A Seven-Step Offensive Plan to Defeat Sin
God's stragegy for spiritual victory
“Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” — Philippians 2:12–13.
The battle against sin is not won by accident. This week we’ve seen:
The heart is the battlefield (Proverbs 4:23).
Sin works through past, present, and future desires (James 1:14–15).
Outward fixes like rules and rituals don’t change the inside (Colossians 2:23).
So what actually works? God gives us an offensive plan … practical steps that move us forward in holiness and victory.
Abstain from Sinful Desires
“Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)
Notice Peter calls sinful desires soldiers in a war. They’re not harmless; they’re actively waging battle. Abstaining means cutting them off before they grow.
Paul puts it bluntly: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.” (Romans 6:12). This shows choice and responsibility. In Christ, we’re no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). We can refuse its rule.
Make No Provision for the Flesh
“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:14)
Sin thrives when we give it fuel. “Provision” means arranging the conditions for sin to flourish. That might be the shows we watch, the places we go, the thoughts we dwell on.
Jesus warned that if your hand or eye causes you to sin, it’s better to cut it off than lose your soul (Matthew 5:29–30). He wasn’t teaching self-harm but drastic removal of whatever feeds temptation.
Ask yourself: what am I stocking the pantry of my mind with? Am I feeding the Spirit … or the flesh?
Fix Your Eyes on Christ
“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
You will become what you behold. If your gaze is fixed on possessions, you’ll be shaped by greed. If it’s on people’s approval, you’ll be driven by pride. If it’s on Christ, you’ll be transformed into His image.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us: “Keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” The more we look at Him, the less room we have for sin’s counterfeit promises.
Meditate on the Word
“I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
Victory starts with what fills your mind. Psalm 1:2 says the blessed person delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it “day and night.” Joshua 1:8 commands the same: “meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.”
Scripture doesn’t just give information … it reshapes imagination. When temptation arises, stored scripture speaks louder. Think of Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Each temptation was met with “It is written.”
Pray Without Ceasing
“Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” (Luke 22:40)
Prayer is not filler. It’s warfare. Jesus urged His disciples to pray at their weakest hour. He repeated, “Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41).
Prayer is how we draw on God’s power when our will is fragile. Psalm 19:13 models a prayer worth echoing daily: “Keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless.”
Practice Self-Control
“I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)
Self-control doesn’t mean rejecting all desire; it means training desire to follow God. Paul uses the athlete image … runners don’t win by indulging every whim, but by submitting to strict training (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
Galatians 5:23 calls self-control a fruit of the Spirit. It is both something we train in and something God produces in us as we yield to Him.
Be Filled with the Spirit
“Be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
This is not a one-time event but an ongoing surrender. To be filled with the Spirit is to let Him govern your thoughts, words, and actions. Paul says, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13).
Without the Spirit, sin rules. With the Spirit, we have life, freedom, and strength beyond ourselves.
Putting It All Together
Here’s the plan in one sweep:
Abstain from sinful desires.
Make no provision for the flesh.
Fix your eyes on Christ.
Meditate on the Word.
Pray without ceasing.
Practice self-control.
Be filled with the Spirit.
This is not a checklist of perfection but a pattern of warfare. The goal is not sin-management, but victory through God’s power.
A Final Word
You are not doomed to repeat cycles of failure. In Christ, you are free from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:14). You can advance, not just defend. You can conquer, not just survive.
So today, decide: Which of these steps do I need to strengthen most? Which provision for the flesh needs to go? Where can I fix my eyes more firmly on Jesus?
The Spirit is in you. The Word is before you. God is for you. Victory is possible.
“Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” — Romans 12:21.
