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
