Season 2, Episode 22

How to break free from sin

If you’ve ever felt like you are just stuck in sin, maybe it’s an addiction you can’t get free from or an action you just KEEP taking even though you feel convicted, maybe you can’t stop gossiping or lying or you’re ridden with envy and bitterness.

To be alive in this world is to be tempted and fall to sin.

As a Christian, we are told that we can be free from it, that Christ saved us from death and sin, BUT then we think to ourselves — but I haven’t stopped sinning?

Or I just CANNOT BREAK FREE from this one sin that seems to OWN me. Maybe you’re feeling ashamed because of this sin. Maybe it’s a sin that’s out there and known but you know is wrong and you hear that quiet whisper telling you to give it up. Or maybe it’s a secret sin you can’t possibly imagine confessing because if you do, oh my gosh what will people think.

But the biggest issue? You’re stuck. You were told that Christians can be free from sin but you can’t seem to shake yours.

So today, we’re talking about HOW to break free from sin. We’re going to go through some verses about freedom from sin, and the very relatable feeling chained to sin and then dive into practically how to actually break free.

This episode is JAM PACKED with truth. It’s an episode I believe at some point in our lives we may all need. This episode is not only going to be encouraging but challenging because we ALL sin.

So whether you’re listening while you’re tidying up, maybe driving to work or running errands or maybe you’re at work or maybe you’re working out or maybe you’re just sitting enjoying a podcast — I want you to know I have prayed over YOU that Jesus would speak to YOU today. So let’s dive in. 

HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS: Despite the fact that we all struggle with sin, there’s some GOOD truth: Sin has no hold. That’s right. It seems unfathomable for some of us and to others its like well DUH but here’s a truth you can know (no matter how stuck you FEEL), sin has no hold on you. And it’s not because you’re amazing and leveled up as a Christian, nope. It’s because of Jesus. When He died and rose again, He didn’t just save you from eternal death, He freed you from the very thing that causes death: sin. Let’s back this truth up with the Bible.

James 4:7 says Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 6:14 says For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Colossians 3:5 “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

And maybe you’re saying, ‘okay Meg I get it the Bible says I’m free, but I’m telling you I CANNOT let go of sin.’ And friend, here’s some encouragement to say you are NOT ALONE in struggling with sin. In fact, because we are on this side of heaven, while we are no longer BOUND to sin and a slave to it, we do still sin and we will. And sometimes it will FEEL like it chains us. Let’s get some verses in here:

1 John 1:8 If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves.

Romans 7:15-24 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body?

To sin and to feel chained by it on this side of heaven is NORMAL. It’s not good but it’s normal. Friend, Jesus never once expects perfection from us and that’s very explicitly stated here. He even says we’re LYING if we say we don’t sin. He wants to transform us, He wants to make us righteous, but He is not expecting perfection. We NEED Him to conquer any and all things.

So we know Christ gives us freedom from slavery to sin but know that graciously He understands we’re not perfect and we do still sin…

so how do we break free from sin?

1. 1. Remind yourself of this truth: You are already set free. For years, I struggled with doubt and one day God spoke to me this truth and it set me free. Sometimes that truth alone has power. I can for lack of a better word, claim that.
   2. Confess to God and others. This is MAJOR because it allows the things in the dark to come to light. EVEN IF the sin is public, to confess that you’re struggling with stopping it is a game changer. And if the sin is private, letting it out to the light is vital. Why is it vital?
   It takes a step into acknowledging that there is a problem and that you can’t stop it and that you want help for it – however big or little the problem is. 
2. Also satan LOVES to keep things in the dark. How much easier is it to tear someone down alone and in private then when they have friends and a support system around them? The same applies here. Tempting and deceiving and pulling you down is so much easier when no one else knows what’s going on or knows it’s time to intercede. It’s easier in the aloneness of our hearts and minds for Satan to creep in and discourage, to tempt, lie, steal, kill and destroy because it’s just one person against him.
3. SO – in confessing it to God, you are acknowledging you are ready to give it up. You are acknowledging you need His help and you are even finally accepting His help and accepting that you can’t help yourself. You also in being honest with God allow for His truth to pierce in – truths about His love, His freedom.

And so, in confessing to others, you are doing 3 things

1. • Allowing for accountability. This is vital because often sin runs rampant when we’re accountable and answering to no one. When we finally open up to someone, we are now accountable to THEM for how we act. I’ve done this.
   • Allowing for prayer. James 5:16 says Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. The powerful prayers of others interceding for us is another piece of armor in the battle against Satan.
   • 1. llowing for truth. Oftentimes when Satan has us alone in our minds – I dont know about you but this is a VULNERABLE time for me. It’s a time I get easily confused, discouraged, anxious, deceived. It’s a time that my thoughts can get twisted because when I get in my own head, forgoing insight from either God or others, anything is fair game. When we then confess our sin, we’re allowing the insight and truth of God and others to pierce into our hearts and soul. A BIG thing that that keeps us in sin often is shame. When we confess our sin to the right people, we can be freed from shame, freed from captivity, freed from believing lies and deceptions and temptations. We’re allowing truth in.
3. What else can we do?
4.  
   • Pray for help – Hebrews 4:15-16 is my favorite: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” PRAY FOR HELP. Know that God wants to help you, He wants to free you, He already knows your sin and struggles even before you took part in them. He is not leaving you alone. He has been tempted as well. He allows us to come BOLDLY – friend, that means condemnation that keeps us from coming to Christ is a LIE, because we can come BOLDLY ADMITTING WE NEED HELP before the throne of GRACE. YES, sin is a shameful thing. YES we should be convicted but NO we should never feel those things to the extent that it KEEPS us from the ONE who wants to HELP. PRAY. SEEK. ASK.
   • FLEE sin and Walk in the light – this may sound super simple and like an ‘of course’ moment, but these 2 points are vital. In the story of Joseph, when Potiphar’s wife comes to him (this story can be found in Genesis) and wants to sleep with him, he not only denies her but he FLEES. He RUNS from sin. He takes sin as seriously it seems as Jesus does when Jesus says if your right hand causes you to sin CUT IF OFF. This is something I think we often neglect to do. We sometimes stick around sinful situations or places sin could take place and try not to partake. Sometimes we even intentionally go to those places thinking we can handle it but God does not even expect us to walk right into temptation willingly. In fact, Jesus prays that we would be KEPT FROM (not just sin and evil although also that) but TEMPTATION in Matthew 6:13. Let’s FLEE sin, flee temptation, avoid it, run from it. LEt’s STOP putting ourselves in situations we know might trip us up especially if it’s something we’re struggling with. If you struggle with drunkeness, that might mean instead of going to the party or bar and trying to avoid drinking to NOT GO TO the party or bar at all. It might mean instead of staying out all night with bae, trying to avoid sexual sin, to go to bed EARLY. It might mean instead of scrolling on Instagram trying not to covet, to unfollow or delete the app. And then that brings us to our next point. Walk in the light. This goes hand in hand with fleeing sin. Because we can flee sin but we need to flee to something. In scripture we are called to walk in the LIGHT. Let’s not just avoid bad situations and things but jump into and live in and walk in GOOD things – let’s attend more Bible studies and spend more time with Jesus and live above reproach and live obeying God and share His love. Let’s not just avoid temptation but RUN to do good and live in light. 
   • Die to self – And then lastly, a big part of being free from sin is a very active struggle we all face to die to self. This ties in with fleeing sin and walking in light but it really hits the heart in all of that. We need to remind ourselves that this life is NOT for our own pleasure or satisfaction but to glorify the Lord and live for Him and draw closer to Him. We are actually called to die to our sinful desires and die to self. We see this in Luke 9:23, Galatians 5:24, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 8:35, Matthew 10:38, Romans 6, etc. The posture of our hearts should be acknowledging that we are not supposed to gain everything here, in fact we should die to self here. 

XO, Meg