BESETTING SIN

Besetting Sins are the sins we allow to continue, like treating our Self to an occasional piece of candy or an ice cream, the sins we make excuses for. It may be unforgiveness, or pride, or coveting... idolatry by another name, or any of the multitude of “lesser sins” hidden in our Self centeredness... masked by our Self righteousness. God understands our desire for pleasure, our lusting for material things, our hunger for prestige, prominence and power, our worry over the concerns of life, our preoccupation with Self... Self interests, over the things of God. He does? Really? “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God ...  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (2 Cor. 7:1; Jn. 3:3) What makes besetting sins particularly dangerous is their habitual nature. When “coming boldly to the throne of grace” for forgiveness is a well worn pathway we should be noticing the cracking noise... for we are on thin ice. “Whoever abides in Him does not sin”: “No one who abides in Him, who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually commits (practices) sin.” (1Jn. 3:6 NKJV and Amp. Bible) Habitual sin... besetting sin, destroys intimate relationship with God, leading to stagnation, alienation, and, ultimately, spiritual death... separation from the Great Lover of our soul. Therefore  “let us strip off and throw aside ... that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away from all that will distract to Jesus...” (Heb. 12:1-2 Amp. Bible)