Confronting Sin in Discipleship

Sin destroys the life of charity between us and God, but how do we talk about it? Dave “The Hope is Real” VanVickle and I discuss sin in our walk with Christ, and share helpful ways to talk about habitual sin in discipleship.

“It’s in the confrontation with sin that the fullest flowering of mercy is made manifest.”

The vast majority of people turn to God when they are convicted of their sin. However, when we encounter Christ and begin living out the Gospel, our sin doesn’t magically go away. Freedom from sin is a journey and we have to be ready to respond to people’s struggle with sin in a prudent and wise way.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us”- Hebrews 12:1

Talking to Others About Their Sin

• Lead with the mercy of Christ when you talk about sin and conversion. Don’t start a discipleship relationship condemning their sins right away, but also don’t wait too long to address their sins.
• Make sure to affirm their faith so that their disgust with sin doesn’t lead to despair. Remind them that there is no sin in their life that Jesus Christ is powerless over.
• Ensure that they don’t ignore little venial sins because they can fester and easily lead to mortal sin.
• Encourage them to be patient with themselves. Jesus has his own timeline when it comes to healing us from our sin.

Practical Takeaways

• Find a support group or counseling for serious habitual sin ( especially for sexual or physical sins).
• Make a thorough examination of conscience once a day and say a repentance prayer.
• Go to Confession once a month.
• Make time to meditate on Scripture and pray mentally. Sin starts in the mind. When we subject our mind to God, we can experience a lot of healing.
• Pray the Rosary daily. The Rosary is a weapon that can crush sin in our life and also build discipline in our life.
• Find the one vice that you struggle with the most and then identify the opposite virtue. Read all about the virtue and practice it to defeat that vice.
• Identify your triggers and speak truth to yourself in moments of temptation.
• Flee sin quickly in a near occasion of sin.

Resources

• Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com
• Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and be added to Gomer and Dave’s email list!
• Visit Dave’s website at thesinnersguide.com
• Steubenville Conferences 2020
• Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation by Fr. Josh Johnson
• Anima Christi Prayer
• Ascension is pleased that our Catholic Community is starting to come Together Again — at our parishes, with Jesus in the Eucharist, or in small group settings where you can share and live in Christ. We invite you to explore our many resources and programs to help us all come together again