Getting Behind Sins to Sin

As we have grown to know ourselves in the past weeks, we discovered that God loves us unconditionally. He even loves us despite our ignored, unwelcome parts, and despite the fact that we are sinners. This week let’s consider knowing ourselves as we really are as we get behind sins to sin. In Psalm 51:5, David writes, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” His words remind us that to be human is to be a sinner, broken, and wearing an image different from the good, sinless image and identity with which God created us.  

It is not surprising that this knowledge often leads us to try to hide our true selves much like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. We simply can’t fix our own sinfulness. In order to experience true spiritual transformation, we have to turn to God in our sin and shame and seek His forgiveness and healing. We have to get behind the sins causing us to sin, in other words we have to truly know ourselves to get to the core of why we do what we do! 

Most of us realize sin is any and all wrongdoing (1 John 5:17). Most of us also know why we sin – we think disobeying God will make us happier than obeying Him (James 1:14-15). When we sin we are replicating the original sin of Adam and Even – believing Satan’s lie that disobeying God will make us happier.

In Romans 14:23, Paul’s tells us how we can break free from sin, saying, “But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.” Breaking free from sin does require some self-denial, but more critical is believing God’s promises are better than anything the enemy tells us!

This week, may we trust God’s promises, knowing He is the source of all happiness and joy, as we resist the enemy’s lies.

 If you want to learn more about trusting God’s promises, there’s still time to pick up your copies of  A Year to a Better You, the year-long devotional, and the companion S.O.A.P. Journal.