In our journey of faith, we often face the challenge of sin and its relentless pursuit. The Bible reminds us that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but it also offers hope and guidance on how to overcome sin.
By following the example of Jesus Christ, we can find the strength and strategies to resist temptation, grow in righteousness, and experience the transformative power of God’s grace.
In this blog post, we will explore ten effective ways to overcome sin, drawing inspiration from the teachings and life of Jesus. Let us embark on this journey together, seeking to align our lives with God’s will and experience the freedom that comes from victorious living in Christ.
Recognizing Sin and the Need for Forgiveness:
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the Lord; anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is guilty of sin. If you claim that you haven’t sinned, then you have deceived yourself, and the truth isn’t in you.
But if you confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and will forgive your sins and cleanse you of everything we’ve done wrong. If you claim to have never sinned, that means the truth is not in you, and his word is not in you. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48 (KJV).
Jesus says that it’s what comes out of a person that contaminates someone in the sight of God; there is no temptation of sin that has overtaken you that isn’t common to man,
but God is faithful, and he won’t let you be tempted beyond your ability.We were all born in sin from the moment our mother conceived us. The bible says in Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned ( Romans 5:12 (KJV).
What is sin?
Sin is a desire, and it consists of evil acts, whether of thought, word, or deed. Sin is an opposition to the word of God’s commandments.
And sin itself is an attitude of defiance or hatred of the word of God; sin is the transgression of the law of God. The bible says in James 1:14:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed (James 1:14 (KJV).
Anyone who practices sin commits an act of insubordination, and sin is insubordination. Walk by the Spirit, and you won’t gratify the desires of sin.
Every unrighteous action is sin, but there is no sins that don’t result to eternal destruction. Sin is a desire contrary to you, but you can overcome it. Jesus said that anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Sin is the enemy of humans, so it’s very important for humans to flee from sin, some ask if it’s possible for a human to sin or not Yes! It’s possible to prevent sin, and when you prevent sin you’ll be close to God and Jesus is always for those who are with God,The bible says in Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25 (KJV).
The Power of Confession and Repentance:
Only if you overcome sins, only then will be able to live a fulfilled life, because there is no profit when you gain the world and lose your soul for vanity, you only gain when you live a fulfilled life in earth and in heaven.
Your body will abide in what you teach it, weather good or bad, that’s why it’s good to discipline the body in the way of the Lord,
Illustration giving: some are addicted to smoking or drinking of alcohol so when someone is preaching against it to them, they will say that it ls impossible for them to live without it because their body has abide in it. Brethren, our body won’t abide in what can destroy our soul, we shouldn’t allow sin to overcome us, we should flee from sin.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:29-30:
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell (Matthew 5:29-30 (KJV).
Anything that may be causing you to sin should be avoided. Because the Lord does not want a sinner to perish. But he desires that they turn to Him. Always put God first, and the kingdom will follow. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33,
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33 (KJV).
We should avoid doing what God forbids us to do. The Lord in Isaiah 1:2–31:
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more?
ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;
cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them (Isaiah 1:2–31 (KJV).
Ways to Overcome Sin:
Have the love of God
Fear the Lord.
Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness.
Resist the devil.
Don’t be a lover of money.
Be sober-minded and watchful.
Walk in the way that the Lord walked.
You need to crucify your flesh.
Be born in the Lord and abide in Him.
Always heed the word of God.
1. Have the love of God: If you have the love of God, you won’t be able to offend Him, and you’ll love to always please Him.
The Lord says in Deuteronomy 5:29
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:29 (KJV).
2. Fear the Lord: If you have the fear of God, you’ll overcome sin. The atrocity we commit is due to the lack of fear of God in your lives, if you fear the Lord You will avoid sin because God despises sin, and if we have the fear of God, we’ll flee from what God despises. The bible says in Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate (Proverbs 8:13 (KJV).
And the Bible also says in Proverbs 28:14
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief (Proverbs 28:14 (KJV).
3. Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness: Humans are meant to commit sin because we were conceived in sin, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t flee from sin because the Lord doesn’t want the death of a sinner, He wants us to confess Our sin to Him and ask for forgiveness,
He’s a merciful God, He gave His only son to die for our sins, He’ll forgive those who confess and give their lives to Christ because no one goes to the Father except through Jesus and His hands aren’t short to forgive, we should confess our sins and ask for forgiveness for he’ll surely forgive. The bible says in 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9(KJV).
Also in Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19(KJV).
The bible also says in Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins (Isaiah 43:25(KJV).
Including in Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18(KJV).
4. Resist the devil: All humans must resist the devil and his deed, the practice of sin is of the devil because satan has been sinning from the beginning; that’s the reason Jesus appeared to destroy the works of satan. The bible says in James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (James 4:7-8 (KJV).
Also in Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16(KJV).
The Bible also says in 1 Peter 5:9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Peter 5:9 (KJV).
Even in Hebrews 2:14
forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14 (KJV).
5. Don’t be a lover of money: The bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.(1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV).
One can’t love God and money at the same time. Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.because the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Jesus says in Matthew 6:2
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24 (KJV).
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:10
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10 (KJV).
6.Be sober-minded and be watchful: Be sober-minded; be watchful so that you’ll be able to resist commiting sin. The bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6(KJV).
Jesus says in Matthew 24:42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:42 (KJV).
The Bible also says in 1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV).
7. Walk in the way which the Lord walked: God is the only God and He want us to walk in His way, we should live a holy and pure life, a life that pleases God. The bible says in Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 (KJV).
The Bible also says in 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7 (KJV)
Jesus says in John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life(John 8:12 (KJV).
8.You need to crucify your flesh: You need to overcome yourself because the flesh is enemy of the spirit. Jesus says in Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41(KJV).
The Bible says in Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit domortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Romans 8:13(KJV).
The bible also says in 1 Corinthians 15:44
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44 (KJV).
9.Be born in the Lord and abide in Him: Be born in the Lord because if you’re born in the Lord you’llbe able to overcome all temptation coming your way, if you abide in the Lord you’ll be able to stand with Him no matter the situation and it will be easy to overcome sin.
When the king of Egypt spoke to two Hebrew midwives named Shiphrah and Puah, he told them that when Hebrew women want to give birth they should kill the baby if it is a boy when they are helping the Hebrew women to give birth,
they should kill the boys and let the girls live but the two women respected God a lot so they let the boys live.When the king of Egypt found out he ask them why they let the boys live, they told him that Hebrew women are strong that they can give birth on their own without any midwives helping them.
The Lord treated the midwives well and because they respected Him, God gave them households of their own. If you abide in the Lord, you obey him,those midwives could have committed sin by killing the new born baby boys but because they respected the Lord and they abide in Him that made them to overcome sin.
Jesus says in John 15:7
If ye abide in me,and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7 (KJV).
Jesus also says in John 8:31
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed (John 8:31 (KJV).
Jesus says in John 15:4
Abide in me, and i in you. as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me(John 15:4 (KJV).
10.Always heed the word of God: As a child of God it’s important to be a Bible reader because the Bible Always know the mind of God and His like and dislike which can make you overcome sin and you’ll be able to feed your spirit with the word of God. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12
for the word of god is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the Dividing Asunder Of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 (KJV).
The Lord says in Isaiah 55:11
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return until me void,but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11(KJV).
The Bible also says in 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17
all scripture is given by inspiration of God, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness: That the man of God May be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works ( 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 KJV).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is imperative for each of us to strive to overcome sin with our utmost effort. As time progresses and the end draws near, our true nature and actions will be revealed. By actively working towards overcoming sin, we align ourselves with God’s will and live a life of righteousness. Let us remain vigilant, continually seeking God’s forgiveness and strength, as we pursue a life free from the bondage of sin.
I pray into your life these prayers:
1.The Lord will anoint you with the oil of overcoming sin in Jesus mighty name.
2.You won’t fall into the temptation of sin in Jesus mighty name.
3. You shall defeat and conquer the icon of sin in your life in Jesus mighty name Amen.
