How can I overcome sin ?
I believe the person who asked this question really wanted to know if it was possible to overcome an addiction. The answer is clear and is to be found in the Bible: Matt 10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. NIV Mark 6:7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. NIV Acts 19:11-12 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. NIV
Jesus has given us authority to heal others and drive evil spirits out of them. By what authority? Remember what Jesus said to his disciples before going back to Heaven? Matt 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." NIV By Jesus authority! He can free you from any addiction. The How part is longer to explain and can not be summarized in just a few pages. I would like to recommend two terrific books which are based on the Bible which will help you discover the how.
They are "The Bondage Breaker" and "Victory Over The Darkness" by Neil Anderson. They are available in any Christian bookstore and will be of tremendous help to you. If you have a sexual addiction, I recommend "A Way of Escape" by the same author. Yes, you can be freed from your addiction my friend. How? Through the power of Jesus Christ! Though it is true that we will never be able to shed our sinful nature in this world, one day sin will cease to exist. When? When Jesus will return to bring us home. Rev 21:3-5 "3Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" NIV
Rob Chaffart
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HOW CAN I OVERCOME SIN?
Preamble: “And He saith unto them, follow me and I will make
you fishers of men” – Matthew 4:19
This question is genuine and I believe it touches the heart
of Christ. I believe that the Lord will be glad towards the
questionnaire for the quest to live a life of holiness and
righteousness thereby following the Master in order to get
to Heaven.
I have the following suggestions for you to follow in order
to overcome sin so that Heaven can ultimately be your home:
- A supreme love for Jesus, an unrivaled love for Christ – Luke 14:25-33; Matt. 10:37. You should have that kind of love.
- A denial of self by surrendering to the will of God. Matt. 16:24. You should deny yourself of alcohol, night parties, and those desires you were given to before you made confession to follow the Lord.
- A deliberate choosing of the cross (Matt. 16:24). Individual has to deliberately choose the cross. What does the cross symbolize? The shame, rejection, suffering, persecution and abuse that the world heaped on Jesus. You should be prepared for the same.
- A life spent in following Christ (Matthew 16:24). You must follow Him everyday in total obedience to the Holy Spirit. Patience, long suffering, sacrifice, self denial are evidences that must show in your life.
- A fervent love for all who belong to Christ (Jn 13:34-35)
- Total obedience to the Word of God and continuance in the Word of God (Jn 8:31-32), Lk. 9:62).
- A forsaking of all to follow the Master (Lk 14:33). Give God the first place in your life and every decision of yours.
- Decision not to sin again – Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remain in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. – I John 3: 4, 6,7, 8,9.
- Study the Scripture – Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful”.
- Pray regularly – I Thes. 5:17
- Avoid sins and their attendant consequences – I Cor 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
- Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers – II Cor. 6:14-16 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial. What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For ware are the temples of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among the, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch not unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
- It is important that you should live a holy life – 1 Pet. 1:16
- Attend Fellowship/Church regularly – Hebrew 10:25
- Identify and obey the pastor/leader of your church/fellowship – Hebrews 13:7
God bless you. If you have further questions, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
Rev Debo Adeyemo
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How can I overcome sin ?
The short answer is that YOU can’t. I know, the bible has
many references to overcoming sin and promises to those who
‘overcome’. You have inside you a carnal sinful human nature
that is contrary to the things of God and will remain so as
long as you live. Throughout the centuries, many have been
deluded into thinking that by keeping the law, by doing good
and right things, their own works in other words, that they
can somehow attain to righteousness. If there was a way that
mankind could become righteous by his own efforts, don’t you
think that God would have required him to do so? Wouldn’t
this have been a better solution to the God of the Universe
becoming flesh, and offering Himself as a sacrifice, to pay
the penalty (the penalty that His law required) for OUR
sins, so that we could claim His righteousness instead of
our own?
Romans 8:7-AV Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be.
Ecclesiastes 9:3-AV This [is] an evil among all [things]
that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto
all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil,
and madness [is] in their heart while they live, and after
that [they go] to the dead
Because He knew mankind was irretrievably lost unless He
provided a way of salvation, God had such love for us that
He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us. Because
of the sacrifice of Jesus, we can claim His righteousness in
place of our own. Our sins are covered by the death of Jesus
and no longer require our own eternal death. That is, if we
accept that sacrifice as our own and put our trust in the
Son of God, who liked to call Himself the Son of man. This
is the first step, and having taken this step, a number of
promises belong to us.
The first and most significant is that we are now justified
before God. We are saved. We still face a human death, but
we will be resurrected at the Second Coming to eternal life,
even if our time of death is but seconds after that
acceptance. To gain this promise we must repent of our sins,
and ask Jesus for forgiveness. No hoops to jump through. No
bad habits to give up first. No need for anyone else, like a
pastor or church membership to decide if we are good enough.
We are accepted just as we are. As is.
Hebrews 10:22-AV Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
John 10:9-AV I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Acts 4:12-AV Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Romans 10:9-AV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
The second is a process that starts at the moment of
decision and continues while we live. It is called
‘sanctification’. Although we are justified at the moment of
decision, we may still have bad habits, may not know much
about Jesus, may not be aware that some of the things we are
accustomed to doing and saying will need to change. We
become ‘born again’. That is, a new, infant, holy nature is
created within us. This nature is part of the Holy Spirit.
It grows over time as it is fed on the ‘bread of life’. It
does not sin. It overcomes the sinful carnal nature by
causing us to experience anxiety when we sin. If we become
aware that we have committed sin then we have to go to Jesus
for forgiveness. When we say the Lord’s prayer, we ask Him
to forgive us in the same way that we have forgiven others,
who trespass against us. This nature teaches us of all
things and guides us in the paths of righteousness. There
will of course be conflict between the two natures. Paul
often spoke of the conflict within himself.
1John 3:9-AV Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;
for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he
is born of God.
1John 2:27-AV But the anointing which ye have received of
him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye
shall abide in him.
Another promise is that He will protect us from evil and
will not let any man, or evil spirit, steal us away from
Him. Jesus often referred to us as ‘sheep’ and Himself as
the ‘Good Shepherd’. The principle is that if we stray,
backslide, yield to temptation etc, He will come after us
and bring us back. He has also promised to chasten us if
this is required. He told the disciples that they had to
become as little children in order to enter the Kingdom of
heaven. We are to trust Jesus in the same way a child trusts
a parent. We are not to worry or concern ourselves with
cares for money, food, clothing or the cares of this world;
we are to trust God to provide all of those things as a
small child would trust a loving parent. Our concern is to
be for others and for the Kingdom of God, not ourselves. I
may have to suffer and face a physical death, but I do not
need to fear evil.
John 10:28-AV And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out
of my hand.
John 10:29-AV My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater
than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my
Father's hand.
Revelation 3:19-AV As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:
be zealous therefore, and repent.
Matthew 18:3-AV And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 6:31-AV Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall
we be clothed?
Matthew 6:32-AV (For after all these things do the Gentiles
seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of
all these things.
Matthew 6:33-AV But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you.
Psalms 23:4-AV Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
He has promised to not allow us to be tempted beyond our
ability to withstand. He will, with the temptation, provide
a way of escape. Any Christian facing temptation should keep
this in mind.
1Corinthians 10:13-AV 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].
Hebrews 2:18-AV For in that he himself hath suffered being
tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
So this is how we overcome sin. Not in our own strength
because that is impossible. Jesus has overcome for us. We
latch ourselves onto Him and He forgives us for everything
bad we have ever done and makes us clean again. Then, as we
go through life and suffer temptation, He strengthens us,
provides us a way of escape, and if we then fail, will
forgive us again, having chastened us if that is called for,
and represent our case to God for us. He lives inside us in
the form of that holy nature, and speaks to us (conscience)
about what is right and wrong. We do not have to carry a
book of rules around and we can live in freedom, avoiding
only the things our conscience warns us about.
Go in peace and understanding,
Lance Wearmouth
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You can not overcome sin.
When we were under the Law, we found out that we are unable
to overcome sin. We needed a Saviour. Jesus is the great
OVERCOMER! It is He who overcomes sin, because He overcame
death which was the price of sin. If Jesus "could do nothing
without the Father", how much more is that true for us?
B. Thorbjörnsson
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NONE of us will ever be able to overcome sin, for we are
human and sinners by nature and fall short of the glory of
the Lord. BUT, due to Jesus Christ, he PAID for our sins on
the cross so that we are washed clean of them in the eyes of
God. We cannot overcome it though until we are with our
Father in Heaven. We can try our best to follow the law of
the Lord, but we still will fall short. May All Be Blessed
BLESSINGS TO YOU! DeeDee
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In my years of being a born again Christian, and having and
knowing the intimate loving relationship with Jesus, In my
own life, sin was paid for when Jesus took my place on the
Cross and died for me, now walking out my salvation with
knowledge and wisdom that comes daily, and is renewed daily,
is a constant daily renewal to serve, love and be obedient
to my Savior and Lord am I 100% right in my "walk with my
Lord and in being a Christian daily. Oh no, I stumble, I
fall, the Lord is always there to guide me, pick me up and
carry me through.
The only way I can overcome sin is to daily, moment by moment seek to stay in fellowship with my Lord, and this can only be done by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and by staying in the Word of God always. For we live in wicked times, but God's grace abounds so much greater and as I learn and choose to seek and follow God's will for my life, and put on the full armor of God, and pray without ceasing sin has less of a chance to tempt me, and I also learn of the evils of Satan the enemy, and how he is out to kill, steal, and destroy, John 10:10 but just as we need to feed our physical bodies and exercise, so it is of utmost priority to feed and exercise our spiritual soul and as we grow in the Lord, and in His wisdom and guidance, then we truly learn His great love for us, and we are on our "spiritual toes" so to speak, and we listen for that still small voice of the Holy Spirit to warn us when the evils of sin approach us, and we in our hearts and lives as we come to try to even fathom the great love God has for us, we do not wish to shame our Lord, and hurt Him, or put forth the wrong testimony to those we come across for we may be the only Bible some people will ever read or see.
It is so very eternally important, that if we say we are Christian, that we of utmost priority choose to live it before all we come across from our family, friends, strangers, to show forth the Christ qualities that our Lord lived and showed when He walked this earth. There is nothing sadder that breaks my heart to hear or see one who says they are a Christian, but in no way, lives it or shows it, they are as an unbeliever who would want to be saved and overcome sin unless we as Christians truly desire and strive to live to overcome sin and show Jesus in our lives. I am not what I was yesterday, and I am not what I will be tomorrow, but until my last breath, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Because of Christ The Best is soon to Be.
Debbie
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Pray every day all day have communication with God and He will convict your heart of your sin you will not want to sin anymore bec. of your love for Jesus as you come closer to Our Lord you will be so aware of His prescence that you will not allow sin to dwell within you by His grace you can overcome just know we are all sinners and all of us come short the glory of God so keep on believing and know that Jesus died to set you and me free and we are free indeed keep talking to Our Lord fill yourself with more of Him listen to Praise tapes and read the Word of God mediate on Him and allow Christ to captivate your mind then the devil will have no place. We are not responsible for the first throught that come in our mind but we are responsible for every one thereafter bec. we can pray and take things to Our Lord the second they happen give Christ your every need trust and obey and know you are righteous in Him alone
God bless agape Elizabeth C.
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I don't believe anyone can overcome sin, except through
Jesus Christ.
Dave Schiefele
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I can overcome sin by seeking, studying God word.
1. Live in continuous spiritual fellowship with Christ, the
Living Word, who indwells us. He said: "Remain in me, and I
will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless
you remain in me" (John 15:4). Paul prayed for the Ephesians
that "the Lord may strengthen you with power through his
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith... " . He also prayed that they would
be "rooted and grounded in love" (Ephesians 3:16,17), as
branches of Christ, the vine. Because of his close
fellowship with Christ Paul could say, "I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live
by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for
me" (Galatians 2:20).
2. Study the Bible. The Lord Jesus said, "It is written: Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Psalm 19:8-12 says,
"The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes
of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The
precepts of the Lord are right, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The
ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they
are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By
them is your servant warned, in keeping them there is great
reward."
3. Pray constantly. When Satan began to sift the disciples
like wheat, Jesus told them to pray so that they would not
fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41 ). For when we are led
into lust and when lust ripens, it produces sin. Therefore
we should pray earnestly to God asking Him not to lead us
into temptation, but to deliver us from evil.
4. Repent of your sins. St. Basil wrote, "It is good not to
sin, and if you sin, it is good not to delay repentance. If
you do repent, it is good not to relapse into sin. But if
you should not thus relapse, it is good to realise that this
has been accomplished by God's help. If you realise this, it
is good to thank God for His grace. Ask Him constantly for
His help."
5. Recognize that the old self has been crucified, and live
like it. Paul wrote, "You were taught, with regard to your
former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being
corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the
attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness"
(Ephesians 4:22-24).
6. Take refuge in Christ's love. Our sins have made us
imperfect, but Christ's death and love for us wipes away our
sins and makes up for our shortcomings and weaknesses.
7. Have fellowship with other believers. This is one of the
best means of growth and advancement in the Christian life.
"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love
and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another
- and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews
10:24,25). This introductory article belongs to the general
theme: Salvation (al-Najat)
Bailey Gertrude E NSSC
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I (or we, as any human
beings) do not have the power to overcome sin. "All our
righteousness is as filthy rags" (Isaiah) "There is none
righteous, no not one." "For all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God". (Romans) It was overcome FOR us
by our Lord, Jesus, who died upon the cross, by His Blood
the atoning sacrifice. Therefore, in Revelation it says,
'And they overcame him (the accuser of the brethren, Satan
who is the father of lies and sin) by the Blood of the Lamb
and the word of their testimony (of believing in Jesus,
having the faith of Jesus), Rev. John, the apostle,
admonishes us not to sin "But if we do sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and He
is the Propitiation for our sins." (First epistle of John)
Jesus Christ is the only way. There is no other - abide in
the Vine and He will abide in you. He will give you the
power to say "no" to sin.
Sincerely in Jesus, Sharon Warden
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Only with the help of the Holy Spirit.
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Accepting God as your savior living for him. Read your Bible
pray daily. Attend church like a Christian should this is
where we get our strength to get closer to him.
God Bless, Belle
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Please storm the heavens for my son Aaron who is in jail
with a mental illness. They are now giving him the meds and
he is thinking clearly, but he goes to court on the 12th of
this month. Please keep him in prayer as they pass sentence
on him. Please pray that the authorities see his grief and
remorse and understand his mental illness. He is a Christian
and is praying all the time in there. God bless you prayer
warriors for interceding on behalf of those who are
suffering.
Cathy
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Answer to "How can I overcome sin?" First of all, you cannot. That is why you need God's grace. Benjamin Franklin wrote that at one point in his life, he decided to do his utmost to live a flawless life. He found, to his surprise, that he could not. He continued to make mistakes and commit sin. He was discovering that we human beings are "fallen in nature," and our best efforts cannot make us otherwise.
That is why the most important thing we can do is to recognize our own inadequacy, and give our lives over to God. First of all, this is necessary because of our wholly inadequate knowledge of how to conduct our lives-- God sees around the corners of our human minds, and is able to assess the endless variables which enter into every human situation and decision. A great deal of our sin is not willful, but arises from our profound ignorance of the needs and motivations of other human beings. Hence, God can advise us of what is sinful, far better than we can advise ourselves. But second, no matter how well-advised we are, even by God, our fallen nature makes it impossible for us to overcome sin without grace.
Our best human efforts can only take us so far; there still remains a gap between the state to which our best efforts can take us and the state of perfection. That gap can only be bridged by grace. But to accept grace requires a certain conquest over the human ego. Even before Christ lived, Socrates said that "In order to become wise, we must first admit ignorance." I believe this is true, and that it is tied into the acceptance of grace. We can only accept grace to the extent that we put the ego aside. Therefore, the best way for a human being to overcome sin is first of all to strive diligently not to sin, but even more importantly, to try to set aside the ego, and humbly accept God's grace-- because without it, we cannot hope to be perfect.
Christine Hansen
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The only way that I can overcome sin is to stay close to
God, To read my Bible, pray , and to just seek his face
daily, When we live close to him, we know when we do
something thats not right, He lets us know, in a gentle way
like our earthly father would, He is our father ,he is
always there for us, there is nothing to big or to small
that we can't share with him, The first year I was saved, I
messed up many times because I didn't think my sin was
something to talk to God about, I now know that we can talk
to him about anything ,
Faith
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I can only overcome sin
by living by the word of God the commandments He gave to me
to live by. I will not be perfect, there are times, when i
might not do the right thing, I have to put the question to
myself what would God have me do. If it means human
suffering to get from the uncomfortable point to the sure
and comfortable place, then that is what has to be done. I
have nothing to fear for He is with me thy rod thy staff
they comfort me. He has so many words to read for me to be
busy, He has so many souls to find I can never be lonely. He
has so much love for all that I need to tell so many people
do not know the spectrum of Love this Heavenly Father has
for each of us. Forgiveness, compassion, he sent his son to
die for me, overcoming sin isnt a problem for me.
Vicki
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The only way to overcome sin is to repent, ask forgiveness and ask the Lord to cleanse you of the sin that tempts you and resist the temptation and the Devil will flee. James 4:7
Allan Mann
