Finding Freedom

We ALL struggle with sin. Saved not saved...the temptation is there regardless. This is not new...the struggle began with the first man and woman who ever walked this earth! Even Paul, the one who wrote the majority of the books in the New Testament talks about this struggle. “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” Romans 7:15-25 Thank God Jesus has sympathy for our weaknesses.“...since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:14-16 When we place our faith in Christ and the sacrifice He made to pay our sin debt, we receive God’s very own Spirit inside of us. His Spirit gives us the power to overcome any sin. Yes, we will stumble and fall back at times, however, we won’t be able to flippantly remain trapped in that sin. However, if I have access to that power to overcome the. Why do we get trapped in a sin cycle? How do children of God get trapped in secret sins? The key word is that we have “access” to the power to overcome and but we must first surrender that sin to The LORD. Those two things are taken too lightly and overlooked. Even as we read them now, they may not truly sink in. So really think about them in relation to your secret sin. 1. Are you truly attempting to access the power of The Holy Spirit or simply trying to break free on your own? Have you truly confessed it to Christ and asked Him to help you? Do you have faith that He has the power to set you free? 2. Have you honestly surrendered that sin over to The LORD? Or have you believed the age old lie that maybe what you’re doing really isn’t a sin or all that bad. The lie Satan has been whispering in our ears sin the first man and woman entered this world “Did God really say you couldn’t have/do that?” When you truly believe what you’re doing is wrong...that it’s something our Creator, God, is telling us not to do, it’s harder to do it. For example, you know killing is wrong. Therefore, Christians don’t usually struggle with this. But pornography, lustfully viewing someone who is not your spouse, taking supplies from your employer, premarital sex, gossiping...these grey areas are the difficult ones. So the first line of defense, after of course surrendering your life to Christ through faith and baptism, is to wrestle with whether or not that thing you do that causes you such guilt or anguish, is actually sin. Something God warns you to not do. Not for His sake but your own. God doesn’t need us but He does love us and want the best for us. Once you determine the wrongdoings are something God doesn’t want in your life, confess it, surrender it and pray daily, for God to give you the power to overcome. You may need to surrender every morning but He will equip you. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3 “...and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” 1 Peter 1:4-5 When we live a life that is pleasing to the LORD, we will find the peace and joy that we all long for...that we were all blindly expecting that sin to offer us. Only God can truly satisfy our longings, pain and emptiness. Trust Him, surrender to Him and be renewed and refreshed!