Most of life can be summed up with the apt words found on the back of shampoo bottles: wash, rinse, repeat. Over the years, my experience has shown the pervasiveness and inescapable reality of cycles. The sun rises, the sun sets, another day. Weeks and months come and go, years also. Seasons, tides and all of life are on a cycle. Sometimes, these cycles form the perfect circle, returning exactly back where they started. Other times, these cycles form ascending or descending helix patterns where each new iteration starts and ends at a new place.
The struggle against sin is much like these latter cycles. Our sin patterns look either like a downward spiral, or an upward spiral. Let me share my observation of what this pattern can look like in more detail and see if it resonates with your experience.
First, the downward spiral: as temptation comes and one gives in, the person is deceived by the instant gratification that would try to convince us it is a good thing. The person has this lesson formed in the mind and body. The gratification ebbs to reveal the sad truth beneath, that it was regrettable, and guilt and shame follow. This could be overt and perceived, or covert and subconscious, but I believe it exists regardless. The recent memory of the instant gratification remains, however, like a poison of the mind and body and spirit. It continues to chant its spell and tempt the person to experience it more. Often, it's like the famous candy Twizzlers in that they have just enough flavor to be enjoyable, but not enough to satisfy, so you reach for another strand. Sin is never a good way to be satisfied, so it will always leave us wanting more. If the guilt of sin is felt, it can also cause feelings of helplessness, worthlessness and discouragement to the point that someone gives up the struggle against the temptation. It can feel like the damage has already been done, so sinning more comes at no additional cost. This also is a deception. For these reasons it becomes more difficult to resist sin, and so the downward spiral continues.
Now, for the upward spiral. With each stand against temptation, with each dismissal of the urge to sin, the person learns more of a new pattern. With any consistency in refusal to sin, any consistency in deciding to go the way of God, the person soon starts to think less of the temptation. It is like a detox. At first, it may feel like it is all the person thinks about. This is the evidence of the remaining poisonous effects of the sin. As a person learns this new pattern, they start to see the freedom it brings, the purity of life that is available, and has more time to spend pouring into healthy activities and less time is spent struggling and failing. Care must be taken to stay sharp against reprisals of temptation and slipping thoughtlessly into old patterns that have been trained into a person like riding a bicycle or like the commute home from work. If a person can stay focused on continuing to build fortifications against the temptation by focusing on the underlying heart issues that need correcting and is able to stay reminded about the negative impacts of the sin and the positive experiences of living free in Christ, then even more distance from the temptation can be experienced and deeper patterns of Godly living can be established. While fulfilling God's will this way is satisfying, we ultimately must still rely on the hope of future satisfaction. This good taste is supposed to point us forward to the goodness of our union with Christ in heaven. That hope, at least, ever remains for those who have received the forgiveness offered by Jesus.
Which spiral are you on?
Whichever spiral you find yourself on, we're here for you. That's why SanctifyMe.org exists. It's all about helping people shift from the downward spiral to the upward one and to keep pressing onward. The road may not be easy, there are no such promises, but the fight will be worth it. Whatever comes, stay in the fight. So, how does one move from the downward spiral to the upward spiral? The first step is recognizing a desire for the upward spiral. This desire is contrary to the sinful nature and it is a sign that God is at work. If you feel you've been abandoned, take comfort in this: God is active in drawing you in. Now it is time to join Him in the effort.
Other steps you can take as the Spirit leads:
Pull people in! See Proverbs 27:17. People are one of the common ways God helps. Surround yourself with people whom you can talk with and be encouraged by.
Identify some goals. Start big or start small, but start! Goals are just a practical suggestion along the lines of making your plans before the Lord. See Proverbs 16:9. You can start small and work up, adding more as you go and trying to keep with the new patterns you're forming. Check out the Tracks on this site for some more practical steps to reach your goals. Keep in mind leading and lagging indicators here. Leading indicators are things that lay the foundation for the eventual outcomes you'd like. So, for example, since the Bible is so essential for grounding us in truth, our identity and our world view and because the Spirit and prayer are powerful change agents, it might be helpful to start with goals that will help you focus on these foundational pieces rather than focusing on the lagging indicators such as behavior changes. Of course the behaviors should change, sin should stop, but we need a transformation that is more than surface level, more than performance based. We need to change from the inside out so we have a whole integrity. This change is faith and identity based and produces character and godliness that is not forced or performance based.
Keep checking back in on your original motivators for change. Remembering these things often will help keep motivational levels high. Having others around you to remind you of why you want to change is very powerful as well.
One last note, momentum isn't about doing the same things for a long time, it's about constant positive change, small continual adjustments and iterations of pushing forward and fortifying your position. A long road trip doesn't mean pointing in the right direction and mashing the gas pedal down until you get there. It takes attention to steer, react and navigate the turns. It takes awareness of your situation and appropriate, measured and timely responses.
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