Mr. Armstrong on overcoming…

 Mr. Armstrong once wrote, "Sometimes it takes a siege of FASTING and PRAYER¾earnest, determined, persevering prayer¾seeking God with all our might¾with weeping¾staying with it, determined, until we get through."  He wrote this in the context of overcoming our fleshly desires and conquering Satan. Drawing close to God is the vital key to overcoming the bondage of sin!

 We have seen in earlier installments on the subject of overcoming that having the humility and courage to honestly face our sins begins the very important process of overcoming.  We have also explored the fact we all have, “secret faults”¾sins we simply do not see without the help of God's spirit.  In this article, I will address the most important habit one can develop to help us overcome sins that may have held us hostage for years.

 The bondage of sin

 When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he addressed people who had to overcome all types of sin.  The Corinthians came out of a society where drunkenness, greed, and all types of sexual perversion were a “routine” part of life.  In short, the Corinthian society was held captive by all types of sinful, depraved behavior (see I Corinthians 6:9-11).  Sin can be very addictive.  It can literally imprison us.  Satan, the ruler over this present evil world and the arch promoter of evil, does not want us to escape the bondage of sinful behavior (Romans 6:16-17).  His desire is to destroy us through enslavement to destructive habits.  That is why he will try again and again to discourage us from overcoming.  It is always in his best interests to see us fail.

 We all have at least one weak area where we are prone to cave into temptation.  Humans are slaves to a variety of vices: Compulsive shopping, bouts of rage, pornography, destructive gossip, alcohol abuse, wife battering, foul language, TV addiction, sexual lust, sports addiction, a belittling tongue.  The list goes on and on.  For many, a particular sin may seem impossible to overcome.  Discouragement and despair can quickly overwhelm us.  But with God all things truly are possible.  We can have great hope that He will help us overcome the most persistent sins.

 The honest question you need to ask yourself is what are you a slave to?  All humans struggle against the flesh.  The Apostle Paul hated the times he fell into sin's powerful hands ( Romans 7:15-17).  What sinful behavior do you gravitate toward?  Solomon was enslaved to his desire for women.  He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.  This spirit of covetousness and lust led him eventually to “turn away his heart” from God (I Kings 11:4).  We all have an area of weakness we struggle with.  What is yours?

 By way of another example, it was a woman in her 30's who finally admitted she had a problem with shopping.  Her spending sprees put her family into serious financial straits to the tune of over $40,000 in credit card debt.  All sins and character weaknesses have a spiritual source.  In this case the woman was trying to fill a void in her life.  This lead to an addictive problem we would label as covetousness. 

 Sin is rooted in Satan's world.  It can be said, this world is constructed to prompt and even prosper sin.  Before our conversion we were once all "children of wrath,” and we walked in this world being influenced by Satan's corrupting spirit (Ephesians 2:2).  Everything we did was in some way tainted by Satan’s world.  As the Bible tells us, mankind is full of sin.   While we humans can struggle against the downward pulls of this world, and sometimes succeed in putting evil behavior patterns out of our lives, to truly succeed at overcoming sin, we need something more.

 The simple but not so easy solution

 How do you overcome deep-rooted patterns of sin?  Sin causes great harm and confusion.  Why do people drink too much?  Why do others give in to sexual addictions?  Why will some continually vent their temper, going into rages, hurting their families and co-workers?  Jesus Christ said the human heart was filled with all kinds of evil thoughts (Matthew 15:19).  The invisible Satan has pumped into the human mind a spirit of disobedience toward God (Ephesians 2:2).  We once walked according to Satan's sinful impulses.

 Many of God's people get very discouraged because of persistent sins they cannot overcome through their own human effort. Human effort by itself is usually not enough to eradicate long established patterns of ungodly conduct.  Long-time sinful habits need much more that human effort if sin is to be defeated. God wants us to overcome sin completely in our lives (Revelation 2:17).  He wants us to strive to become perfect.  He will show us how even the most addictive and destructive habits can be conquered.  This means we can be greatly encouraged.  God will give us the strength of His Holy Spirit to defeat sin in our lives.

 James gives us the “not so easy” solution to overcoming sin and breaking the bonds of Satan. "Submit to God!  Resist the Devil!  Draw close to God and He will draw close to you” (James 4:7-8).  This process runs contrary to lazy human nature.  That is why the solution is not easy.  Overcoming those sins that are the most binding requires fervent prayer, and greatly increased time on our knees.  Are we willing to do this?  Most people are very passive when it comes to overcoming.  Seldom do people want to continually RESIST Satan, spending time in prayer and fasting.  Yet, if you want to truly break a sinful habit that has plagued you for years, you must battle Satan on your knees¾being fervent and determined in prayer and Bible study to seek God's great strength in your life and to seek, at the same time, to diminish your own strong will that resists doing what is right.

 It is only through the great strength of God that the strongest bonds of Satan can be broken (Phil 4:13).

 Human effort, though important, will only help us so much when we are trying to change an entrenched habit.  There is a supernatural strength that can only come from our contact with God that can give us the will and the power to conquer sin. There are various physical measures we can take such as avoiding tempting situations, staying busy, avoiding evil people, etc.  However, the great key to breaking Satan's bonds is constant, fervent contact with God our Father through diligent prayer, consistent study, and much fasting.  It is then that we will have the supernatural power of God’s Holy Spirit working in us to break down the strong-holds of sin.  "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strong-holds…bringing every thought into the captivity of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). 

 Do not get discouraged and give up.  With God's help and through persevering prayer, God will strengthen you.  You can overcome!  Even the most stubborn harmful habits can be changed.  God will supply all our needs, pouring his Spirit into our hearts and minds, driving sin out, to give us victory in our battle against Satan, our human nature and the bondage of sin.