Did you know that a rattlesnake’s head can stay alive and still bite you for up to an hour after it’s been cut off?
My wife read a story about a guy who killed a rattlesnake, and about forty minutes later, when he went to throw the head away—it bit him. He almost died.
Sometimes, things that are supposed to be dead can come back to bite you. Like sin!
Have you ever struggled with a sin you thought you’d already killed? You swore it was over, done, finished—but somehow, it still shows up and sinks its fangs into you again.
It’s like, you tried to cut the head off this thing, but somehow it still bites you!
Now, I’m not talking about a “mistake.” A mistake is spilling your drink on the table or dropping an egg on the floor when you’re making cookies. I’m talking about sin—and sin isn’t a simple mistake. Sin means to miss the mark. Not just any mark—God’s mark.
Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
We like to set our own marks. That’s why so many people say, “Hey, I’m a good person!” But compared to who? God’s mark is perfection.
Jesus said in Mark 10:18, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.”
If you think you’re good, answer these questions: Have you ever lied? Ever hated someone? Ever stolen something, lusted after someone, or used God’s name as a curse word? If you answered yes to any of these, like I have, it means you’re not good according to God’s standard.
1 John 1:10 reminds us, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
So, if you’ve given your life to Jesus, why do you still struggle with sin?
Here’s the truth: You’re at war—and you haven’t come to terms with it yet.
It would be ridiculous to be in a war and pretend it’s not a war, right? Yet that’s how some Christians treat sin. “It’s just a little issue I’m working through…” No—it’s a battle.
Paul described this struggle in Romans 7. He said he wanted to do what was right but found himself doing the very things he hated. He said, “There’s another power within me that is at war with my mind.” The struggle is real.
There are warring desires in our lives. Galatians 5:17 says, “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.”
Your flesh loves sin. That’s why you keep struggling with it—because, deep down, part of you still likes it.
So, how do you win the war against sin? You should start by doing what every good soldier does when going to battle:
1. Get in shape for the battle.
Are you spiritually out of shape? You’ll fight this battle your entire life, so train for it.
1 Timothy 4:8 says, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.”
2. Pray over the battle.
Every good soldier talks to their commander before heading into combat. You should do the same. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, and don’t let us yield to temptation.” (Matthew 6:12–13) The victory always starts on your knees with repentance.
3. Get dressed for the battle.
Who in their right mind would go to war without being properly dressed to fight? Yet, we forget to dress for the spiritual war we are in. Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
The armor of God is your only defense and offense for the war you’re already in.
4. Fight to the death.
This isn’t a scuffle—it’s a death match. Sin isn’t something to manage; it’s something to kill.
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.”
To go back to sin after surrendering your life to Jesus is like walking back into your own grave.
Romans 6:2 says, “We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
You can’t win this war on your own. Ephesians 2:4–5 says, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.”
You don’t fight for victory—you fight from victory. Jesus already won. Now, you just have to live it out. And you do that by following him and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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