We Can Overcome Sin
Has disobeying God ever worked out well for you?
Me neither. At least not in the long run.
Thankfully, the more I meditate on God’s Word, especially in the book of Romans, the more I see that I’m not as powerless as I once thought regarding my daily choices.
The more time I spend in God’s Word, the more my mind is set on Him. Romans 8:5 (ESV) says,
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
This makes sense, doesn’t it? The more we fill our minds with God’s Word, the more we want to live by it.
I’m not saying we won’t have struggles with sin. We will. But we don’t have to rely on our own strength to overcome them.
When God’s Spirit lives inside us, we can conquer our flesh (our sinful nature). Whenever we set our minds on the things of the Spirit (God’s ways), we access the power we have in Christ to stop sinning. We can release grudges against our spouses and family members. We can resist the temptation to gossip. We can say no to that affair, that bottle, that porn site, that persistent habit of lying – whatever sinful pattern we struggle with.
God knows we need His help to overcome temptation. If we trust in Christ and commit to spend time in His Word – reading, meditating and memorizing it – then sin won’t control us.
I wonder if much of our struggle with sin stems from not understanding what it truly means to have the Spirit of the all-powerful God living within us.
As hard as it is to resist a particular temptation, the struggle can’t compare to the transformation we can experience when we yield that temptation to the Holy Spirit. When we go to God when we’re weak, He’s ready to offer His strength and grace. Every time.
I love this about God.
When we choose to stay enslaved to our fleshly desires, we deceive ourselves into believing we’ll be happier living outside of God’s will. But this is a lie.
The more we say no to our ungodly passions and choose to obey God, the more we’ll long for His ways and the more we’ll change. When we live according to the Spirit, we move in a healthier direction, and even our countenance says, “Life is better.”
Wouldn’t this be far better than the consequences and regret of sin? Isn’t this at least worth thinking about?
What about you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Your comment might also benefit others.)
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I wonder if much of our struggle with sin stems from not understanding what it truly means to have the Spirit of the all-powerful God living within us.
This is one of your best quotes, Sheryl, as I read it over and over again! “I wonder if much of our struggle with sin stems from not understanding what it truly means to have the Spirit of the all-powerful God living within us.” Here’s the perfect verse for this! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3. We have access to Christ’s resurrection power. “For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. / The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. / We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Thanks Sheryl!
Those are PERFECT verses to support my devotion, Kim! Thank you for strengthening my message with more of God’s Word.
This was outstanding! Thank you
Wow!! Thank you, Dave. Praise God for His work in me – and in you, my friend.