How Serious Are You?

“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'”—Mark 9:43-48

Sin is serious. Deadly serious. And if we are to deal with the sin in our lives we must be ready to take drastic measures. What are you willing to do to stop sinning? We know that we sin. We know all too well the sins that stick to our skin like a tick in the summer. And we know that just like with the tick, we need to take some extreme measures to remove it from us. Why? Because it’s deadly—as the Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death…”—Romans 6:23.

We know that we will never be free from the presence of sin until glory. Nevertheless, we continue battling until that day when Jesus comes again or takes us home.

But how can we deal with and defeat sin in our lives right now? We must be willing to undertake drastic measures to stop sinning. Jesus went as far as to say that if any member of your body is causing you to sin then it needs to be cut off! Jesus is not calling for us to mutilate ourselves, but He is stating the importance of dealing with sin. He’s using hyperbole in this instance, which is intentional overstatement, to get His point across—if we fail to deal with sin seriously, then hell is our destination.

But how can we deal with sin? Here are a few steps that I’ve found to help me.

1. Know your sin. Everyone has a sin they struggle with, and it’s different for different people. Some struggle with lying, others with porn, some with stealing, while others struggle with cursing etc. We must know our sin and we must know the moments we are most likely to sin. If you were to chart your sin on a graph, then you would probably see that there are certain days of the week, hours of the day, or even certain stressors that help facilitate you giving into temptation. If you know those moments and stressors, then you are more likely to develop a defense against it.

2. Know the Savior. This might be simple for some, like a “given” in Geometry, but its importance cannot be overstated. If you are to defeat sin, then you must know that the power of sin has already been defeated. Jesus achieved victory on the cross. It’s been said that we don’t fight for victory, but from the position of victory. Sin and Satan have been defeated, much like a pit bull that’s lost his teeth. He might try to fight, and may inflict some pain, but he can’t win. Satan can’t win either. When we know the Savior and what He did on the cross, then we stand in a position of victory.

3. Take the necessary steps. This means that we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to keep us from sin. What causes you to sin? Is it being online and looking at porn? Then get rid of your computer! I mean it. It might seem crazy, but if you are having a hard time controlling yourself, then you need to get radical! If for some reason you can’t get rid of your computer, then get a filter such as Content Barrier, Safe Eyes, or Covenant Eyes. There are many different filters out there that can help you out. Notice I wrote, “help you out.” A filter can’t be the Holy Spirit and should not be treated as such, but it can help prevent the temptation from occurring by acting as the layer of first defense.

Your sin may be different, but the same steps can be applied. If you have a struggle with alcohol, then get rid of all of the alcohol in your house, stop going to bars, and hanging out with people that don’t share your convictions. If it’s stealing, enlist the help of an accountability partner and promise to be radically honest when they ask the real and tough questions about where you have been and if you’ve been tempted to take something that isn’t yours.

It doesn’t matter what your specific sin is for the same principles apply. The overall defensive scheme against your sin might differ in how it is carried out, but with the proper parameters in place much of the temptation will be removed!

God has promised in His Word that when temptation comes, He will give us an escape route (1 Corinthians 10:13). Our job is to take it when it comes! Or help remove the temptation altogether!

May God give us the courage and discipline to make the radical changes necessary to forsake sin! May we fight from the position of victory that Christ has achieved not for it! And may God receive the glory because of it! Amen.