Pastor Rick Warren: Why Can’t I Stop Doing Wrong?

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 NIV).

Sin always involves self-deception. At the moment you’re sinning, you’re deceiving yourself because you think that what you’re doing will actually produce better results than what God has already told you to do.

To stop defeating yourself, you must stop deceiving yourself. You’ve got to take an honest look at your life, face the truth, and deal with the issues. Is there something in your life that you’re pretending isn’t a problem? Maybe an addiction? Something that you’re thinking is no big deal, when it really is a big deal?

It really doesn’t matter whether you’re addicted to heroin or abusing a credit card, whether you’re viewing pornography or reading a crude novel. You’re using these things to escape something painful, or something hard to deal with. But you’re not going to find healing until you first acknowledge the root of your problem.

You don’t have to hit rock bottom before you really change. There are wake-up calls going on all around you right now, if you’ll only listen to them. But if you don’t, you’ll continue on a path toward destruction.

You don’t have to go that way! You can acknowledge the root of the issue and ask God to help you deal with it once and for all.

I’ve asked the professional counselors in our church, “What’s the biggest problem you encounter?” They say over and over, “People wait too long before they ask for help. Then it’s almost impossible to turn around.” There will be warning signs all over the place in a marriage, and then all of a sudden the husband or wife walks out. Far too many people stay in denial and wait until it’s too late, and so they go through unnecessary pain.

The Bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 NIV).

What hard questions do you need to be asking yourself about the sin in your life? What warning signs have you been ignoring?

If you want healing, acknowledge the root of your problem, and face the truth about you. God is ready, willing and wanting to bring healing to your life.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• How might pride keep you from acknowledging the root of your problems?
• Why do we often think we know better than God what is best for us?
• What do you think God wants you to do after you face the truth about the problems in your life?