When a person truly gets saved the Holy Spirit will keep them from doing really bad sins like murder and adultery (see post “Sins A Saved Person Cannot Fall Into”), but true Christens can still struggle with lesser sins, which the Bible refers to as besetting sins.
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
These besetting sins can include things like:
Impatience
Having patience towards others is a command.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
Impatience shows a lack of love for others.
When struggling with the sin of impatience put yourself in the other persons shoes, and think of how you would want to be treated if you were them.
James 2:8 “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:”
Also think of how patient Jesus is with you.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Worry
Worrying shows a lack of faith in God.
When struggling with the sin of worrying remember worrying does not please God.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Remember God cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Remember God seeks your good not harm.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Remember God promises to supply your needs.
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Remember God cannot lie.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Complaining
Complaining shows a lack of contentment.
When struggling with the sin of complaining, write down all the blessings God has given you, and then thank God for them.
1 Timothy 6:8 “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
Also remember, Jesus is always with you.
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
And if you humble yourself to God in hard times, He will deliver you.
1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
Apathy
Apathy is when we do not work for God like we should, and it shows a lack o care for God and for others.
Apathy is when we neglect things like praying, studying the Bible, witnessing to others etc.
The Bible commands us to:
- Pray
I Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
2. Study The Bible
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
3. Witness to Others
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
I see a lot of Christians falling into the sin of apathy right now, because they are discouraged.
The world is evil, and they have lost hope that serving God would do any good, so they are ready to give up on trying to change the world and save it.
2 Timothy 2:1-5 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
Even though we are now living in the time where people will not endure sound doctrine, we are still commanded to work for God by witnessing to others, and to make full proof of our ministry.
We are to continue to work for God in these hard last days, because we love God and we want to please Him.
Plus the Church has the power to overcome the world. If all Christians were working and praying to save the world, we could save it! God says it is His will for all to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.“
And He says that anything we ask according to His will He will do it for us. 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
We can save the world, but it is not going to be easy! We must continue working and praying. We cannot give up! The one sure thing that will destroy this world is the Church giving up!
When struggling with the sin of apathy, hold onto God’s promise that His Word will not return void. If you work for God long enough, someone will get saved, although you may never know it until you get to heaven.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Also remember, God does not judge you on results, just on your faithfulness to do the work.
Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Now, this is not a complete list of sins that Christians struggle with, but it is some of the more common ones.
Just remember any sin hurts Christ and we do not want to hurt Him.
Our #1 Priority is to Please God.
Also, if we just focus on always doing our best to love God and others, then it will be easier to overcome these sins.
Don’t dwell on the sin, dwell on the solution for the sin.
If you dwell on not doing the sin you will become discouraged and miserable. If you dwell on the solution you will remain hopeful, which will help you get victory over it.
More Tips for Overcoming Besetting Sins:
Pray that you do not enter into temptation.
Jesus said in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
If you ask God to help you overcome sins, He will.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
You should also ask Him for wisdom on how to overcome your besetting sin or sins.
James 1:5-7 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
Take The Way Of Escape
God always give a way of escape for temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
If you find yourself tempted to complain, or already complaining, immediately stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned), and start thinking God for his blessings.
If you find yourself tempted to be impatient, or you are already being impatient, immediately stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) ask God to give you peace, and then maybe excuse yourself from the situation for a while if you can. If you can’t leave the situation, ask God for wisdom on how to properly handle the situation in the moment.
If you find yourself tempted to worry or already worrying, immediately, stop, remember how God has delivered you and others in the past, and pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) asking God to give you peace, thanking Him for His former deliverances, and thanking Him that He will deliver you this time as well.
If you find yourself being tempted to be apathetic or already being apathetic stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) asking God to give you strength to continue working to save the world, even if you do not see results, and peace that at least some will listen and be saved, and that it is God’s will to save the whole world, so therefore it is Possible!
We will never be completely sinless until we get to heaven, but we should always try our best to not sin, by focusing on loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind; and loving others as Jesus loves us. This will really help to cut down on our sinning.