Deal with Sin
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Getting Started
Before you read this page, please take a moment to
ask God to prepare your heart and mind for what you will read. Because
people often encounter difficulty in going through this page, I encourage you to
also bind any evil spirits that may be influencing you. Here is an example
prayer:
"Lord God, I praise you for
leading me to this place. I recognize that I need your help. Please help
me identify and turn from the sin in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ,
I bind any evil spirits from interfering with my reading of this page or my
confession of sin. I loose the peace of God in my mind and body right
now. Lord please send your holy angels to assist me and minister to me as
I work through this page. Thank you, Father! In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen."
When you received Jesus into your life and accepted
his sacrifice for your sin, how much of your life did you surrender to his
control? I spent years living as a "carnal Christian" after I asked Jesus into
my life. I continued to live as though Jesus was not my master. The results
were disastrous. Porn addiction was just one of the many bad habits I developed
during this time. The Bible describes the need for us to submit all
areas of our lives to God (James 4:7).
Why is sin so bad?: Sin is rebellion against
God. It brings an offense between us and God that can only be removed by
death (Romans 6:23). When we practice the same sin over and over, we can
"grieve" or "put out the fire" of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The result
of this can be a feeling of separation from God and a "sapping" of our strength
to live in righteousness. By
accepting Jesus'
payment for our sin, we receive forgiveness for our sins and can then
reconnect with the Holy Spirit.
What does God want me to do with my sin? God
wants us to agree with him that our sin is wrong (confess it) and then turn away
from it and no longer practice it (repent from it). Confession and repentance
will open doors of forgiveness, cleansing and healing in our lives that we need
in order to walk free of sex addiction. Here are three references for this:
- Acts 3:19 NIV: "Repent,
then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord"
- 1 John 1:9 NIV:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
- James 5:15 NIV:
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will
raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Identify
your sin: Before we confess and repent, we should take an inventory of the
sins we've been committing. I've listed below some of the common sin areas
involved with sexual addictions. As you read through this list, be sure to note
which areas seem to apply to you. It may be helpful to print this page out and
circle the areas that apply to you. If the Lord reminds you of
additional sins, please write them down and include them
in the confession & repentance prayers in the next section.
Common sins involved with sex addiction
- Lust: Lust and porn addiction
work together like old friends. A good definition for lust comes from the
Greek word Epithumia (Strong’s
#1939), meaning the "desire for what is forbidden." Most sex addictions,
if not all, involve lust. (further study: Lust)
- Lying/Deception/Covering
Sin: Sex addicts usually prefer to keep
their habit hidden from others. Pride, fear, shame, stubbornness and love of
pleasure can all be contributing factors to covering the sin up. Keeping our sin secret from others blocks God's blessings on our lives (Proverbs
28:13). Bringing it to the light can be fearful and painful, but once we
do, we open the door for God's healing and forgiveness (1 John 1:9; James
5:15-16). We'll further address breaking secrecy later in this study.
- Pride: Pride is perhaps the
most self-deceptive sin. There are so many ways it can manifest in our
lives. Some indicators of pride can be: fearing exposure of our secret sin,
criticizing others, resisting the Holy Spirit, refusing to admit we need help
and avoiding accountability. The problem with pride is that it prevents us
from drawing near to God and receiving the help we need to live in purity
(James 4:6-8). (further study: Pride)
- Rebellion: (1
Samuel 15:23) Rebellion is typically at the core of sexual addiction
because it involves rejection of God's commands regarding sexual activity, our
thought-life and how we use our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). Rebellion can
show up in other areas as well, including rebellion against parents,
government, church, employer and any other form of authority. Rebellion
refuses discipline, limitation and authority.
- Sexual idolatry: With the help
of pornography and other "sexually charged" material people are idolizing sex
now more than ever. An idol can be anything that we love or admire in excess
of God. When we start making sex the focus of our thoughts and activities, we
are basically making it an idol. (further study:
Sexual Idolatry)
- Sexual sin: Sex sin is basically sexual
activity outside of marriage. We must also remember that sex sin can be
committed in our minds just as it can be committed physically (Matthew
5:28). Specific categories include fornication, adultery, homosexuality,
molestation/pedophilia, rape, bestiality and incest. For scripture refs and
more info see our sex page.
Other sins that often hinder freedom from sex
addiction
- Abortion: One of the natural
results of illicit sexual encounters can be unwanted pregnancies.
Tragically, many couples decide to end such pregnancies by aborting the
babies. Though we may be able to temporarily quell our conscience under
a variety of rationalizations, the fact remains that we've participated in
the taking of our child's life. The realization of this truth can be
accompanied by deep shame and self-condemnation, which people may carry with
them for the rest of their lives. They may feel that God could never
forgive them. If you've been the mother or
father of an aborted child, you can be forgiven for your role in that
abortion through your faith in Jesus Christ. God will also help you get
to the place where you can forgive yourself for this sin.
- Involvement in "the Occult":
"The Occult" is a broad term referring to
activities that seek or use knowledge and/or power from sources other than
God. Examples of occult sin: sorcery, astrology, magic, witchcraft,
palm-reading, fortunetelling, false religions, astral projection, mind control
and spell-casting. Unfortunately, the occult is becoming wildly popular
in our culture with the help of the entertainment industry. Though many people consider occult activities harmless
curiosities, the truth is that any involvement with the occult can become an
entry point for spiritual oppression in our lives. God warns us for good
reason to avoid all involvement with the occult. (more
info: the Occult)
- Sexual abuse: We hear from many people
who have been sexually abused at some point in their lives. Sexual abuse
often causes trauma, unwanted memories, unhealthy soul ties and unforgiveness. Recovery from sex
abuse can begin through prayer by asking God to heal the emotional and
spiritual wounds that were created. If unforgiveness is involved, we can ask
God to give us the ability to forgive the perpetrator through the blood of
Christ. Forgiving the perpetrator does not mean that we are condoning the
abuse. These are often difficult issues to work through, and we encourage you
to seek prayer and Christian counseling if you
have been
sexually abused.
- Unforgiveness: Bitterness,
resentment and grudges are all examples of unforgiveness. Since God was
willing to forgive us for our sin, we must forgive others for what they have
done to us. If we do not forgive, God will not forgive us of our sin
(Matthew 6:14-15)! Is there anyone that you have not forgiven?
(examples: co-workers, former boss, family members, priest, pastor, former church
members, abusers, etc. ) (more on unforgiveness)
Confession and Repentance
Take a moment
to review the sin areas that you have noted from the above list. If there are
any areas that you are not ready to turn away from, please ask the Lord to give
you the desire to repent in those areas.
If you are ready to
confess and repent, please pray the below prayers specifically for each area
that you noted:
“Father
God, I believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who was crucified and
resurrected from the dead. I confess that I have sinned in the following ways:
_____________(list the sin).
I renounce these sins and the use of
my body for any sinful purpose.
Please forgive me, Father, for
quenching the Holy Spirit by these repeated acts of rebellion. Please
cleanse me with the blood of Jesus and fill
me afresh with the Holy
Spirit. I receive your Spirit now. Please unite my heart to live for
you in righteousness.
Please sharpen
my ears to hear your voice and train my eyes to see the truth in the scriptures.
From today forward, I will
present my members as instruments for righteousness and not for sin. I
rejoice in the salvation I have in you! Thank you, Father! In Jesus'
name, Amen."
Note: If you
experience any "spiritual resistance" that prevents or inhibits your
completion of the above prayers, do not fear. For example, persons who have
been heavily involved in sex sin and/or occult sin may experience difficulty
in confessing & renouncing the root sin. Symptoms may include: difficulty
speaking, shortness of breath, sudden hot or cold flash, loss of train of
thought, uncontrolled shaking, sudden headache or other bodily pain, heaviness, mocking thoughts
or severe distraction.
We share this not to cause fear, but simply to
prepare you in advance for what you may experience. If the devil has you in
bondage, he will be reluctant to let you go. No matter what happens, know
that the Lord Jesus is with you and lives in you and is greater than any power
of the devil. If any such manifestations occur, you can take authority over
them in the name of Jesus Christ and command them to stop. An example
statement you can make is, "In the name of Jesus Christ,
I command the evil spirit causing this manifestation to stop. I am saved by
the blood of Jesus and I have authority over
you. Release me right now." At that point you should be able to
proceed. If not, you may want to obtain help from a trusted group of
believers who will help you pray and work through the root area. It may be
that you will need "deliverance ministry" to be
able to completely deal with that area.
Please
let us know if you experience resistance, so
we may pray for you.
Receive God's
Forgiveness: If you confessed and repented from your sin, be assured
that God has forgiven you and purified you of your sin (more on
receiving God's forgiveness). In fact,
God doesn't even remember your sin once you've confessed it. He said in Isaiah
43:25: "I, even I, am he who
blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."
You can move forward now in securing your freedom without condemnation
concerning your past!
You may have noticed
that I didn't mention masturbation on this page. Masturbation often plays
a key role in sex addiction, so I've created a special online course addressing
it (see Freedom from Masturbation study).
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