Accountable2You » Resources » Personal Accountability » Why Doesn’t God Help Me Stop Sinning?
“God doesn’t care.”
If we could listen to the inner workings of our hearts before and after we commit sin, we would hear the echoes of these three words. Before sin, they bring great comfort to our rationalizing souls as we prepare to indulge our hearts’ desires. We tell ourselves, “God doesn’t care. If He did, He would have stopped me by now.” After sin, and especially when its consequences start haunting us, the meaning of that sentence drastically changes. We take those words, clench our fists at God, and accuse Him of abandonment. We think to ourselves, “God doesn’t care. If He did, I wouldn’t be suffering right now.”
Blame-shifting toward God can be traced back to the Garden (Genesis 3:12). Like our ancestors, Adam and Eve, we shift the blame onto God when we fall into sin. We wonder, “Why doesn’t God help me stop sinning? I’ve repeatedly asked Him, yet I’m still stuck in the same situation.
What if, instead of questioning God’s care, we humbly evaluate and ask ourselves, “What am I doing to get myself out of this?
Before we start getting ideas that the way out of sin is through our own efforts, we need to remember the One who has defeated sin. Jesus came to die on the Cross to pay the price for sin that we couldn’t pay (Romans 3:25). By His grace, He saved us, not as a result of our own works or doing (Ephesians 2:8). He looked at us in our sinful and hopeless state, and had mercy on us.
We are in this battle against sin because God has taken us out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13). Without Him, we would still be dead in our trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). Christian, God has done something about your sins. He does care.
He cares enough that after saving us, He even provided us with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He gave us a powerhouse of resources in Himself, His Word, and His people.
Our first resource is God Himself. The all-sufficient, mighty, and gracious God promises us Himself. We couldn’t ask for anything more. The Holy Spirit, who indwells us, assures us of His abiding presence, helps us in times of need, and gives us the strength to fight sin. He points us to walk in righteousness and gives us the desire to do God’s will (Galatians 5:16). If we truly know God, we would know that He isn’t asking us to do the impossible when He calls us to say no to sin.
Christian, God has done something about your sins. He does care.
We know about God and all His promises through our other resource: the Bible. We not only have His sufficient Word, but we have the Author with us who helps us understand the truths of Scripture and apply them in our lives. God’s Word serves as the sword of the Spirit in our battle against sin (Ephesians 6:10). We fight the lies of the enemy by taking the truths written in God’s Word and believing them by faith. One of the greatest truths it reminds us of is our new identity in Christ. Now that we have been saved, sin should no longer have a hold on us. In Christ, we are dead to sin. We are no longer slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18).
With one Spirit and under the authority of God’s Word, God’s people come together to encourage one another toward holiness (Hebrews 10:25). His Body, the Church, helps us live holy, God-pleasing lives. We shouldn’t think we can live the Christian life on our own (Ephesians 2:21). God’s people play a vital role in one another’s holiness by reminding each other of biblical truths, such as our power to say no to sin because we are in Christ. Our fellow believers point us to the way out of temptation and walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. They provide invaluable biblical accountability to help us continue walking in integrity.
God has given us all that we need, but He also requires our obedience (Philippians 2:12–13). When we choose to sin, the blame lies with us, not with God. We don’t have an excuse to stay stuck in sin because when He called us to live a holy life, He also gave us all the resources to obey this command. Are we tapping into these resources? We need to submit to God and His will, know Him more through studying His Word, and plug into a local body of believers who will hold us accountable.
The next time you feel trapped in sin, take out the key of Promise.
Above all, we need to pray for eyes of faith to believe God’s promises while we act in obedience. In John Bunyan’s classic work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Hopeful endured horrendous torture from Giant Despair. Trapped for days inside Doubting Castle, the weary travelers felt like there was no way out of this darkness until Christian reached into his pocket. He discovered that he had the key called Promise all along, which allowed him to open any locks in the castle and enable their escape.
The next time you feel trapped in sin, take out the key of Promise. God has given you the resources to make it through. First Corinthians 10:13 tells us that, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide you a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” God has not abandoned you; He has equipped you, so run to Him in repentance, fill your mind with His Word, and surround yourself with His Spirit-filled people.
Christian, God does care.