Dealing With Sin

Message / Question

hi dr dave, im a genuinely committed spirit filled christian but as i reflect on my life theres not been much regeneration or sanctification, in terms of the sin i keep doing in my life. if anything, its getting worse. im pentecostal. whats going on? am i not being proactive enough?

Response

Sin is like a cancer, eating away our life quietly and effectively. Some sins, like some cancers, can be found early enough to treat and stop their damage and even remove them completely. But some are far more deep rooted are become very difficult to excise.

Your spirit has been renewed, so that’s the good part – regeneration has happened and can’t be improved, because the work of the Spirit in regeneration is complete. On the other hand, you are fighting a battle in the realm of the soul (the mind) that can be, at times, a rough, dirty and tough battle in which you wounded and hurt. Sin doesn’t look at you and say “Ohh! This one’s a Pentecostal, better leave them alone!” Rather the enemy tends, where it seems as though the person may resist, to send in extra “troops” (temptations, thoughts etc) to try to take more ground. I don’t know how “proactive” you have become in dealing with your problem, but the first thing that anyone with a problem needs to do is to admit that they have a problem and seek help in dealing with it. I would suggest that you need to go to your pastor and tell him/her that you have a problem and seek some help. Secondly, you need to find someone who is spiritually mature and make yourself accountable to this person – to do that you need to tell them about your sin issue and give them the right to “check up” on how you are doing on a regular yet random basis (i.e. the time and place is random, but it does happen regularly).

Don’t beat yourself up over your issue – the reality is that most Christians have ongoing sin issues, even if the “sin issues” are those that are more “acceptable” in the Christian community (e.g. gossip). You are not alone in having a sin issue – that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with it, because you really must do so, however the battle for and in the mind/soul realm is one that we all experience to one degree or another and, at least, you are willing to recognise it, admit to it and do something about it. You’ve taken the first step, that’s great but don’t leave it there go on and take some action to deal with it!