Ending Cycles of Sin

We know God is with all of us all the time. He is capable of being with every single person on Earth. Often people will try to say the devil has the power to do this as well. This is not true. The evil one will study your patterns and behaviors. Then, he will put you in a cycle of sin based on what he knows about you. This way, he can simply check up on you every once in a while and move to the next person. That is why some sins are harder to stop than others. Your walk with God can slow down when you find yourself trapped in a cycle of sin. The Daily Bread covers different ways to break the chains of your sin.

Prayer is essential when you are in the midst of sin. Confess your wrongdoings to the Lord. It’s common for us to hide the parts we are most ashamed of from God, but these are the parts that God loves most. He knows we will sin and this does not impact the love He has for us … God is just that loving. Invite God in in your mental. Let Him see every damaged part of you. Be as vulnerable as you can when you face Him. Now ask Him to transform you. Ask Him to change the beat of your heart. The Bible says to guard your heart, so to end a cycle of sin, you need to protect your heart. Instead of beating to the sound of sin, your heart needs to beat to the sound of the Son.

Galatians 5:16 NIV

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”

Sin is like a flower. It is rooted somewhere in you and grows over time before it blooms. How does it grow? When you entertain the idea of a sin, you are actually allowing it to grow inside of you. The more you think about it and surround yourself with it, the quicker it grows. Eventually, the sin blooms. You cut the flower off at the head rather than pulling it at the root. The cycle continues. This analogy shows why it is important to avoid putting yourself in situations where you may be tempted. For example, if you struggle with keeping a sober mind, don’t go out with that friend group on Friday night for happy hour. If you struggle with lust, don’t follow Instagram influencers who promote those things. Sin feeds on the nutrients given from the world. Allow your sin to starve as you fill your body with the fruits given from God. Rather than finding sin at your roots, find God so your spirit may produce good fruits.

Matthew 7:18 NIV

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit”

When we fight in a war, we have a variety of weapons to help us defeat the enemy. We have long range weapons that are used at a distance, and we have short range weapons that are used when the enemy has gotten too close. Defeating sin works in a similar way. If you know you are struggling with a certain sin, we of course pray to the Lord that he helps us keep it away. Prayer is our long-range weapon. But what about when it appears in front of you? What about when the sin isn’t just an “if it happens”, and you’re looking it in the eye? What about when you’re facing sin against your own flesh? Long range weapons can’t work in this situation. You must use your short-range weapons, and that is using your voice with power. Cast out the enemy, cast out the sin. In Jesus’ name repeat His word and make His presence known. The enemy cannot stand hearing His holy words, so use that against him.

1 Corinthians 10:4-5

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Fleeing from sin is critical in ending a cycle the enemy has put you in. We see a great example of this in Jospeh’s story in Genesis. When his master’s wife continuously wanted Joseph to lay with him and take him to bed, he didn’t fight, he fled. He quite literally dropped everything and ran. In Genesis 39:12, it says “She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” This is what we must do when faced with temptation. Take extensive measures to flee from this and run to God. Don’t sit there and battle with the sin, don’t take a slight step back, RUN.

2 Timothy 2:22

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

In conclusion, our journey with God has its ups and downs. The enemy knows our weaknesses and tries to trap us in sin. But with God’s love and His Word, we have what we need to resist. Like weeds, sin grows when we give in to temptations. By staying close to God’s teachings, we can nurture a life filled with goodness. Let’s commit daily to following God’s path, leaning on His love and strength to guide us.