Is there a sin that keeps harassing you – the one you thought you’d conquered, only to find it creeping back? At first, only occasionally, but now, much more often.

Should you go to God and repent – again?

Absolutely.

We must never believe that we can’t go to God again (and again) for the same sin. We can – and very importantly, we must.

When you pray, do you picture God drumming His fingers wishing you’d hurry it up? Or do you see him leaning in, compassionately listening to every word?

How about when you seek God’s help to overcome a sin or a bad habit that has ensnared you year after year? Do you wonder if you’re wasting God’s time with your constant “Sorry”s and “I’ll never do it again”s?

After a year, or perhaps a decade, of giving in to a besetting temptation, is it taking you longer to feel shame after lying to your coworker? Is it scaring you that your conscience barely bothers you when you curse or watch something inappropriate on TV?

But after praying about this issue ad nauseam, you wonder what “new” prayer would get His attention? With your history, what could you say to Him that would make this new year a better one?

Perhaps these questions wouldn’t be an issue if you could see your heavenly Father in a different way. Read Psalm 18:16 (AMPC): “He reached from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.”

Although David the psalmist wrote about being physically delivered from the murder-minded King Saul, God also stands ready to deliver you from your sin. Satan loves to make us feel so condemned that we begin to believe we’re abusing God’s mercy when we keep going to God for the same sins. But Satan is a liar.

Read the verse again, but this time, try praying it aloud to your heavenly Father. Picture Him actively rescuing you from your ensnarement – that habit you can’t seem to escape from.

For example, “Father, I’m drowning in my sin. Hold me. Reach into my thoughts, my will and my heart and draw out the hate [or whatever sin you’re struggling with] that’s destroying me.”

God commands us to be holy, but He doesn’t leave us to figure it out alone or shout down at us in frustration, “Stop sinning! Be holy!” Instead, He lovingly invites us to come to Him with our struggles. When we confess, He listens to every word, reaches into our lives – directly into our messes – and lifts us out of the many waters.

So, go to Him again. Pray as often as needed. Discover (or discover again) a compassion that never fails and the grace that empowers us to walk in holiness.

Sheryl H. Boldt is a faith columnist and the author of the blog www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. You can reach her at SherylHBoldt@gmail.com.