My calendar is full of reoccurring events. Every Friday at 6:30 am I meet with some guys at IHOP for our Men’s Breakfast, every Saturday is supposed to be Family Fun Day, and the first Tuesday of every month I attend a pastors network luncheon. Those are just a few of the reoccurring events on my calendar each month.

Just like me, I know you have things you do regularly. I am sure a lot of those are good things. But I know there are things in your life, just as there are in mine, that occur regularly that aren’t good. What I have in mind is that one sin that keeps coming back. The one you just can’t seem to shake. What do we do with that sin?  How do we deal with reoccurring sin in our lives?

Over the next five posts (Post 2, Post 3, Post 4), I intend to answer that question, while also providing encouragement for the battle ahead.

We Have to Discover Our Sin

In order to deal with our beloved sin — the one that occurs over and over again, we must know what it is. We can’t do battle with something that’s unknown, or we aren’t willing to admit.

How do we discover our beloved sin?

Thomas Watson, in his book, The Godly Man’s Picture, provides a few questions we can use to discover our beloved or recurring sin. I encourage you to spend some time with the following questions today. They not only serve to convict the soul, but they will also shed light on that which might be hidden.

(1) What is the one sin you don’t want others to point out? That one sore spot that if touched causes you to recoil or snap back in anger?

(2) What is the one sin that runs through your mind the most? The one you think about day in and day out?

(3) What is the one sin that has the most power over you? The one you can’t resist?

(4) What is the one sin that you defend often? The one you advocate and dispute for? The one whose arguments you have waiting in the wing for the moment when someone tries to call you out?

(5) What is the one sin that troubles your conscience the most? When you are distressed, hurting, sick, what sin comes to mind? What sin makes you most ashamed? [1]

What is the one sin you can’t seem to give up? What is your beloved sin? We all have one. It may change from time to time, but we all have one. If we are going to rid it from our lives, we not only have to know it but we have to admit it.

Question for Reflection

1. What is that one sin that continues to play like a broken record in your life?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon: How Do We Deal with Recurring Sin in Our Lives?

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[1]  Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture, 148-50.