Killing Sin Habits

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Most believers struggling with habitual sin can affirm that there is a regular pattern or cycle to their behavior. You are tempted to sin and you struggle against the temptation for a short while, but eventually you begin to rationalize giving in. Once you have surrendered to the temptation and the sin is committed, you experience a brief moment of pleasure or relief, but it is shortly followed by sorrow & shame. Eventually you confess your sin to God and pray fervently for His help to overcome it…but it is not long before you find yourself back in the place of temptation and the cycle starts all over again.  You pray, read the Bible, and memorize Scripture, but lasting change never comes.

It’s common to wonder at some point, “why can’t I overcome this? Why isn’t anything working?”  Some of us eventually just give up and stop trying.

If you are struggling with a particular sin habit, there is a great book out there that you might find very helpful.  Killing Sin Habits: Conquering Sin with Radical Faith by Stuart & Zondra Scott is a great resource for applying biblical principles to the fight against sin.

The book is founded on a strong, biblical understanding of how the repeating pattern of sin works and what is usually missing in our attempts to combat it. Most believers simply do not know how to employ God’s resources to kill sin and grow in righteousness. This book explains it. It has to be one of the clearest and easiest to use books on sanctification that I have ever read.  

There are three things that I like the most about this book. First, it is well balanced. That is, it strikes a great balance between the respective roles of God and man in sanctification. It is neither “let go and let God” nor “buck up and do this thing!” 

Second, it is practical. I have always found it frustrating to be told to “walk in the Spirit” without being told how! This book will not leave you with vague spiritual imperatives, but will describe exactly what to do in combating your sin.

Third, it is versatile. The book is not written to address any one sin or category of sins. Whether you are struggling with sexual temptation, gluttony, gossip, bitterness, anxiety, or impatience, the principles taught here can be easily applied.

The truths taught in this book have made the difference in the lives of real people.  The authors share in the preface:

“The majority of what you are about to read has been used in intense counseling situations. Writing this book has brought to mind several special individuals who were once enslaved to serious life-dominating sins. Now they walk in freedom, enjoying restored or new relationships and glorifying God with their lives. It has been a great blessing to have a front row seat in witnessing the sufficiency of God and His truths transform these dear people.”

Killing Sin Habits presents truths that are indispensable in the pursuit of holiness. Of all the things on which we could spend our time and resources, there could be nothing more beneficial than investigating these truths and applying them to our lives. I highly recommend this book.