Breaking the Pain Barrier

The battle against sin is often fought on the wrong grounds. I speak from personal experience in illustrating some of the different mental approaches you take when trying to avoid doing what you know is wrong. For instance, after slipping I decide that the next time I'll think more about the consequences of my actions, but in truth, when it comes time to make the decision, your brain is not always ready for all this long-term thinking. One aspect, however, that does make a difference is to understand the reality of pain. Much of the good that we want to or need to achieve comes through pain. Just like waking up on time in the morning, for evening people like me, or getting a nice build through pumping iron, or having a clean home by sweeping the floor, there comes a level of exertion required to live a respectable life. Running your life on emotions and feelings will see you steering clear of this pain barrier. When the time comes to decide whether you sin or not, accepting the pain of saying no could be the make or break factor.