The Bible says a lot about repentance because there is no forgiveness without repentance. The simple definition of repentance is turning away from sin. For example, if I cheated on my school exam and quiz, repentance means that I will stop cheating and study harder. However, some sins are difficult to turn away from. The apostle Paul experienced this. He said, "And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway (Romans 7:18-19)." How many of us can relate to this? What do we need to do when we want to change, and we try everything that we can to avoid doing the same sin, but we keep on going back to it? Many believers in the Lord struggle with this, and they get so frustrated with their walk with the Lord because they can never change. As a result, they walked away from their faith in the Lord because they could never live out the life that God expected of them. Many believers think that when we repent, we should not be sinning anymore. However, the truth is that we will sin as long as we are still living on this earth because of our sinful nature.
Sins that are difficult to turn away from are the sins that we are addicted to. For example, people who struggle with alcohol, drugs, pornography, and even social media. Some emotions or attitudes easily lead us to sin over again, such as anger, rage, control, anxiety, worries, judgmental attitude, and pride. Some people are healed immediately of these sins, but for others, it is a process to heal from. So, how should we cope with the sin that we struggle all the time? Look at what Paul said in finding the answer to this question, "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind, I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature, I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:24-25)." Paul is saying that only the power of Jesus Christ our Lord can help us overcome sins that we struggle with all the time. If we are believers, we already have the answer, but we just need to know and understand how the power of Christ can help us overcome sin.
We will explain more about this topic tomorrow. There is always hope in Christ Jesus. He is the one who saved us through our faith in Him, and it is through our faith in Him that we can overcome sin in our lives.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Is there a sin in my life that I struggle with often? How do I feel every time I sin the same sin over again? Have I made up rules to follow so that I will not fall into the same sin?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, you know everything about me. You know the sins that I struggle with all the time, and I feel helpless. Please help and teach me to overcome them for your sake. I thank you that you are the answer to my sins. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.