“I can’t stop sinning.”
Join the club. It seems we all fall into sin at some point in our spiritual walk. Some “old ways” don’t die quickly. Regardless of how strong you are in your relationship with Christ, everyone struggles with sin.
Some things to think about regarding the war with the enemy.
- Alive men walk in sin, dead men walk in Christ: Romans 6:6 states, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.“ If you have put your faith in the Lord, realize that at the moment of your salvation you became dead to sin. Therefore, our old self (the sinful nature) is crucified with Christ. It no longer has a hold in your life. In your struggle with a particular sin issue, focus on the realization that the sin in front of you is dead. While sin may still have a position in your life, it doesn’t have power. Ultimately, you have a choice. Allow the authority of Christ to regain power and control in the flesh. Remember, it’s up to you to let Him fully take over. Fully surrender to His will and allow His mercy and grace reign in your life.
- Count it True: Romans 6:4 states, “We were therefore buried with Him through Baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of our father, we too may live a new life.“ A new creation is Christ never gives the enemy a foothold. Often times an individual struggling with sin has given up and given into the lies of the enemy, allowing the sin to reign over them. This is like a diamond at the bottom of a pile of garbage. Allowing yourself to give sin power in your life is damaging not only to your spiritual walk but to your future as well. Don’t ever forget that sin carries consequences. Be alive in Christ and lean not on your own understanding. Count His power through your salvation as true. Disciplining yourself so that you can reject sins power in your life. Make your body a slave (1 Corinthians 9:27) to righteousness. Difficult? Of Course. Worth it? You bet.
- Offer Yourself to the Lord: Once you were a slave to sin, that period is over at the moment of salvation. Through a relationship with Christ you are now a slave to righteousness. A slave in our culture is something that has negative connotations but in God’s eyes it is a glorious concept. Only when you offer all of yourself to the Lord will you be able, in view of God’s mercy, to offer truly be a a living sacrifice, a walking dead man if you will, that is holy and pleasing to God. This is a spiritual act of worship that pleases God.
The patterns of this world are foreign to me because I am alive in Christ Jesus alone. In Him I have new life, I have a way to end sin and end my repeated sins. Will I fail from time to time? Of course. However, there is forgiveness in Christ and I am able once again to end my sinful ways. Through His forgiveness and our dedication to conquering sin, will we discover His good, pleasing, and perfect will for our lives.
Think about it.
-jordan
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