Why You Keep Falling Into the Same Sin
Addiction Cycle Explained
Why do I keep repeating the behaviors I hate?
Why do I promise myself: “This is the last time”…only to find myself right back in the same cycle days later?
I know that cycle well, and I hate it too.
When I wrestle with these questions, Romans 7:15-20 often comes to mind. Maybe you are familiar with it.
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
You may have read that verse and felt a little like you were reading a Dr. Seuss book. I get it, it seems repetitive and maybe a little long-winded, but the message seems clear to me.
Did you catch it?
The sin nature is what keeps us on a perpetual hamster wheel of sinful behavior.
Don’t let this discourage you, though.
Today, I hope to start you on a journey toward freedom from the burden of guilt and shame that comes from patterns of repeated sin.
I’m Ana Murby, and this is Honest Christian Conversations, minisode edition. I’m all too familiar with unhealthy behavior patterns, being a former porn addict for 17 years. During my sobriety journey, I learned a lot about myself and what makes me tick, and I hope today I can help you uncover some things about yourself that will change the trajectory of your life, as mine did.
Let’s get to it.
