It is not enough to set sin aside. Never the less, sin must be thrown down not to be sought again.
How easy is that? It's not. There is, as most of us know too well, a battle raging within every Christ-follower. The flesh wages war against the soul, begging to return to that which is familiar and easy. Walking by the flesh or by sight is comfortable but it is not the wide and wiggly road that leads to Heaven. The straight and narrow, walking by the Spirit and often blindly, is an irritating catalyst to change and let's face it hard. But it is what is required of God’s child.
(Anyone who says that following Jesus is easy, teaches a false gospel. A yolk of any caliber is difficult and Jesus Himself said that we will have trouble.)
To be a Child of God who struggles with sin is one thing but to be defined as a sinner is quite another. I pray that you are no longer the latter but have been saved by the mercy of our God.
How easy is that? It's not. There is, as most of us know too well, a battle raging within every Christ-follower. The flesh wages war against the soul, begging to return to that which is familiar and easy. Walking by the flesh or by sight is comfortable but it is not the wide and wiggly road that leads to Heaven. The straight and narrow, walking by the Spirit and often blindly, is an irritating catalyst to change and let's face it hard. But it is what is required of God’s child.
(Anyone who says that following Jesus is easy, teaches a false gospel. A yolk of any caliber is difficult and Jesus Himself said that we will have trouble.)
To be a Child of God who struggles with sin is one thing but to be defined as a sinner is quite another. I pray that you are no longer the latter but have been saved by the mercy of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Titus 3:3-7
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Do not be fooled. Whether your sin is listed here or not, which I don't see how one could be left untouched by these scriptures, it can own you. It can be dug up as the burried hatchet or left to rest forever, covered over by the Prince of peace.
There is a sin that haunts me, a sin that if it were announced publicly, I would run screaming and crying into the night. But this sin no longer owns me. What do I mean by own? Well, I once identified myself according to this sin. I used it to define my person and my worldview. It dictated my actions and drove my motives. We say in the children's “good news colors” song "My heart was dark with sin, until the Saviour came in." Well, my mind and conscience were defiled, coated with this abhorrent way of thinking, this sinful way of life.
After salvation, I continued to struggle. No one had said to me; “This is a sin” but the Spirit began to carve the edges of this cancer out of my heart. As His work was being done, I found myself searching the Scripture to know if repentance was required. In this search I found the end of myself and as I stood on the edge of the chasm that was left by the carving of God’s hand, I couldn’t make the jump required. Through human logic and personal feeling I clung to the cliff as long as possible. As my grip began to fail and the rocks began to crumble, I fell further into the rift and found myself in a deep depression. I knew that a simple reach toward my God would release me from this torture but couldn’t bring myself to let go for even a moment and let Him lift me to His “high places.”
I had tried with little avail to keep myself from being tempted toward this sin even though I refused to admit it’s detestableness. It kept me from fellowship, from pure worship, and from opening up to God’s people. But even in this depression I knew that my efforts were in vain. I ran to my shepherd in secret hopes that he would take me to the Shepherd. The process was painful and the wall began to crumble piece-by-piece over 3 weeks of counseling with my Youth Pastor and his wife. However my head was hard and my grip on the familiar was obstinate. Finally, I had no choice but to confess my sin, to cast it down and turn to see my Saviour with open arms to show the forgiveness and guidance that only He can give.
There is a Todd Proctor song that says “It’s not who I was, but who I am in Christ.” Let us no longer owned by sin. When the enemy and flesh taunt us to return to it’s clutches, let us again plee to our God in the heavens and call for the Spirit to soften our hearts to His will.
After salvation, I continued to struggle. No one had said to me; “This is a sin” but the Spirit began to carve the edges of this cancer out of my heart. As His work was being done, I found myself searching the Scripture to know if repentance was required. In this search I found the end of myself and as I stood on the edge of the chasm that was left by the carving of God’s hand, I couldn’t make the jump required. Through human logic and personal feeling I clung to the cliff as long as possible. As my grip began to fail and the rocks began to crumble, I fell further into the rift and found myself in a deep depression. I knew that a simple reach toward my God would release me from this torture but couldn’t bring myself to let go for even a moment and let Him lift me to His “high places.”
I had tried with little avail to keep myself from being tempted toward this sin even though I refused to admit it’s detestableness. It kept me from fellowship, from pure worship, and from opening up to God’s people. But even in this depression I knew that my efforts were in vain. I ran to my shepherd in secret hopes that he would take me to the Shepherd. The process was painful and the wall began to crumble piece-by-piece over 3 weeks of counseling with my Youth Pastor and his wife. However my head was hard and my grip on the familiar was obstinate. Finally, I had no choice but to confess my sin, to cast it down and turn to see my Saviour with open arms to show the forgiveness and guidance that only He can give.
There is a Todd Proctor song that says “It’s not who I was, but who I am in Christ.” Let us no longer owned by sin. When the enemy and flesh taunt us to return to it’s clutches, let us again plee to our God in the heavens and call for the Spirit to soften our hearts to His will.
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