OK,
first we have to understand that we are sinful.
Ooooh, we do not like to hear that!
It is the truth – all men are sinful: “For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” – Romans 3:23
KJV; “As it is written, There
is none righteous, no, not one:” – Romans 3:10 KJV. It is easy to think of people who are not
Christians to be sinners, but we believers in Jesus need to be reminded of
where we came from…we are sinners too.
Christians
say, “I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I go to church, and pay my tithes,”
“…ALL HAVE SINNED…”
“I
read the Bible, and pray every day,”
“…THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS…”
Moishe
Rosen wrote in his book "The Sayings of Chairman Moishe", "The
morally crippled use excuses for crutches.” How true!
We try our best to be good but we have to realize that we can never do
enough to be good in God’s sight. Sin is
sin and everyone on the earth has sinned.
Once we see and acknowledge this we can then discover and enact on how
to avoid sin. So, I implore you, stop
making excuses and acknowledge your sin to God.
Ask for His forgiveness and the ability to avoid sin and remain
righteous. Yes, it is possible to avoid
sin and be holy before the Lord. The
Lord commands us to be holy like He is (1 Peter 1:16; Lev. 11:44-45, 19:20). Why would He command us to do something unless
it was possible?
God
made a way to walk in holiness. He said,
“This I say then, Walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh,” (Galatians 5:16 KJV). The
Message Bible says it like this, “My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then
you won’t feed the compulsions
of selfishness.” When we accept
Jesus as our Savior God gives us His Spirit, “For God has not called us to be dirty-minded and full
of lust but to be holy and clean. If anyone
refuses to live by these rules, he is not disobeying the rules of men but of
God who gives his Holy Spirit to you,” (1 Thes. 4:7-8 TLB); “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which
is given unto us,” (Rom. 5:5 KJV). “But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8 KJV). Since He has given us His very Spirit we have
the best power to avoid sin…leaning on His Spirit in all situations! “What I
say is this: let the Spirit direct
your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the
human nature,” (Gal. 5:16 GNT).
I
love how The Message Bible states Galatians 5:16-18, “For there is a root of
sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible
with selfishness. These two ways
of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times
another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and
so escape the erratic
compulsions of a law-dominated existence?” Gal. 5:16-18 MSG. So, accepting Jesus as your Savior is not the “cure-all”
or “end-all” of gaining holiness, it is the first step. “The first essential in all moral reformation
is to call sin sin.” – Keith L.
Brooks
Herein
is the answer, Brothers and Sisters, to living an ongoing holy life: “[The
way to live in freedom is by the Spirit] Here is my advice. Live your whole life in the Spirit and you
will not satisfy the desires of
your lower nature. For the whole
energy of the lower nature is
set against the Spirit, while the whole power of the
Spirit is contrary to the lower nature. Here is the conflict, and that is why you are
not free to do what you want to do. But if you follow the leading of the Spirit, you stand clear of the Law.” – Gal. 5:16 PHILLIPS
I
love a story Rev. Billy Graham shares in his book “The Journey” because it shows us just how to walk in the Spirit:
“Many years ago a clergyman in a poor part
of London became burdened for the dockworkers in his parish. Their work was hard, thankless, and poorly
paid, and he decided that if he was ever to reach them with the Gospel of
Christ he must become one of them. Day
after day he dressed like them and stood in line waiting for a job, never
telling who he really was. Finally one
winter’s day he was hired to help unload a freighter, moving goods in a
wheelbarrow from boat to dock along a narrow plank. On one trip he felt the plank rock violently,
and he lost his footing and fell into the cold river. Laughter rang out, and he realized one of the
men had deliberately jiggled the plank to make him fall. His first impulse was to react in anger (for
he had often struggled with his temper) – but almost instantly he sensed the
power of the Holy Spirit overcoming his anger and giving him peace. He grinned and joined in their laughter, and
to his surprise the culprit dropped his load and helped him out of the
muck. His tormentor-turned-rescuer,
taken aback by his calm reaction, began talking with him. Later the man shamefacedly revealed that he
had once been a highly respected physician, but alcohol had robbed him both of
his profession and his family. The
clergyman led him to Christ, and in time the man was reunited with his family
and restored to his position. But here is
the point: It would never have happened
if the Spirit of God hadn’t conquered the clergyman’s temper and replaced it
with the gentleness and love of Christ.
The Holy Spirit made the difference.”
We
know how God wants us to live, but the problem many of us have is that we rely
on our own strength and “good” habits (i.e. going to church, paying tithes, etc.). We NEED to start relying on the strength of
the Holy Spirit like the clergyman did.
Rev. Graham also states that God gave us the Bible to teach us how
to live, but He also gives us the Holy Spirit to change us, “The
Holy Spirit has been given to help us become more like Christ…are you trying to
live the Christian life on your own, or are you turning to Him each day for the
help you need?”
“The Spirit of God,
who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in
you,” (Rom.
8:11 NLT)
So,
it is not a question of whether you have the Holy Spirit in you. When you received Jesus as your Savior, He
put His Spirit IN you. The question now
is whether you have accessed the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you, as a believer, being like the
believers of the Church in Galatia, “Are
you so foolish? After beginning with the
Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Gal. 3:3) Kyle Idleman said in his book "not a fan", “Paul
points out that trying to live the Christian life out of your own power is
ridiculous. Why would a person do
that? Why would you walk when you can
ride?”
“But I say, walk habitually
in the [Holy] Spirit
[seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the
sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His
precepts].” – Gal 5:16
AMP
Here
is a 30 day challenge I urge you to take starting tomorrow: every morning pray:
“Thank You Heavenly Father for giving me
Your Holy Spirit. Help me to hear Your
Spirit’s instruction and guidance for each circumstance I encounter today. I choose to listen to and follow You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”
“Now we are able to
live up to the justice demanded
by the law. But that ability has not come from living
by our fallen human nature; it has come
because we walk according to the movement of the Spirit in our lives.” – Rom. 8:4 VOICE
