All Christians struggle to control their sinful impulses at times, and it's definitely nobody's favorite. We want to do the right thing, but sometimes the lure of sin is so strong (James 1:14).
Even the apostle Paul struggled with this issue! Romans 7:14-25 says, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do and if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
Besides Paul, there are many, many examples of people in the Bible who loved the Lord, but who also had trouble controlling their desires at times. Adam and Eve are the first obvious examples because they gave in to the impulse to go against God and believe the serpent's lie that the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge would not kill them (Genesis 3:4).
Even though we probably don't listen to serpents anymore in the literal sense (I hope), we can still fall into the same old binding schemes of Satan. He may have changed his methods to get us to sin, but he's still at it with the same determination he's had since the beginning (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Because of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve, we've inherited a nature desire to rebel against God in sin. This is called the sin nature, and it makes us prone to giving in to the desire to sin—whether it be lying to our parents, cheating on a test, over spending, or lusting after someone we find attractive. Matthew 26:41 says, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." You have power in Christ and can endure anything—as long as you decide you want to (Philippians 4:13).
Even though we are sinful creatures by nature, that does not mean Christians have an excuse to sin. Rather, we have a responsibility to control our desires by asking for God's help (Romans 6:1-7). Think your sin is too hard to conquer? Don't worry, sinful impulses always feel bigger and tougher than they actually are. Give voice to them by telling God, confessing to a friend, or expressing your thoughts in a journal.
Because God is so awesome (for a million and one reasons!), He will provide for us a way out from all temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13)! The key is that we have to choose to take that option of running the other way when a sinful impulse strikes. Except in extreme circumstances, God is probably not going to pry your teeth off of that sinful bone you've been chewing. He's going to wait until you hand it over and ask Him to get rid of it.
One tricky thing about impulses is their fast-paced nature. See, Satan uses time to his advantage in some situations because, let's face it, if you're in a hurry while you feel a temptation coming on, your reaction will likely be more automatic. Then. the likelihood of you standing firm against that temptation is pretty low. But, with God's training and help from the Holy Spirit, you can actually change your automatic response.
Being a Christian means that we must yield our "automatic" responses to sin to God's sovereignty. That means that the second you feel an impulse to sin, you hand over that desire to God's hands and ask Him to take it away. Easier said than done, right? Here's what that looks like practically:
Taking a few minutes or even a few seconds to consider the consequences of a wrong choice you are about to make can help you change our mind about doing it. Sometimes we feel like we don't have time to fight sin. But often, we actually do!
Satan is the father of deception, so of course he loves to make us believe we can't control our reactions and our choices. Remember that God always provides a way out, so in order to win the struggle with a sinful impulse, it would be best to take a long deep breath and slow your reaction time down. This gives you a few seconds to clear your head of negative emotions so you can act in a more Christlike way. Asking God to help us during those emotion-filled moments is one of the best habits to get into after stopping to take a breath.
James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Even something as simple as slowing down our reaction time can help us resist Satan's urgings for us to sin.
Finally, with any sin, you must first WANT to overcome it. If you don't truly want to stop doing it, then you'll never make any long-term changes. You have free will to choose to sin or not to sin. Thanks to Jesus, you don't HAVE to choose sin. God promises that He will always give you an escape route when you're feeling tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you feel tempted, it is up to YOU to immediately look for that escape route and TAKE IT.
God wants us to withstand temptation and react responsibly in times when sinful impulses strike. He has provided His Word to encourage and empower us to resist the devil and his schemes. In Matthew when Jesus was tempted by Satan, do you know the first thing He did to resist him? He recited Scripture (Matthew 4:4). Hey, it worked for Jesus, so maybe we should follow His example! Read Joshua 1:8. There's some excellent advice right there.
The good news is that no matter what type of impulses we deal with, we always have Jesus present to help us. We do not have to submit to our impulses. Even though Satan would love for you to believe otherwise, this is a fact: YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Just because you face a difficult temptation to sin, that doesn't mean you are obligated to go through with it (Romans 8:37).
So the next time you forget to study for that test (or you decide to play video games with your brother instead of study), and it seems easier to just cheat off the nerd sitting next to you, SLOW DOWN. Take a minute to breathe and pray for God's help, remembering that He always provides a way out of those burdensome impulses.
The next time you feel like you can't help but visit that porn site you like, SLOW DOWN. Take a minute to breathe and pray for God's help, again remembering that He always provides a way out of those seemingly impossible impulses.
Memorize Scripture and resist Satan by finding strength in the words of God. Romans 8:37 is a great one to cling to. God is on your side. Don't be afraid to tell Satan off during those times of temptation. Repeat Proverbs 3:5-6 in his face, "[I will] trust in the LORD with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways [I will] submit to him, and he will make [my] paths straight."
Even though we're sinful creatures by nature, that doesn't mean Christians have an excuse to sin. Rather, we have a responsibility to control our sinful impulses by asking for God's help during those times when we feel like we just can't take it (Romans 6:1-7). Temptations will come, and God will always provide a way out (Matthew 26:41; Philippians 4:13). You have power in Christ and can endure anything—as long as you decide you want to.
L.B. is a seasoned Christian writer who loves working with youth and inspiring others to live for Christ.
