11–12). If the stove burned you, don’t hover near it again. Seal the exits, walk with Jesus, and live free.