How Can We Overcome Sin?
By Annagail Lynes
How can we overcome sin in our lives?
Everyone, at one time, has struggled with sin.
A few years ago, I struggled with two issues. They weren't necessarily wrong for everyone, but I knew they were wrong for me.
One involved watching certain programs on network television that involved things contrary to the Word of God. Other Christians I knew could watch those programs with no conviction, so I justified my behavior. It was wrong for me because I was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
I struggled for a long time. I begged and pleaded for God to just break the power it had over my life. For the longest time, nothing happened.
Then in an instant when I least expected it, in one of the most trying times of my life, the power of that thing broke. So did the other addiction I struggled with for over twenty years.
It has been almost two years since these things have broken off my life. Although Satan has tried to tempt me with them, the urge to do those things is no longer exists.
Sin, unconfessed, causes us to stay in darkness, hidden from God. We need to bring our sins, our struggles, our temptations, into the light of God. We must ask Him to help us to overcome in those areas.
Many people think overcoming sin requires the crucifixion of the flesh, strong determination and will power, but if those things worked on their own, we wouldn't have rehabilitation centers or weight loss clinics.
Ever heard the song, "I Have Decided" sung by Amy Grant? I love the lyrics of that song. It says, "There's a wealth of things that I profess. I said that I believed. But deep inside, I never changed. I guess I'd been deceived. Cause a voice inside kept telling me that I'd change by and by, but the Spirit made it clear to me: that kind of life's a lie."
It is a lie to think that we can change on our own without the help of Almighty God. The Bible says we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). He is the only reason we are breathing. The only reason we are alive. The only reason we have the things we do.
We enjoy the good times with Him, but we won't let Him share in the bad times as well.
Let's say we had a spouse who was willing to share the good times with us, but whenever she went through something, she suffered alone, no matter how much we wanted to help. That would be frustrating, right?
We are like that spouse. We want to suffer through the bad times on our own. Even though it takes twice as long to get through the problem. To shortcut the process, we need God's help when we are going through the problems and hard places of life.
Without God, people end up in rehabilitation centers three, six, even twelve times. They struggle to lose weight and keep it off. They can't control their thoughts and mouths. They yell at their spouses and children. Without God, we cannot make lasting changes.
He created us. He knows us inside and out. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Isn't He qualified to take on our problems? Do we think that He doesn't have the time? He knows about our problems and He knows how to fix them.
He loves us, and He is concerned about everything that concerns us. It is only through believing that God loves us that every thing will change in our lives. Lasting change only comes from God and His love.
Believing God loves us has nothing to do with how much we love God. It is in God, when we believe He loves us, that we have fullness of joy and everything else that we need.
We should ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth regarding why we sin in these areas (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit will save us years of therapy. He knows the problem, unlike therapists who keep us coming for years with no real progress to show for it. He is our Counselor, and He can lead us into all truth about any situation, if we just ask Him.
Also ask God for wisdom on what to do about the situation (James 1:5). He said that if we ask for wisdom, He will give it to us liberally.
Next take a Bible concordance and find every Scripture on that sin--whether it be worry, lust, greed or pride. Then write down those Scriptures.
After reading through them, we must narrow them down to three. We need to keep speaking and believing those three Scriptures in the spare moments of our day.
When we do this, we are putting ourselves in agreement with God's Word. We are saying what God says about our situation.
Once we accept Jesus, we are in right-standing with God through Jesus' blood. We must focus on our righteousness in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21). Through Jesus' blood, we are already saved, delivered and sanctified. We are already overcomers. We are just cashing in our title deed, which is the Word of God, in order to get what is rightfully ours.
If we confess God's Word over our situation and believe that God loves us and wants to meet our needs, then our situations have no choice but to change.
Annagail Lynes is a writer of devotionals, ebooks and articles. Her articles and devotionals have appeared in publications online and offline around the world. You can order her books for instant download at http://www.lulu.com/visionhopemag
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com <a href="http://www.faithwriters.com">CHRISTIAN WRITERS</a>
By Annagail Lynes
How can we overcome sin in our lives?
Everyone, at one time, has struggled with sin.
A few years ago, I struggled with two issues. They weren't necessarily wrong for everyone, but I knew they were wrong for me.
One involved watching certain programs on network television that involved things contrary to the Word of God. Other Christians I knew could watch those programs with no conviction, so I justified my behavior. It was wrong for me because I was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
I struggled for a long time. I begged and pleaded for God to just break the power it had over my life. For the longest time, nothing happened.
Then in an instant when I least expected it, in one of the most trying times of my life, the power of that thing broke. So did the other addiction I struggled with for over twenty years.
It has been almost two years since these things have broken off my life. Although Satan has tried to tempt me with them, the urge to do those things is no longer exists.
Sin, unconfessed, causes us to stay in darkness, hidden from God. We need to bring our sins, our struggles, our temptations, into the light of God. We must ask Him to help us to overcome in those areas.
Many people think overcoming sin requires the crucifixion of the flesh, strong determination and will power, but if those things worked on their own, we wouldn't have rehabilitation centers or weight loss clinics.
Ever heard the song, "I Have Decided" sung by Amy Grant? I love the lyrics of that song. It says, "There's a wealth of things that I profess. I said that I believed. But deep inside, I never changed. I guess I'd been deceived. Cause a voice inside kept telling me that I'd change by and by, but the Spirit made it clear to me: that kind of life's a lie."
It is a lie to think that we can change on our own without the help of Almighty God. The Bible says we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). He is the only reason we are breathing. The only reason we are alive. The only reason we have the things we do.
We enjoy the good times with Him, but we won't let Him share in the bad times as well.
Let's say we had a spouse who was willing to share the good times with us, but whenever she went through something, she suffered alone, no matter how much we wanted to help. That would be frustrating, right?
We are like that spouse. We want to suffer through the bad times on our own. Even though it takes twice as long to get through the problem. To shortcut the process, we need God's help when we are going through the problems and hard places of life.
Without God, people end up in rehabilitation centers three, six, even twelve times. They struggle to lose weight and keep it off. They can't control their thoughts and mouths. They yell at their spouses and children. Without God, we cannot make lasting changes.
He created us. He knows us inside and out. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Isn't He qualified to take on our problems? Do we think that He doesn't have the time? He knows about our problems and He knows how to fix them.
He loves us, and He is concerned about everything that concerns us. It is only through believing that God loves us that every thing will change in our lives. Lasting change only comes from God and His love.
Believing God loves us has nothing to do with how much we love God. It is in God, when we believe He loves us, that we have fullness of joy and everything else that we need.
We should ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth regarding why we sin in these areas (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit will save us years of therapy. He knows the problem, unlike therapists who keep us coming for years with no real progress to show for it. He is our Counselor, and He can lead us into all truth about any situation, if we just ask Him.
Also ask God for wisdom on what to do about the situation (James 1:5). He said that if we ask for wisdom, He will give it to us liberally.
Next take a Bible concordance and find every Scripture on that sin--whether it be worry, lust, greed or pride. Then write down those Scriptures.
After reading through them, we must narrow them down to three. We need to keep speaking and believing those three Scriptures in the spare moments of our day.
When we do this, we are putting ourselves in agreement with God's Word. We are saying what God says about our situation.
Once we accept Jesus, we are in right-standing with God through Jesus' blood. We must focus on our righteousness in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21). Through Jesus' blood, we are already saved, delivered and sanctified. We are already overcomers. We are just cashing in our title deed, which is the Word of God, in order to get what is rightfully ours.
If we confess God's Word over our situation and believe that God loves us and wants to meet our needs, then our situations have no choice but to change.
Annagail Lynes is a writer of devotionals, ebooks and articles. Her articles and devotionals have appeared in publications online and offline around the world. You can order her books for instant download at http://www.lulu.com/visionhopemag
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com <a href="http://www.faithwriters.com">CHRISTIAN WRITERS</a>
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How Can We Overcome Sin?
Everyone, at one time, has struggled with sin. A few years ago, I struggled with two issues. They weren't necessarily wrong for everyone, but I knew they were wrong for me.
Everyone, at one time, has struggled with sin. A few years ago, I struggled with two issues. They weren't necessarily wrong for everyone, but I knew they were wrong for me.
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