Sorry Dave, don't really know how I got the idea that you were in counseling, I must have read something wrong about that a few posts ago.
 
Let me present it this way and see what happens:
 
Many years ago when I was a new seeker of God's truths, I attended a bible study where the leader played a tape of Pastor John MacArthur and it was a part of a series on "Put on the Whole Armor of God" from Ephesians 6. This particular sermon was on the "Breastplate of Righteousness" and the whole sermon was spent telling us that if you allow "chinks" in your breastplate then you will be easy prey to the devil who will attack you through those "chinks". By "chinks" John MacArthur meant any sin in your life that you practice or whatever that compromises the integrity of your breastplate. So we were encouraged to TRY to keep pure and don't allow our righteousness to be lessened by any questionable activity that causes our breastplate to be "chinked"
 
Is this the way that you are viewing this issue?
 
At the time that I heard this sermon I didn't know what I know now so I accepted what I heard as valid and did my best to behave in a way that would not allow chinks into my righteousness. I no longer do this because of what I am about to share with you.
 
I learned that the passage in Ephesians about the armor refers to it as the whole armor OF GOD. And it says that I can PUT ON the whole armor OF GOD. If I am putting on the armor OF GOD then whose armor is it, mine or God's? It is not mine but God's I just put it on, I do not manufacture it and I do not maintain it I just put it on and keep it on every day. I know that if I put on the whole armor of Barry Amundsen it will have "chinks" in it but thanks be to God, He provides me with armor and a breastplate of perfect righteousness that is CHINK-PROOF! I have no chinks in my breastplate of righteousness and the devil cannot pierce this breastplate to harm me. If my breastplate has any chinks in it at all then I have on the wrong breastplate.
 
The armor of God is received by faith because you cannot see it but in the spirit it is revealed by grace. Once again you can have this righteousness right now by believing the promise of God to give it to you by your faith in your heart and speak it with your mouth, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!" When you receive this it frees you from the task of "trying" to not sin.