{"id":4408,"date":"2024-09-27T06:27:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T10:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=4408"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:50:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:50:18","slug":"why-sin-proverbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/voices\/devotionals\/why-sin-proverbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do We Sin? A Devotion on Proverbs 3:5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. \u2014 <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Proverbs%203%3A5-6&amp;version=NIV&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proverbs 3:5-6<\/a> (NIV)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of us really, really don\u2019t want to sin. And we even know what sin is, <em>and<\/em> we believe that we\u2019re not supposed to do it. But\u2026 we still sin. Why?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of us believe that we\u2019re still sinning because we\u2019re \u201cnot trying hard enough.\u201d That\u2019s not entirely it. We\u2019re sinning because part of <em>our hearts are hidden from us<\/em>. We don\u2019t know why we do what we do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One way we try to hide and cover is to try to cover up any part of our lives that doesn\u2019t feel right with good behavior. It doesn\u2019t really work. We need to get to the roots of the issue. Quick fixes aren\u2019t going to fix our hidden hearts. We need to appeal to someone who understands what\u2019s going on in there. We have to go to God.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">God Wants to Transform Your Heart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The term <em>heart <\/em>is used biblically to refer to the core person. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Proverbs%2027%3A19&amp;version=NIV&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proverbs 27:19<\/a> (NIV) says, \u201cAs water reflects the face, so one\u2019s life reflects the heart.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Proverbs%2023%3A7-8&amp;version=NIV&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proverbs 23:7\u20138<\/a>, we\u2019re warned against the begrudging host, \u201cfor he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. \u2018Eat and drink,\u2019 he says to you, but his heart is not with you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke%2016%3A15&amp;version=NIV&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Luke 16:15<\/a>, Jesus says, \u201cYou are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.\u201d The heart is what a person really thinks and does\u2014not who she says she is or who he pretends to be.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts<em>.<\/em> We don\u2019t trust Him by saying, \u201cGod I trust You.\u201d We trust Him by opening our hearts to Him: \u201cGod, teach me what\u2019s in there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Risk of Spiritual Moralism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we skip over the importance of our hearts \u2014 and the reality that they can be hidden from us \u2014 we find ourselves mired in spiritual moralism, or the attempt to direct our own spiritual growth. Spiritual moralism is us making an immense effort toward becoming more like Christ without Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spelled out like that, it sounds ridiculous, but I see this all the time. I see it in our culture. I see it in the people I work with and speak with. I see it in our sermons. And I see it in me. This has been my struggle for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hear a good sermon on prayer. I decide right then and there that I\u2019m going to get better at my prayer life. So what went wrong in this moment? I skipped a step. I skipped over the truth of what\u2019s in my heart and went straight for \u201ctrying harder.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s another way to get better at prayer. And, not so surprisingly, it involves prayer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hear a good sermon on prayer. I decide I want to pray more but wonder why I haven\u2019t in the past. I wonder whether I\u2019ll get better at it after this moment. And, here\u2019s the key, <strong>I take those thoughts about prayer to God in prayer<\/strong>. I confess, \u201cGod, I want to pray more. Help!\u201d Or maybe I say, \u201cPrayer takes a lot of time. Why don\u2019t I dedicate more of my time to it? What don\u2019t I believe about prayer? Help!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between the two ways of trying to grow is significant \u2014 and it\u2019s a difference that exists in the heart. The next time you feel that impulse to change, pause before you start &#8220;trying harder.&#8221; Go straight to God in prayer, offering your desire to change to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/faithgateway.com\/products\/relaxed-bible-study-guide-plus-streaming-video-letting-go-of-self-reliance-and-trusting-god?variant=41787795898504&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staticblog.bgcdn.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/06155339\/relaxed-bible-study.jpg?fit=243%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cover of Relaxed Bible Study by Megan Marshman\" class=\"wp-image-4409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticblog.bgcdn.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/06155339\/relaxed-bible-study.jpg 300w, https:\/\/staticblog.bgcdn.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/06155339\/relaxed-bible-study.jpg 243w, https:\/\/staticblog.bgcdn.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/06155339\/relaxed-bible-study.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Adapted from <em><a href=\"https:\/\/faithgateway.com\/products\/relaxed-walking-with-the-one-who-is-not-worried-about-a-thing?variant=41787794882696&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Relaxed: Walking with the One Who Is Not Worried about a Thing<\/a><\/em> by Megan Fate Marshman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We often try to do a lot for God \u2014 without him. <em>Relaxed <\/em>is a call to let go of spiritual performance, reject our cultural tendency to live under pressure, and find freedom to walk with God and toward God, one gentle step at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus \u2014 get the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/faithgateway.com\/products\/relaxed-bible-study-guide-plus-streaming-video-letting-go-of-self-reliance-and-trusting-god?variant=41787795898504&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=bglearn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Relaxed Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Letting Go of Self-Reliance and Trusting God<\/a><\/em>. Learn spiritual growth practices for your daily life that remove your own anxious striving and center you on the One who was never worried about a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Relaxed <em>is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.\u202f<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why do we sin \u2014 even when we don&#8217;t want to? Pastor and Bible teacher Megan Marshman shows how &#8220;trying harder&#8221; to be spiritual can backfire on us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461,138,465,31],"tags":[71,203,214,217],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Do We Sin? 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He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has previously appeared in Ekstasis and Geez Magazine. He lives with his wife and children in New England.","url":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/author\/megan-fate-marshman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4411,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4408\/revisions\/4411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}