sin no more

So we know were not supposed to do wrong things.  Everyone knows that.  As Christians, we know especially that were not supposed to sin.  Jesus said to the adulterous woman in John 8, “Go and sin no more.”  Hmm, yeah; not exactly advice that’s easy to follow though.

It also says in the bible, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  More good advice, but just as difficult to follow.  I sure don’t find it easy to focus on godly things 100% of the time.  There are so many things around us that can, and do, trip us up.

I think that’s why the bible gives us another tip.  When Jesus showed his disciples how to pray, He taught them to say, “Lead us not into temptation”. He’s saying that while trying not to sin will be hard, we can make it easier by avoiding situations where we might be tempted to sin.  And if we pray to Him like He showed us, He will help us steer clear of temptation!

So how can we “Go and sin no more” like Jesus commanded?  Well, it starts with praying for God’s help: that He will “lead us not into temptation” and that He will help you to think about the right, pure and holy things.  But there are other steps you can take as well. Say, whenever you hangout with a certain friend you find yourself talking badly about other people.  Try and bring some others along with you when you hang out to help you steer the conversation.  Say you have trouble because you’re tempted with your boyfriend or girlfriend.  Don’t just sit by yourselves in the house!  Take steps against that temptation by going out for walks or inviting other people to hang out with you guys.  Say a lot of your friends drink and party and you’re attracted to that as well.  Keep yourself from joining in by hanging out with those friends during the daytime or times when you know they won’t be doing those kinds of things.

Take whatever steps you need to strive to “sin no more”.  But above all pray.  Remember, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.

Kelly Kaufman