Overcoming
Sin
I wanted to share this with
you. It is what God has been leading me to
understand about overcoming sin. I appreciated
how you point out that people have gone from
worshiping God to worshiping grace. Trying to
overcome the extreme of legalism is as
constraining as an “all grace”
approach. I have learned that without God I am
nothing. As I surrender my will to Him, He begins
to change who I am but only as I surrender my
will. Praise God He will do whatever He has to do
to get us to the point of surrender.
When I wanted out from the
grip of drugs and their hold on me… He led
me out of “Egypt” in a way that only He
could devise.
When I wanted to quit
smoking… He allowed me to face death. While
in the hospital with a life threatening
condition, I quit smoking. He orchestrated the
circumstances that led to my convictions and
ultimately my salvation through Jesus. He saves
us from our sin by removing the desire and
thereby crushing sins power over us. We become
worthy for His kingdom by His power, His blood,
and His Spirit alone.
When I wanted to stop the
insanity of alcohol in my life and home, He
allowed me to go to the point of despair. I
finally sought help through spiritual
intervention of a twelve-step group that
indirectly pointed me back to Him and His healing
power of forgiveness and faith.
He is so amazing! He answers
prayers in the strangest ways as He continues to
persuade us toward the recognition of our deep
and eternal need of Him in our lives.
He takes nothing from us
that we are not 100% willing to surrender. It’s
a relationship where we both have a role to play.
I have to be “willing”
to go, to be, and to do whatever He asks. This is
what worshiping God means… When I truly walk
with God, all fears is gone and the things I use
to do, I no longer do…He gives me a choice
to follow Him or to refuse His direction. He
cannot be blamed for what I refuse to surrender
in my state of fear, denial, stubbornness, or
justification. He is blameless. If I don’t
acknowledge my sins, He is powerless to remove
them. He will not go against my freedom of
choice.
My willingness to see
without blinding denial or rebellious
stubbornness reveals how desperately I need His
strength to fulfill His higher purpose for my
life according to His will. When I truly
surrender my self-centered life… My heart is
broken by the recognition of what it cost God,
humanity and myself.
I can then seek God’s
help and deliverance in my state of being broken.
My heart is broken in two ways… either by
the recognition of what sin does to Him, to
others, and myself… or… when someone
else’s sin hurts me, leading me to Jesus for
comfort, strength, and the ability to forgive.
It is all about choices…
my choice is for eternal life with Him. There isn’t
a sin on earth that is worth holding onto when I
see what it cost Jesus and in the end…me.
After dwelling on these
thoughts, I was moved to write a poem below. My
prayer…
Surrender Is
Salvation
“Show me, Oh Lord
what You want me to see…
Open my eyes to your
Eternity…
Take from my hands
wrong things that I do…
Like the nails You
took, so I could go through.
Your walk, always lead
by God’s Love & Light…
Still your feet were
pierced for my sinful flight.
Not a wicked thought
ever entered your mind…
So the crown of thorns,
it should have been mine.
The price You paid,
your life, saved my soul
Sinless through You is
my heart song’s goal.”
I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians
4:13
And Jesus said…
Now go and sin no more. John 8:1-11
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