Why Can’t I Stop Doing Wrong?

In review of 1 John 1:8 it says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”

Bottom Line:

If we say that we have no sin, we only deceive ourselves, missing out on the truth.

What this means to me:

If I claim to be without sin, then I’m only fooling myself and the truth isn’t really in my heart.

Today’s verse comes from the first part of 1 John 1, where John tells us how to live in the light. He tells us that God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are not being truthful if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are really living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

What I’m learning is that sin will always involve some form of self-deception. The moment I’m sinning, I’m deceiving myself because I think that what I’m doing will actually produce better results than what God has already told me to do.

In order to stop defeating, I must stop deceiving. This means I’ll need to take an honest look at my life, face the truth, and deal with any issues that are there. As I take this honest look, I need to think about what I’m pretending is not a problem or a big deal. They are likely the things I use to try to escape from pain and pressures.

Instead of hitting rock bottom, there are wake-up calls / warnings going on all around me, I’m probably just not listening to them. I can acknowledge the root of an issue and deal with it. The key to not wait too long before asking for help.

Today’s verse reminds me that, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 NIV).

I have to remember that God knows more about what's better for me than myself. I shouldn’t let my pride get in the way. So today I will consider what hard questions I need to be asking about the sin in my life? What are the warning signs I’ve been ignoring? In order to get healing, I’ve got to acknowledge the root of my problem. I’ve got to face the truth about myself.