Preposterous? Maybe Not.


The instructor of my bible college class once asked. “What is your favorite sin?” “That’s preposterous,” my self-righteous mind responded. “A Christian wouldn’t have a favorite sin because all sin is repugnant.” In the years since that class I have thought many times about the sins I preserve and protect in my life.

Perhaps I am alone in this. Probably not. Maybe we call it our personality, our temperament, a habit, a family trait, or “the way I am,” but we Christians do seem to have favorite sins. And, as with all things “secret,” our loved ones are often well aware of them.

The sin we want to keep is not easy to locate. It hides from us in plain sight with a voice much like our own. It comforts and coddles us and lulls us into complacency.


But there is a way to rout it out and destroy its hold. The next time your favorite sin peeks out of its hiding place – or someone points it out; don’t defend it. Confess it immediately to the Holy Spirit. Express repentance – ask for forgiveness – then sincerely invite Him to help you change.

This more-than-graphic illustration will clarify how the process works: You come home from working out; you hang your t-shirt on the bathroom door knob, and jump into the shower thinking, “Perhaps I’ll just wear it again tomorrow.” But when you get out of that shower, feeling fresh and clean you head straight to the hamper with that smelly shirt, barely able to touch it. You didn’t notice how dirty the shirt was; you couldn’t even smell it, until you were clean.


Once you and your favorite sin have been exposed to the Holy Spirit’s cleansing power you will find the sin intolerable.


Tina Green 2012