Sin is such a terrible thing. I know in my life that when I sin it makes me feel so bad. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it causes me to be depressed. Sin also seperates me from God, it hinders my relationship with Him. Prayers go unanswered as a result of sin in my life. If I hate sin so much, why do I keep sinning? As the apostle Paul said, “The things I do not want to do I find myself doing and the things I want to do I find no power to do it.” If you struggle with sin, rest assured, you are not alone. It is an ongoing battle that will never end until we see Jesus face to face. I look forward to the day when we will not only be free from the penalty of sin, but also from the very presence of sin. What a day that will be! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Though we look forward to that day when we are completly free from sin, the battle goes on. So, what do we do? How can we overcome sin in this life? In an earlier post I mentioned that we must be open about our sin. Call it for what it is, get it out in the open, and confess it. Not only should we be open about our sin, but we must also take practical steps to avoid sin. In the book , “Identity” by Eric Geiger, the author points out some very practical ways to avoid sin. He says, “If you struggle with lust, do not place yourself in front of the internet after your family goes to bed. If you struggle with gossip, do not go to the breakfast meeting where you know you will be dragged into idle chatter. If you struggle with drunkeness, do not flip the menu over to the side where you know you will be tempted. If you struggle with anger, do not play on the church league basketball team. If you struggle with gluttony, do not go to the Golden Corral buffet with sweatpants on. It is like one big horse trough.” The bottom line is, don’t place yourself in a situation where you know you will sin. Eric Geiger goes on to say, “If the desire is there, ask God to remove the opportunity. If the opportunity is there, ask God to remove the desire.” I must say that this approach works. I have put it into practice in my own life and I am amazed how that when I ask God to take away opportunities and desires to sin He will do it. I encourage you to avoid sin, don’t put yourself in compromising situations, and be open about your sin, praying for God to help you.