“Stop Sinning” Pt 3:
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). “No one is perfect and never will be in this life!” I seriously doubt anyone would disagree with those two statements, but no one should use them as an excuse for not striving to live a life of holiness. The difference between a born-again Christian and an unbeliever is that the Christian is a sinner saved by grace. Their sins have been forgiven, and they are on a journey of living the rest of their life in a way that’s pleasing to the Lord.
Jesus came into the world and died for every sinner – there’s no discretion on the depth of one’s sins. “If we confess, He will forgive” (I John 1:9). Satan is a master deceiver whose mission is to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). Jesus came to rescue us.
In Christ we find spiritual victory and purpose, but that doesn’t mean we’ll not ever be tempted again. Becoming a Christian begins a battle within us between good and evil. Our sinful nature wants to do evil, which is the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants. There are four voices in the world – mine (yours), others, the Devil’s, and the Holy Spirit. We must lean upon God’s Word and learn to discern each of these voices. Wise is the person that recognizes the devil’s voice and has learned when Satan talks, he’s lying!! DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING HE SAYS!!
The Christian Church is not a playground, it’s a battlefield. “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. Against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT). As believers, God will equip us for battle against Satan’s attacks and when the battle is over, we’ll be the one standing in victory. In preparation for spiritual warfare, Paul tells us we must “put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT). “The belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Eph. 6:14) is the first piece of armor mentioned.
Satan fights with lies, and many times his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God’s truth, which not only can discern, but defeat the lies of our enemy. What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). (Part 4 coming tomorrow).
Pastor Carnes
