Why Do I Keep Sinning?

By Brian Goslee

Many of us struggle from time to time to do the right thing. Read this encouraging article about discovering and doing what God wants you to do.

Let me ask a few questions:

Do you ever struggle to do what is right?

Do you ever feel like you battle to stay on God’s path for your life?

Do you ever feel like you are really close to God one day, living the right way, then the next day you find yourself doing and saying things that are clearly not in line with God’s will for you?

The Struggle

Many of us have had these thoughts and feelings and continue to have them. They come from an internal struggle. Even the apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, experienced this struggle.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:19, 24)

There is a struggle inherent inside each of us between good and evil, between the law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and death (see Romans 8:2). Our flesh is rooted in Adam, but our Spirit is rooted in the resurrection power of Jesus, for those who believe in Him as their Savior.

Our Sinful Nature

How do we overcome our flesh or our sinful nature? What is it anyway?

Sinful nature can show itself in many different ways. In the Bible it is described in this way:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT)

Many of us have recognized times when we were doing sinful things and we resolve to fix it ourselves, using sheer will power or good ideas that we came up with ourselves.

Does anything on this list resonate with you?

Going to church more
Going to church less
Reading a recommended spiritual book
Resolving to quit a bad habit or addiction…again
Numbing the pain
Making “deals” with God

Some of these things are very good (and necessary) to do, but they will not result fully in the growth and fulfillment we are seeking without total, daily surrender to Jesus Christ.

The Real Solution

There is only one way to overcome our flesh being rooted in Adam and sin; it is not just behavior modification, good intentions, a checklist of doing holy things, or a balance sheet of doing more right than wrong. The ONLY way to overcome our flesh is through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. We need to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and submit to following Him daily.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

That means that we learn to truly desire God’s ways, NOT OURS.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

But Wait, There’s More…The Victory!

Jesus is victorious! He has already won the biggest battle of all time! He lets us share on equal footing with Him, as if we had invested with Him, and were there with Him in that battle… all we have to do is say “YES” every day to Him, put down our selfish desires, and follow Him. God is commander-in-chief of the winning army… and He always will be!

God made us, He knows that we like certain things. He knows we have certain gifts, skills, and personality traits. He doesn’t want us to abandon all of those. He wants us to surrender those back to Him, so He can supercharge them with the power of the Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave and use them for His purposes!

Let us be people that follow Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to help us bring our heart, mind, and flesh into line with God’s will for our lives.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

Guest Post by Brian Goslee

Brian Goslee, President, Changed Through Faith Ministries

Brian Goslee is an author, speaker, and founder of Changed Through Faith Ministries . Their mission is to help fathers and their families grow closer to God and each other, using relevant faith-infused events and resources. Brian’s life has been radically changed through active faith in Christ and he has a heart for helping others experience this in their lives. You can contact him at briangoslee32@gmail.com.

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible : English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Read more about sin here: Three Sinful Views About Sin

Tagged as: Sin, Sinful Nature, why do I keep sinning