They say old habits die hard, and if you’ve ever struggled with addiction, you know that to be true. Whether it’s cigarettes, wine, meth, or a piping hot pizza, breaking your dependence on a substance that pleases your flesh is excruciating. We are our own worst enemies and sabotage our progress by setting up roadblocks to victory over habitual sin.
Success over sin struggles is possible but not often painless. Jesus is willing and able to deliver us from those strongholds, but we must be willing to do our part, and recognize and remove the roadblocks to victory over habitual sin.
8 Roadblocks to Victory Over Habitual Sin
1. Lack of true repentance – 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 – Repentance is a change of mind and heart that leads to a change of direction and results in a changed life.
It’s not a feeling of guilt or simply being sorry for your sin. A person with a repentant heart grieves over their sin and sees it as God does. They want no part of that garbage anymore.
Repentance is agreeing with God that it’s vile and turning away from it. To have victory over habitual sin, we have to repent of it.
Without true biblical repentance, we’ll return to those habitual sins because our hearts aren’t broken over it.
A Psalm of Repentance for Dealing with Sin
Psalm 51:10 KJV – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51 is David’s Psalm of repentance after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. Begging for mercy from God, he was crushed by the weight of his sin. David asked for cleansing and restoration so he could be reconciled to God.
When we are stuck in a cycle of sin, we must cry out to the Lord with a broken and contrite heart like David did. God hears those prayers and restores us because He is merciful and compassionate.
2. Lack of fear of the Lord– Proverbs 16:6 KJV – By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
I memorized this verse as part of my battle plan to help me quit smoking years ago. Cigarettes were my go-to instead of the Lord, and an idol in my life. After ignoring the Holy Spirit for months, I finally repented of that sin of idolatry. The Lord freed me from this stronghold through prayer and applying the scripture (and LOTS of gum).
I learned to fear the Lord- to reverence and respect Him by obeying His word.
Without a healthy fear of the Lord, we walk in rebellion.
Proverbs 9:10 KJV ~ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
3. Lack of understanding of God’s holiness- Psalm 47:8 – Holiness is said to be the Lord’s supreme attribute above all others. Isaiah 6:3 says that God is holy, holy, holy. No other attribute of God is listed three times in a row like that. Holy means that God is sacred, divine, majestic, and pure.
Without a proper understanding of God’s holiness, there’s no urgency to repent of the sin that stains us and separates us from Him. We will continue to cover and justify our sins and attempt to bring God down on our level.
Praying for a better understanding of His holiness and reading through the Old Testament will help remove this roadblock to victory over habitual sin.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 KJV ~ For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
4. Lack of relationship with Christ – John 15:1-11 – Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but in Him, we can do anything, and that includes getting victory over habitual sin.
If we’re not spending quality time with Jesus praying, praising Him, and putting in the scriptures, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Any progress we make will be of our own self-efforts and short-lived.
Lasting victory can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit, activated by our intentional pursuit of intimate fellowship with Christ. Share on XGalatians 5:16 KJV ~ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
To be continued…
Four of the roadblocks we need to remove when dealing with sin are a lack of biblical repentance, a lack of fear of the Lord, a lack of understanding of God’s holiness, and a lack of relationship with Christ.
I’ll give you the remaining four in my next post. In the meantime, I hope you will examine your heart, recognize the roadblocks you have in your life, repent, reverence the Lord, and restore fellowship with Jesus.
You may not battle an addiction to alcohol, drugs, or pornography. It may be gossip and envy or pride and covetousness that you can’t seem to shake. Maybe you’re hooked on social media, or you’re apathetic to the things of God. Regardless of what sin you are struggling with, there is victory in Jesus!
Turn to Him, talk to Him about it, trust Him, take His hand, and walk in the light with Him.
1Peter 2:11 KJV ~ Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Articles Related to Dealing With Sin:
How to Be a Good and Faithful Steward of God
The Power of Worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth
Renew Your Mind and Revive Your Heart with ‘It is Written’
The Importance of a Sober Mind for Spiritual Stability
Staying Clean in an Unclean Culture: Teaching women to be chaste
Resource Library
I created a resource library with FREE tools for spiritual growth here at Daily His Disciple. It includes a 17-page guide to How to Study the Bible. There are scripture lists for topical study and memorization (including 14 Scriptures for a Sober Mind). Simply enter your email address and hit subscribe to get the link to the resource library and the password.
In addition to the resources, you get my blog posts in your email. I only post weekly or bi-weekly, so I won’t flood your inbox.
If you are already subscribed to Daily His Disciple, just email me and I will send you the link and password!
Pray With Confidence
Prayer is a must when dealing with sin. If you desire a stronger prayer life, check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the regular contributors. Here are a few links I think will be a blessing to you:
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
19 Bible Verses that Reveal the Will of God
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs. There are many great options to boost your spiritual growth!
Love your passion in your written words. These are all beautiful and biblical principals for us to live by. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting, you’re a blessing!! 😊
I rarely read books outside of the bible but lately I’ve felt led to do so. This post has encouraged me to read about the holiness of God. Thank you!
Well praise the Lord, that’s wonderful! I’m sure you’ll be glad you did. 🙂
Loved this! So beautifully written. I especially resonated with the quote “Lasting victory can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit, activated by our intentional pursuit of intimate fellowship with Christ.” Writing this down! – Take a Walk Ministries
Praise the Lord! I’m glad it was a blessing to ya! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it. Blessings on your ministry!
Annie, I appreciated reading your post. We can so often try to tackle change only armed with our own strength and knowledge. But when we stop and release we have a Saviour who is ready to walk with us and teach and lead us through the change – this is when lasting and deep change can occur. Thanks for you post
Truth! Strongholds aren’t broken in our own power but by His! Blessings on your ministry! 😊
#2 really resonates for me. Thank you so much for this awesome post!
Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment! 🙂
These all resonate with me! Number 3 was my barrier for years related to my gluttony. When I finally understood his Holiness, and acknowledged my body as his temple, I was able to truly repent and find freedom from that sin.
Praise the Lord, that’s awesome! There is freedom in Christ! Blessings to ya! 😊
Number 1 is it for me, more than anything else. It makes me believe my sin isn’t really a sin and I rationalize it away as not a big deal. Eager for the conclusion!
Your comment triggers another potential post on what hinders true repentance. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Your comment triggers another potential post on what hinders true repentance! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Thanks for this great post. These roadblocks are definitely barriers to deep change in our lives. I would also add that sometimes we do not fully realise the gravity of our sin and how it offends God. I guess that can come under lack of relationship, but could be a category in itself.
Praise the Lord. Thanks for the feedback. I totally agree with you. And it goes along with one of the last four roadblocks to come! 🙂