The word no one wants to hear...sin

I feel the need to talk about this subject although I know it to be a very touchy subject. I know there are usually several approaches to the whole sin thing usually to the best interest of the speaker. Some say the you need only to believe and Jesus will eventually work in you so you stop sinning; they stress not trying to stop sinning yourself because that's trying to earn grace which you can't do. The other is that Jesus died for our sins so you don't need to worry about it at all because he died for all of them past and present so that we could not be guilty. Here's what I believe the Bible speaks to me. Lets start with the moment you've been saved and declared Jesus as you Christ and savior. The Bible tells us  Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

There's where it explains quite clearly "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

What does that mean...it means you must not be driven by satisfying evil desires of your body such as sexual immoral acts,etc. The bible goes on to tell us Romans 6-8 "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." 

Do you still think that I've misinterpreted well Romans 7:15 makes it extremely clear... "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace. By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to whom you obey-whether slaves to sin, which lead to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness.

It tells us that we are slaves to the one we follow...so those who think that not following God is best because he tries to restrain you are indeed enslaved themselves. They are enslaved to the prince of this world...the Devil

Ok! So we've established that sin is a problem that any Jesus follower is expected to deal with but how? Well we have to overcome it. The Bible gives us encouragement towards this. Revelations 21:7 "He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Will it be a struggle...heck yes, but it's something we all go through because we all have baggage that God wants to free us from. Look at Paul who had a deep struggle with sin. He says in Romans 7:21-22 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. We can overcome it by listening to the voice of wisdom...common sense...listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit...our conscience that dwells within us when we believe in Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1 tells us to "escape the corruption that is in the world through lust" by adding "to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; so on and so forth. Does this mean you'll never struggle...NO! All Jesus followers make mistakes sometimes. Look at the story of David and the woman Bathsheba, or the arc of God...look at Moses when he crushed the two stone tablets God had given him to give to the people of Israel...Look at Solomon who turned against God at one point in his life. We are all susceptible to evil no matter how close or deep in relationship we are with God. It is our choice whether we choose it. Does this mean we have to earn grace...NO grace is freely given. Is trying to stop sinning trying to earn grace. Absolutely not, in fact, God expects us to wrestle with our sins. It becomes wrong when you try to do it any other way than with the help of Jesus Christ, who was already tempted and found blameless. I know the feel good message is that sin isn't a big deal and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it, but it is a HUGE deal. It's a matter of life and death. 1 John 2:6 tells us, "No one who continues to sin had either seen him or known him (Jesus). Read 1 John 2:4-6 or 1 John 2:7-8. These all make it clear that you can't keep sinning. 2 Peter 2:20-22 compares those who return to a life of sin to " a dog (who) returns to its vomit," and "A sow that is washed (that) goes back to her wallowing in the mud. These aren't very flattering analogies and they show how deeply God cares about Christians overcoming sin. We are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.

Wisdom-hear her voice.

My pastor gave a very eye opening sermon last Sunday about wisdom. Here's what he said from what I remember. Wisdom is God's gift to all of mankind, believer and unbeliever the like. It is just one way that God gets his glory whether you believe or like it or not. Knowledge is something that anyone can attain, but no matter how much you know God knew it first and he was kind enough to reveal it to you. I'm going to post the link to his sermon. There really is something in it for anyone in anyplace you're at. I know it's not seen as cool to delight in talking about the lord and teaching about him, but it's something I can't help but do because my cup is never half empty or half full; my cup is always overflowing, and I have so much that I need to share it with whoever's is willing to listen...SO like Jesus's always says, "Him who had ears, let him hear."

http://www.centerpointfl.org/viewseries.php?id=106

Something to tickle the heart strings

Here is a touching story I read out of the book, Jesus Freaks by dc Talk that really restored my faith in Jesus Christ...I don't know if it'll do the same for you, but I hope so. 

"Men choose a religion, but a Christian is chosen by Jesus Christ. To be a Christian means to belong to Christ. Jesus asked me to renounce even my life, to follow Him faithfully, not to fear the world even if my body must perish. I prefer to know that God, the Almighty, is with me, even if it means that the whole world is against me. "I am in God's hands. For 45 years i have walked with the God of miracles, and his goodness is for me a shadow that protects me in His love. "The God of Daniel, who protected his friends, protected me during my nine years in prison, and all torments changed to my good, so that I have the fullness of love and gratitude. "Of all the prophets, Jesus alone was resurrected from the dead, and He remains our living Mediator forever. I gave my life into His hands. For me, life is an opportunity to serve Him, and death is the privilege of getting to be with Him."

 Pastor Mehdi Dibaj of Iran was on trial for his life, and these words were the defense he gave in court. An upper class Muslim, he and his family had converted to Christianity. He had dared to translate Christian radio programs and books into the Farsi language. He was arrested in 1985 and accused of apostasy, denying the Muslim faith. For this, he faced the death penalty. In Iran, social and political pressure is sometimes used to force Christians to recant their new-found faith in Jesus Christ. Some are even tortured. Dibaj was imprisoned along for two years in a cramped hole with no room to stretch his legs. While he was in prison, his wiffe, Azizeh, left Dibaj and was forced to marry a Muslim. When Dibaj steadfastly refused to deny his faith, the court condemned him to death. But after on month he was set free because of international attention that had been brought to his case. Soon after this, however, he was found dead in a park. It is believed by some that Islamic leaders had called for his execution. Despite losing their father, his four children remain faithful to Jesus Christ. 

His is a story we all can learn from, but even if were unbelievers we must at least acknowledge that it happened. If Jesus Christ is nothing but a construct of some superstitious people's minds then why are people willing to die for him? Jesus doesn't persuade them to die...he gives them a choice. What is it in the life and story of Jesus Christ that could compel someone to die just to "be with Him"?

Don't be discouraged!

God is just

People come up with many reasons to justify why they won’t give their life to Jesus but perhaps the biggest is this one:

If god is real why do bad things happen?

Well here’s my answer. Take it or leave it, but at least think about it.

Our God is a God of freewill. Many are quick to say the wicked shouldn't have freewill, and God should step in to stop them, but have you considered that sometimes you do things that are contrary to God’s will too. Should God step in like a dictator and restrain you from ever doing anything bad? When you want to go get drunk and party,cut that person off on the road, flick off the person you say is a bad driver, tell off that employee at the store that you think has really bad customer service. These might all seem small to us, but they can be very upsetting to God because Jesus tells us the most important commandments are Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:this is the first commandment. And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. No one wants to be a robot that has no control over their own life, and God loves us so much that he’s not willing to compromise our freewill even if it means we have to make mistakes and do bad things. We all have a choice because God doesn't show favoritism and allow some freewill and not others, so next time you want to blame God blame the wicked instead. You’re probably thinking what about hurricanes and natural disasters that kill people and destroy homes. Well think about it this way. If nothing bad ever happened to you would you still need a God? If you never went through suffering how would you act, feel, and think? Some might say they would still be true to God, but there is proof to the contrary. How did Nebuchanezzar treat God after he had given him everything he desired. He turned away from him declaring that he was his own God and had earned all his riches and power for himself. We find this story in the book of Daniel. Affliction and suffering humble us so that we don't start to rely on ourselves, but continue to rely only on the Lord knowing that he will provide. Without affliction there can be no spiritual growth. I know this doesn't relieve every ounce of doubt you may have, but it is something consider. Here is a scripture that we can find hope in. When you feel like God's hand is heavy on you and you feel resentful read Psalms 94:12-13 Blessed is the man whom thou Chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of they law: That thou mayest give him rest from the day of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXH1-9Dsv9w