Why is it so hard to resist the temptation to sin? Even if you know you shouldn’t do it; you keep doing it. You feel guilty for a moment, swear you’ll never do it again, and a little while later, once the shame has worn off, you desire it again.

Sin is physically addictive because, often, the sinning is immensely pleasurable — as most drugs are in the short term. But just like with other drugs, with Sin, no matter how much of it you get, you always crave more as you head down a path to ruin.

A lot has been written about how to resist Sin, how to resist temptation, and how to fight spiritual warfare. These techniques are essential. It’s important to pray and stay close to God to help reprogram your mind.

But for me, the turning point in my battle against Sin came not when I tried to fight my sinful urges. Instead, the change came when I accepted: I have sinful impulses, I would enjoy myself quite a lot in the short term if I pursued them, I could have a decent life if I followed that path, and that path is always open to me if I want to go back to it.

A lot of why we struggle with Sin is because we struggle with the guilt of wanting to sin at all. We don’t want to like it. But I think that’s a misreading. It’s okay to desire to sin; that’s part of your sinful nature living on this earth. So the difference between the sinner and the Christian is that the Christian is tempted and then makes a decision that says, “yes, I want this, and I’d like it a lot if I did this Sin. But there is something else I want even more than this, and I am willing to forego this Sin for what I want even more.“

It’s okay to desire to sin; that’s part of your sinful nature living on this earth.

You might even feel a sense of grief over letting go of that Sin you enjoyed so much because you know how good it makes you feel and how life will be a little harder without it. That’s okay too. It’s your actions and plans that are judged, not your thoughts.

Sacrifice your Sin to move closer to God.

Sacrifice your Sin to move closer to God. Once you do this, you’ll be amazed at how much more mental bandwidth you have. Bandwidth that was previously entangled in your struggle with your addiction to Sin. You’ll have more energy, hear God’s voice more clearly, and start to have more purpose in your life.

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