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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The Bible presents several different resources to aid us in our effort to overcome sin. In this lifetime, we will never be perfectly victorious over sin (1 John 1:8), but that should still be our g...
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Singapore Moses
Supporter
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light" (Mt 6:22) The lust of the eyes is a problem for many people who have accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. They are not able to maintain holiness in their thoughts. They become obsessed with guilt. They may repeatedly get convicted of their sin in revival meetings and make decisions to stay pure, but only to be defeated in a few days. Is there a solution? Many young people struggle with this problem. There is definitely a way to be victorious over this temptation. Don't be discouraged. Jesus Himself passed through the youth stage. He Himself was tempted and so He is able to help us with perfect understanding (Heb 2:18). "Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Heb 4:16). We who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour must also accept Him as our Helper. This is the first step for victory. Next, shun all practices, places and persons which lead you to temptation. When the Scripture talks about other sins, it commands us to "resist," but while talking about the sin of fleshly lust, we are commanded to "run away" (2 Tim 2:22; 2 Cor 6:18). Why? Because no one can fight against lust and come out victorious. It is like fire. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? This does not mean that we walk down the road with our eyes closed. You cannot avoid the first look. That is not sin, but you can avoid the second! Surrender your eyes to the Lord and decide not to see the forbidden with lust. Only such a decision saved Job! (Job 31:1). We cannot avoid eagles flying over our head, but we certainly can prevent them building their nests on our head! Never be lazy. The idle mind is the workshop of the devil. When the mind is empty, demons rush to occupy it (Mt 12:43-45). Read the Bible and fill your heart with the Scripture (Psa 119:11)
Jim Tumlinson
Supporter
This is a question that many ponder, ask others or even ask themselves. How many Christians have even said "Am I really a born again Christian since I have this sin issue in my life"? Some will even say that if you have habitual sin in your life your are not really a Christian. That is judgmental and legalistic there are way too many scriptures to refute this kind of thinking. Here are some things that may help if you are having problems with habitual sin. Paul tells us in Romans that it is the sin in my flesh that does it. It may also be a generational thing, someone in the family generations had the same issue but no one knew about it or talked about it and so it continues trying to destroy. One may never stop the habitual sin. There are some things we can do to help either stop or get through it. 1. Get an accountability partner you can trust 2. Get a mentor who will help you grow through it. 3. Read your bible, just to read, not to necessarily deal with the sin 4. Ask God to reveal His grace to you 5. See if you can go through a deliverance session Now the good news! Your sins were forgiven before you were born. I'm not saying it is okay to sin. What I am saying is that your sin was dealt with already. Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! NIV Phil 2:12-13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. NLT 1 Peter 5:8-11 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. NIV The point of these is to help you in your struggle. We are the righteousness of God in Christ. That means we are always in right standing with God. NO MATTER WHAT We must remember we are a spirit (that is sinless) we live in a body (which sins) we have a soul, our mind will and emotions (which sin). God does not want us to focus on our sin because it was dealt with long before we were born, unless we don't receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus. If we continue to let it get to us then we will walk around feeling guilty for something that was paid for on the cross. Then we won't work in the kingdom because we don't feel worthy. Our job is to do good works no matter what our flesh does. Sin is what we do but not who we are. We are the righteousness of God, Holy, acceptable, apple of His eye no matter what. I'm not saying it is okay to sin but take the focus off the sin and put it on your right standing with God. As long as you try not to sin you will sin. As long as you focus on doing good you will do good. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those in Christ. We are always in Christ because we are born again and thus there is no condemnation no matter what. The devil may accuse you or try to get you to condemn yourself but stick to the scriptures. Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Lastly I have found it is easier to get through these things not out of my love for God but out of His love for me. There is more power in His love for me than my love for Him.
D W
Supporter
You are being haunted by your old sinful nature, the nature that you were born with, the only nature that you had before you surrendered to Jesus. Your old sinful nature is trying to make a comeback. You have a Spiritual Nature now, a Spiritual defense against sin. You were energized with it instantly upon acceptance of Jesus as Savior. How has it taken a back seat to your sinful nature? Hello? Remedy: Prayer, Bible study, joining in various services of those of like faith, active witnessing, a joyful countenance, avoiding that which is obviously your old sinful nature chipping away at your relationship with your Savior. Turn off secular music, secular radio and TV. Avoid the "prosperity gospel" preachers. Stay away from tongue-talkers. HE is EVERYTHING you need. Wake up with Him, walk with Him, lie down at night with Him. Fill your life, your song, your all with Him. He doesn't go away, we just get IN the way by yielding to sin.
James Kraft
Supporter
Sometimes God leaves a little sin in our lives for His purpose. Paul called it a thorn in the flesh. We pray and ask god to remove it but He says no. I have left it with you for my purpose and my grace is sufficient for you. Then He says, You need to trust in my righteousness and not your own. That thorn is put there to keep us from pride and selfrighteousness. This may be my own experience,
Dan Rivers
Supporter
No one on their own can overcome sin. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross overcame ALL sin. The Bible tells us that Christians cannot sin...1John 3:9 NIV - "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." Christians, born again children of God, in our daily lives overcome sin by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the renewing of our minds Rom 12:1-5 It is the HS that enables us to do what is pleasing to God. Phl 2:13 NLT - For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Without the HS no one can do anything that is pleasing to God, not even "accepting' him into your life... Rom 8:8 NLT - That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature CAN NEVER please God. Paul said that even though he worked harder than any of the other Apostle, it really was NOT him but God working through him. 1Cr 15:10 NLT - But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me--and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet IT WAS NOT I but God who was working through me by his grace. 1Cr 12:6 NLT - God works in different ways, but it is the same God who DOES the work in all of us. Job 38:36 NLT - Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? (God of course) 2Cr 4:7 NLT - We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, NOT from ourselves. Gal 2:20 NLT - My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is NO LONGER I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. It is God who makes us able even to come to him... Jhn 6:65 NIV - He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them." Eph 3:20 NIV - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us, It is clear to me that a person without the indwelling Holy Spirit cannot do anything that is pleasing to God. Christian are able to do his will and what is pleasing to God ONLY because he has freely given us the Holy Spirit. So it is not I who can overcome sin, Jesus has already done that. I trust in the Lord working in me to guide me in accomplishing his will... ALL Glory and praise to the Lord!
Michael Tinsley
Supporter
The way to deal with sin is to believe what the Bible says about it. The Bible says Christians don't have to worry about sin because Jesus died once for everyone's _every sin. All our sins are forgiven, past,present, _and future sins. John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes _away the sin of the world!" What did Jesus do? He took away all the sin of the entire world for all time! By believing in Jesus as your personal Savior all your sins are forgiven and you don't have to focus on sin in your life. Instead you do what Jesus told us, to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love each other as we love ourselves. The way to obey those commands is to understand how much God loves us first. When you understand and feel that, everything else falls into place. Paul said in Acts 13:38-39, "Let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses." The New Testament says many times that we are _totally forgiven. A couple of examples are Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:13-14. Of course our bodies (flesh) will occasionally cause us to sin but we don't have to dwell on it. We acknowledge it to the Lord, thank Him that we are _already forgiven and, move on in our walk with Him. You have to appropriate the truth that all your sins are already forgiven because that's what the Bible says and the Bible is the objective Truth. Subjective feelings of guilt over a mistake only make you feel worse over something Jesus already took away from you forever. When you believe God's grace did for all of us what we could never do on our own by trying to obey the Law of Moses you are then able to fully enjoy your daily walk with Jesus and you'll find that by loving God more you'll love others more. Best of all, you'll love yourself more because you'll see yourself as the Lord sees you, sinless and perfectly forgiven. Christianity is fun and exciting when we live that way by believing the truth about God's abundant, overflowing grace and His perfect love for us.
Jeffrey Powell
Supporter
I believe the battle over sin is won as we focus our attention on the Word of God verses the temptation. We can't help the onslaught of temptations but we can help the attention we give them. Paul speaks of a transformed mind in Romans 12:1-2 but the transformed mind is made possible by presentation of our bodies as living sacrifices before a holy God. The more attention we give God the more He transforms our way of thinking about sinful things. Soon we begin to love Him more than the sin.
Jeanetta Bass
Supporter
You overcome by the blood of the Lamb..my Christian brother and sister. Remove Christ from Christian and what do u have ian. (I am NOTHING) BELIEVE THE ATONEMENT OF THE CROSS. We have overcome by the blood of the Lamb.. not the we r so good, but He is so good. The spirit part of u is sealed ur body and soul has to be taught to hear and respond to the voice and the Word of God. U must start to believe that u r the righteousness of God. That u r holy that all of sins are all paid for. Hebrew 9 12 says we have eternal redemption Hebrew 9 15 says we have eternal promises. Christ overcame the enemy. That's y I love Him like I do. Cause when I thought I had to do it and found out that he had already done what I could not do I entered into a relationship and not a religion, and I fell in love. My joy became full
Bucky Lepew
Supporter
This question has always perplexed me, as you do not have to overcome sin if you are born again. Your sins are all paid and forgotten with God. I recommend that you start enjoying the freedom you now have in Christ Jesus. All of your sins are paid. Tomorrow's sins, or next week's, or next year's, are all paid and forgotten. You are no longer under any law. Where there is no sin, no law is required to show you what sin is. It is finished. You are free. Now here is where I may lose you. But please press on and keep reading. You are even free to sin.. sounds wrong doesn't it? It should. It is not saying you should sin. But, if you sin, and you will, a million times or more before you die, there is no longer any law to judge you by because you are not a sinner. As Paul said, it is no longer I that sins, but sin that reigns in my members. Huh... that is right. All of your sins are paid in full, and God does not remember them anymore. So, I can sin?. Here is the catch: You have been given a new spiritual heart, you now have the mind of Christ, you have been regenerated, so that you no longer desire to walk according to the flesh. So when you do sin, you no longer enjoy it. In fact, you begin to hate it. You see you don't need a law to hate swine. You just need to be born again, and your longing for righteousness will far supercede any effort to stop sinning. This is that yoke that Christ is talking about. His burden is light, because you are a new creation that desires only righteousness. This goes back to a reformed theology that leaves everything up to God. He even changes my will to sin to a will for righteousness. Hope this was helpful. Yes, I know it isn't what you hear in the churches today. But, they usually don't read the bible in church either. I love you, as do all the brethren.
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