The
more often we surrender our thoughts, choice and feelings to temptations from
the flesh, the devil and the world, the stronger the temptation is the next
time it comes. When we shut out the warning from our conscience and God’s
Spirit, we arrive at the place where we can no longer hear from God at all (Hebrews 10:35-38).
Our
sin separates us from Him and diminishes our resistance to sin. We lose our peace
and joy. We no longer experience God’s pleasure in us. We feel the conviction
of God’s Spirit and struggle with our decisions and their consequences. The
Holy Spirit within us is always ready to empower us to break the cycle of sin so
that we can walk in God’s righteousness (Philippians 2:13).
When
we stop expecting our self to overcome sin, and focus on the fact that Jesus
already won the victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15: 56-57), we have
stronger will power to resist the temptation in the first place. Jesus walked
in sinless perfection, and He abides in every authentic, Born Again Believer.
He
helps us to remember the promises of God and to trust Him to provide us with
everything we need to live a successful and fulfilled life (1 John 2:17). We no
longer feel the need to protect our self, because God works miracles from the
seed of every trial. We lose all desire to defend our self, because God’s
opinion of us is the only one which matters. We live in freedom from sin
through God’s Spirit in us.
Prayer:
Father God, give us Your eyes to judge between right and wrong, so that we never lose the joy of our salvation or the comfort of abiding in Your presence. May we always see sin for the degradation it brings and desire less of the comforts of the flesh and more of the ecstasy of the spirit, which comes from walking in your presence.
Thought
for the Day:
May
we never become so accustomed to sin that we consider it normal behavior. 