10 Bible Verses to Help You Overcome Sin and Temptation
Do you ever feel like you’ll never overcome sin and temptation in your life? Sin is something we all have in common. All have sinned. All face temptation. The Bible tells us that apart from Jesus, we are actually slaves to sin. In other words, it controls our lives and holds a great deal of power. Seeking worldly pleasures, making ourselves happy at the expense of others, lying or cheating to get ahead – without Christ, we can’t help but strive to please ourselves first and foremost. We literally become enslaved to it.
But Jesus… He broke the power of sin and death. His death on the cross didn’t just pay for our sins granting us a pardon, it purchased our freedom. The chains are gone. Sin holds no power in our lives as children of God. The Bible tells us that when we abide in Him and live by the Holy Spirit, we can experience victory and overcome sin.
So why do we still struggle with sin as believers?
The enemy is a liar. He deceives us into believing that somehow we are still bound to sin. He tells us that we will always struggle with it, that sin still holds power in our lives, and that the chains aren’t really gone.
I firmly believe in using the Word of God as a sword against the enemy. Not only does Ephesians 6 tell us to do so, but Jesus used Scripture to combat the lies of the enemy. The best way to come against a lie is to declare the truth. So the next time you find yourself struggling with temptation, start declaring the truth. You are forgiven, redeemed, set free, and a new creation in Christ Jesus. As a child of God, all you have to do is resist the enemy, and he has no choice but to flee.
10 Bible Verses to Help You Overcome Sin and Temptation
- No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
- But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16
- Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.– James 4:7-10
- Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. – James 1:12
- He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Corinthians 5:21
- If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:6-9
- Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
- Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.– Psalm 119:11
- We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:6-11 (NLT)
*Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
