There is nothing in this world we need or should even desire that has any connection with sin. Sin is a great offense to God, and if we love Him, we will do nothing against Him on purpose. Why would we, being redeemed from sin, desire to continue to dabble in it (Romans 6:1-2)? In his first epistle, John remarks that if we love God, we will not indulge in habitual sin (1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18).
When God transforms your heart, you no longer desire your old life (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are a new creation with new dreams and desires. Those dreams and desires will align with the will of our King and Savior (Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:13). True repentance leads to real transformation, and real transformation cannot result in a heart that continues to burn for sin.
None of us will ever lead perfect lives as long as we are in this body (Romans 7:18-19; 1 John 1:8). It’s doubtful either of us will make it through the rest of this day without sinning. But that’s not our desire or our habit. Authentic followers of Jesus do not continue engaging in the same patterns of their life before they came to Christ (1 John 3:6; Romans 6:6-7). The mark of genuine repentance is turning away from that sin. If you continue in it, you can’t be sorry for it, and you can’t care about offending God. When God changes your heart, it changes the way you live (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Satan has a myriad of ways to tempt us: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride in one’s lifestyle, to name just a few (1 John 2:16). Each of these sins inserts itself into our lives every day, and we must be ever vigilant to keep them at bay (1 Peter 5:8-9). The temptation to sin will never go away, and the best of us will let our guard down and lose the battle every now and again (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). But those with transformed hearts will repent and redouble their commitment to Christ.
We all have our struggles with different sins. Some habitual sins turn into physical and emotional addictions, but even those are no match for the power of God’s transforming love and grace (Romans 8:37-39). Because of the grace and mercy of God, sin does not have to rule your life. You must decide whether you would rather keep feeding the sin or choose to love Christ. You cannot have both (Matthew 6:24; James 4:4).
Our lives must not contain any habitual sin because our lives are no longer our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We belong to Jesus now, and we must do what He commands us to do (John 14:15). What we want to do is no longer relevant. The good news is, the more time you spend with Christ, the more His desires become yours (Psalm 37:4). We don’t have to war with old passions for the rest of our lives because the Holy Spirit is replacing those with new and better passions (Galatians 5:16-17). Repentance leads to redemption, and because of what Jesus did on the cross, you’ve been redeemed from sin (Colossians 1:13-14).
Habitual sin can have no home in a heart surrendered to Jesus. Struggling with the same sin over and over should lead you to serious contemplation about the genuineness of your desire to follow Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5). I am not in the place of God and cannot say whether your repentance and salvation are genuine. Only He and you know that for certain (2 Timothy 2:19). What I do know is His Word is clear in saying those who love the Lord no longer live in a pattern of sin (Romans 6:12-14; 1 John 3:8-9). If you accept Jesus as the Lord He is, you’ve been redeemed from sin. You can’t live in it any longer. Order your life around that truth and stop offending the God who loves you.