Have you ever felt like you were stuck in an endless cycle? Maybe you have some victory for a time, but then it seems that inevitably you fall back into old patterns? Why does this happen? The simple answer is, it happens because of our sin nature. Apart from God saving us and changing us, we will find ourselves stuck in this endless cycle.
This was certainly the case for Israel. In today’s text, while there is worship and celebration happening, some of the Levites, the priestly tribe, recount the history of Israel. Nehemiah 9:28 says, “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies.” This section of the recounting of Israel’s history is from the book of Judges. You see the same cycle repeating itself in that book. God was blessing Israel, then they would rebel against God, He would send punishment on them in the form of oppression from another nation or people, Israel would cry out to God in confession, God would restore, and then it would start all over again. Feel familiar? Is there any hope to breaking and ending this cycle once and for all? The answer is, yes there is hope. But it must be done God’s way, on God’s terms. How can you break free from this cycle?
- Surrender to the grace of God. We are all sinners, alienated from God in need of deliverance. Only the Gospel can save you. What is the Gospel? It is Jesus Christ coming to the earth, dying on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath against sin, and rising the third day. Many people say they believe the Gospel. However, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that if we believe it, then it will change our lives. That is because when we surrender to God’s grace, He not only saves us, but He also gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are made a new creature, the old has passed away and the new has come. It is the work of the Holy Spirit inside of us that begins to change us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that breaks the cycle. You can try all the techniques you want, you can have as much will power as you can muster. But unless the Holy Spirit is in you, working to change you from the inside out, the cycle will start again. It may be a different sin, but it will be there nevertheless.
- Pray for strength and deliverance. Paul makes it crystal clear in Ephesians 6 that there is a spiritual war being waged against us. Satan knows our weaknesses, and even if he didn’t, we still have those areas of our life that we are weak in. Therefore, we need to pray and ask God for help. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that God will give us a way of escape so that we do not give in to the temptation. However, we must ask for it, look for it, and then take it. Some days are going to be easier than others. Some days you are going to have to pray about it more than others. However, God can give you victory.
- Have people hold you accountable. One of the reasons that many Christians continue to suffer in this cycle of sin is because they go at it alone. They don’t pray and ask for God’s help. They actually believe they can have victory if they just try hard enough. Or, they try to hide it from other Christians instead of asking for help. If you want victory, you can’t conceal it from God or others. You need to have people of the same sex preferably, that you can confide in, and know that they will pray with you and for you. They will ask you the tough questions.
- Remember God’s grace and mercy. Listen, victory won’t come easy. It won’t necessarily come quickly. There will be days when you fall back into the sin cycle. On those days, Satan will be right there to accuse you. And where he doesn’t accuse you, you will accuse yourself. When you sin, remember that God’s grace and mercy don’t depend on you being perfect or getting it right. God’s grace and mercy is given because of who He is. If God was going to give up on anyone, I feel like the nation of Israel would have been it. I feel like I would have been it. Yet, every morning God’s grace and mercy is renewed, and it is sufficient for that day and its trials. The glory of the Gospel is not the you deserved to be saved and so you were. The glory of the Gospel is that despite our sinful nature and our frequent failures, God loves us, died in our place, rose again to promise us victory, and will still love us in spite of us. This isn’t a free pass to sin. Rather, it is a glorious reminder of who God is, what He has done, and what He will do in and through His children.
Victory is possible. It’s not about wanting it bad enough. It’s not about trying hard enough. It’s about surrendering all of you to all of who God is. Then, enlist the help of other brothers or sisters in Christ, and fight every day to die to yourself and live for Christ.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin