1 John 1:7 (ESV) says, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
The March 22nd lane talked about walking in the Spirit and how that exposure to the “Son”-
light cleanses us from sin. But I skipped over the middle section of 1 John 1:7 “we have fellowship with one another.” Not only is Jesus in the light (Spirit) but so are our fellow followers of God.
Fellowship is also key in stopping habitual sin. James 5:16 (ESV) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Confession to a trusted believer(s) is the strongest weapon I have found to deal with habitual sin. We are calling the light to pay attention to it. When attention is on sin, sin loses its power.
I find that my habitual sin is more dominant when I am alone, lonely, or bored. This can be a big problem for me as I travel a lot for work and find myself in cities and towns where I am alone and have nothing to do. So when I travel I confide in someone I trust. I remind them of what I struggle with and what my pitfalls are. This is as much for them to know what questions to ask as it is a reminder for me to know what to look out for. Then I set up checkpoints where I will talk or text about how I am handling temptation and if I am following the strategy we made.
Rarely, when I confess to someone I trust, is my habitual sin even tempting let alone an issue. But when I am not consistent in my confession trips out of town are always a dogfight that I rarely win. To defeat habitual sin you must be consistent in walking in the Spirit.
P.S. Confession should be done to an intimate yet neutral party that will not be affected by the outcome of the sin being addressed. Rarely is this person your spouse. Choose a close friend or pastor who has a direct line of contact with you and will contact you if you go radio silent.
Comments