All of us are sinners by nature.  By our flesh’s nature, we desire affirmation, affection, pleasure, comfort, and happiness through what this fallen, broken world can offer rather than finding those things in God.  Apart from God’s intervention, we are not only prone to sin, but we are told we are actually slaves to it.  This is tragic news for those of us who have experienced the consequence of sin in our lives, both our sin against others, and others’ sin against us.  We do things that lead to pain to others, and we do things that lead to pain for ourselves.  God in His mercy, and great love towards us, did not leave us in this hopeless state, but in love, he came and died in our place, paid the price for our sin in His blood, to free us from our bondage to sin.

Even after we turn to Jesus for salvation, I and every other Christian, although now free to choose to worship God and find our joy in Him, still have sin that desires to lie to us and lead us away from God.  As your brother in Christ, who has walked both well with God and apart from God, my encouragement is to reject the lies of sin.  They are pleasant for a short time, but in the end, they lead to brokenness, destruction, emptiness, and death.  Long fellowship with God is much sweeter than anything the world could offer.  God dwells in us, His righteousness has become our righteousness, and rather than slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness, bringing freedom, light, and the joy of God to our own heart and others.

Romans 6:16-18 – “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” 

My exhortation to my own heart every day, and to all of you as my brothers and sisters in Christ is to keep looking to Jesus and the freedom from sin you have in Him.  If you are struggling with a specific sin area, and it is known to you, lay it down and keep laying it down at Jesus’ feet.  It may be a challenge for a while, and will require support from your brother’s and sister’s in Christ, but God will be gracious to you as you seek Him.  He loves you, and wants you to be joyful.  God also knows that the greatest source of joy is in a relationship with Him, so He will always seek that for you.  Remember, as you pursue God daily and encounter trials and temptation, remember that in Christ, the battle has already been won.  Remember that Jesus has purchased for you something better, a better life of freedom as you walk with Him.

Know you’re all loved and prayed for.

Grace and Peace,

Adam