Break the Cycle of Sin Rom. 6:1-2 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
One thing I have noticed about Christians is that many times they are just stuck in the same sin – they may be ashamed and feel guilty or they may be defensive about their behavior or they may justify their behavior because of other circumstances – in any case they just keep on sinning – and you need to break the vicious cycle of sin in your life – here are some things you can do to break this cycle of sin – you must realize that:
All unrighteousness is sin – 1 Jn 5:17 – everything you do in your life is either a product of righteousness or it is a product of unrighteousness [Rom 6:13] – if you yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness then you are sinning – so call your unrighteousness what it is – it’s sin and it is named in the Bible so that you can identify it – it’s not a character flaw – it’s not a shortcoming – it’s not “just the way you were made” – it’s not a fault or a misstep or a mistake – it is sin – read the list Rom 1:29-32.
Sin is never justifiable – Gen 3:10-13; Rom 6:12 – you are not a victim – you are not the way you are because of what others have done to you – you cannot transfer the blame – you are the person responsible for this sin and there are no circumstances in your life to which you can point that justify this sin in your life – you can’t say that one thing happened to you and therefore you are justified in being a certain way.
Sin must be acknowledged – Ps 51:3 – your life is in the mess it’s in because of sin – you have to admit that what you are doing is sin – you lie not because you are afraid or because the circumstances dictate it but because you are a liar – you fornicate not because you are lonely or because you are physically attracted but because you are a fornicator – you get drunk sometimes not because you have a little too much to drink or because you get carried away and don’t realize what you are doing but because you are a drunkard – you overeat not because the food tastes so good or because you are hungry but because you are a glutton – you cuss when you get exasperated not because someone made you mad or because you got hurt but because you are a blasphemer – you don’t like to hear this about yourself but it is the truth – you commit the sins you commit because that unrighteousness is in you and you are yielding to it.
Sin must be confessed – Ps 51:4 – when you confess sin you take God’s side in the case against you – you agree with God that what you are doing is sin and you confess to the Lord that your sin is against him – in other words you have to take up the matter of your sin with the Lord himself – all the other people and circumstances that you can name are not a factor in your confession – it’s just you and the Lord!!
Sin must be forsaken – Prov 28:13 – once you agree with God that your unrighteousness is sin against him and that you are the only one responsible for it then you must repent – this is not shame and guilt – this repentance is a full turning away from your sin – you are a new creature in Christ – he has changed who you are – you have righteousness in you now that you did not have before – so you have the ability to turn from your sin and forsake it.
Conclusion: you don’t reform, you transform –and when you transform, the effects of the sin on your life cease though you will still experience some or all of the consequences – but as other things in your life begin to come into line with Christ you get better and you grow and you get further and further from the consequences and the chaos in your life – you love Christ more – you can deal with other sin better – and your life is not so out of control.