Overcoming The Pleasures Of Sin

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

SO MANY PROFESSING Christians seem to think that coming to Christ involves letting go of everything they love in the world to embrace things they loathe. They may be willing to “make a decision for Christ” to save their skins for eternity, but truth be told, they really like the ways of this world and really want the things of this world.

So they’re caught in the middle. They think they’re supposed to try hard to follow Jesus. Yet deep down inside, the pleasures, pursuits, plaudits, and possessions of this world seem far more enticing. Consequently, the lives of these professing Christians are often virtually indistinguishable from the lives of non-Christians. They claim to have faith in Christ, yet they are just as sensual, just as humanistic, and just as materialistic as the world around them.

But this is not the way it’s supposed to be. When we truly come to Christ, our thirst is quenched by the fountain of life and our hunger is filled by the bread of heaven. We discover that Jesus is the supreme source of satisfaction, and we want nothing apart from him. We realize that he is better than all the pleasures, pursuits, plaudits, and possessions of this world combined. As we trust in Jesus, he transforms our tastes in such a way that we begin to love the things of God that we once hated, and we begin to hate the things of this world that we once loved.

The way to conquer sin is not by working hard to change our deeds, but by trusting Jesus to change our desires. Remember the words of Jesus in John 6:35: “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is how we overcome the pleasures of sin: by allowing Christ to overcome us with the power of his satisfaction. When lust, lying, greed, or possessions promise pleasure, we fight their appeal with fulfillment in Christ. We know, believe, and trust that Jesus is better, and we refuse to give in to sin because we have found greater gratification in our Savior.

Pray that God would continue to give you a greater desire for him than for the things of this world.