Latest / In the Stillness Podcast / Fighting Sin vs. Feeding It

Transcript

Fighting Sin vs. Feeding It · In the Stillness Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey you guys, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the
• 0:03
  Stillness. Hope you all are having a great
• 0:06
  day so far and thank you for joining me on today's podcast
• 0:09
  episode. I want to start off before we
• 0:12
  read the passage and just say that we are not talking about
• 0:16
  moments where you're fighting sin, where you're struggling,
• 0:21
  taking it to God and trying to grow.
• 0:24
  This passage, These verses are for the person who has started
• 0:28
  to justify it, to excuse it, defend it, and honestly settle
• 0:34
  into sin. And I think this is super
• 0:37
  applicable for all of us because we have to clearly see the
• 0:41
  difference between fighting sin and submitting to sin.
• 0:46
  Fighting sin says, God, I do not like this, help me overcome it
• 0:52
  by your power and strength. But submitting to sin says this
• 0:57
  is not that big of a deal. I'll just continue living in
• 1:00
  that way. So that is kind of what we're
• 1:03
  going to confront today with the verses.
• 1:06
  And this is to highlight the truth, not to bring shame.
• 1:10
  So let's go ahead and read first John chapter 3 through verses 7
• 1:16
  through 9. Delightfully loved children,
• 1:21
  don't let anyone divert you from this truth.
• 1:25
  The person who keeps doing what is right proves that he is
• 1:29
  righteous before God, even as the Messiah is righteous.
• 1:34
  But the one who indulges in his sinful life is of the devil
• 1:38
  because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
• 1:42
  The reason the Son of God was revealed was to undo and destroy
• 1:47
  the works of the devil. Everyone who is truly God's
• 1:52
  child will refuse to keep sinning because God's seed
• 1:56
  remains within him and he is unable to continue sinning
• 2:01
  because he is divine. He has been divinely fathered by
• 2:04
  God. OK, so John starts this passage
• 2:10
  with a warning. Do not be LED astray, AKA don't
• 2:15
  be fooled or tricked. Now, this is key because it does
• 2:21
  not matter necessarily how long you've been a Christian, how
• 2:26
  much Scripture you've memorized, or even how strong your faith
• 2:29
  has been, because Scripture is clear that every believer will
• 2:35
  face temptation and it's going to try to pull you into
• 2:39
  compromise and into sin. And especially if you're serious
• 2:45
  about living for Jesus, if you're standing firm in your
• 2:48
  faith, if you're walking and you're calling and influencing
• 2:53
  others for the Kingdom, Satan hates that you then become a
• 2:58
  bigger target because you're being impactful, you're being
• 3:02
  used by God. So John keeps it simple that a
• 3:07
  consistent pursuit of what is right is proof of being of God,
• 3:13
  but a consistent pursuit of sin is proof that you are under the
• 3:17
  influence of the devil. And this is not just about
• 3:22
  perfection doing it all perfectly to AT.
• 3:26
  It's about your direction and your heart posture.
• 3:30
  Because submitting to sin looks like I'm going to give some
• 3:34
  examples of real world things. Living for drunkenness,
• 3:38
  constantly just staying in the party scene, maybe entertaining
• 3:42
  sexual immorality. And not just physically, but in
• 3:45
  your thoughts. Because Jesus makes it clear
• 3:48
  that lust takes root in your mind and it starts there.
• 3:53
  Idolatry, putting something above God, letting it sit
• 3:57
  enthroned in your heart. Maybe it's greed, pride,
• 4:01
  self-centered living. It's not just slipping into sin,
• 4:06
  it's actively choosing not to turn away from sin.
• 4:12
  So just a truth moment. Let me ask you something real
• 4:16
  quick. Who are you letting control you,
• 4:20
  your mind, your body, your spirit?
• 4:24
  What are you operating as? Is it as a child of God or as a
• 4:29
  partner with sin? Scripture tells us 2nd
• 4:34
  Corinthians 10 verse five that we are to take every thought
• 4:38
  captive and make it obedient to Christ.
• 4:42
  And Romans 8 verse 6 says the mind governed by the flesh is
• 4:46
  death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
• 4:53
  And Romans 8 verse 9 right after this verse talking about being
• 4:57
  governed by the flesh being death, it charges us.
• 5:01
  You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in
• 5:05
  the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives
• 5:10
  in you. Meaning this is intentional and
• 5:14
  this is active. And I think sometimes we don't
• 5:18
  fully grasp the weight of what Jesus did because He did not
• 5:23
  enter into the world and go to the cross and defeat death and
• 5:28
  the grave and rise again just to manage your sin or to minimize
• 5:34
  it. He came to destroy it, to
• 5:37
  completely erase its power over you.
• 5:40
  So whenever we say things like I'll always struggle with
• 5:45
  anxiety, or I'll always feel lonely or be stuck in this
• 5:50
  habit, this is just how I am. You are then coming into
• 5:55
  agreement with something that Jesus already paid to break off.
• 6:00
  And your words matter because what you speak over yourself can
• 6:06
  either align with the truth or give the devil a foothold in
• 6:11
  your mind. And yes, we all have weak spots.
• 6:16
  We all have areas that we're growing in, but we are not to be
• 6:20
  ruled by them because we are constantly a work in progress
• 6:26
  and we are called to live victorious in the victory that
• 6:30
  Jesus has already accomplished for us.
• 6:34
  So then that moves into, OK, how to find victory.
• 6:39
  How do we actually walk this out?
• 6:43
  First of all, we must look to God's Word.
• 6:46
  We have to be anchored in the truth because where the truth
• 6:51
  is, that is where the Holy Spirit brings power.
• 6:55
  He illuminates what we need to know and how to fight sin.
• 7:00
  Secondly, we have to avoid what is pulling us into sin like
• 7:05
  places, people, situations that lead you there and support a
• 7:10
  simple lifestyle. You cannot keep entertaining
• 7:14
  those and expect freedom. Thirdly, we must invite
• 7:19
  accountability in. We have to bring in other
• 7:23
  believers. That's why we're called to be a
• 7:25
  part of the body of Christ. We have to be willing to let
• 7:29
  people pray over us and to make sure that we are holding fast to
• 7:34
  the truth and that we are walking it out.
• 7:38
  Victory is not found in isolation, it's found in
• 7:42
  community. So here is the bottom line.
• 7:48
  We are not to keep sinning. We have to refuse it.
• 7:53
  And I just want to say take it day by day.
• 7:57
  I think it can be hard whenever we start to think, OK, this is
• 8:02
  what we have to do and it gets overwhelming, but it's not meant
• 8:08
  to be. We are just called to wake up
• 8:11
  and choose to be surrendered to the Spirit.
• 8:15
  And it's when you feel weak and you will, that we are not to
• 8:19
  give in, but to go directly to the Lord, go to Him in prayer.
• 8:24
  It is in those moments when you feel shaky, when you feel soft
• 8:29
  and weak, that God's strength actually shows up the most.
• 8:35
  Because it says in Scripture that when we are weak, then we
• 8:38
  are strong because we let Christ's power rest on us all
• 8:42
  the more. His power isn't dependent on you
• 8:46
  being strong, it flows when you lean on Him.
• 8:50
  So don't serve your sin. Don't even feed it.
• 8:54
  Live for freedom. I want to give you all a few
• 8:59
  reflection questions to sit with before I move into prayer.
• 9:03
  First of all, where in my life have I been excusing sin instead
• 9:09
  of exploiting it? Two, what patterns am I
• 9:14
  entertaining that I know I should be turning away from or
• 9:18
  that are not good for me #3 who or what is influencing me the
• 9:25
  most right now? We have to take an analysis of
• 9:28
  what voices we are letting in our head. 4:00 AM I being led by
• 9:35
  the Spirit, or am I being led by my flesh, by what's comfortable,
• 9:40
  by what's convenient, or by what culture says should be right?
• 9:47
  So with that, I'm going to go ahead and pray over us.
• 9:50
  Dear God, thank You for Your word that sharpens us, that
• 10:00
  calls us out, but that is so direct and unmistakably clear.
• 10:06
  I pray for anyone listening right now who just feels stuck
• 10:11
  or maybe has been justifying sin.
• 10:16
  Would you open up our eyes, Father, and help us to not be
• 10:19
  deceived? Give us strength through Your
• 10:24
  Spirit to take every thought captive and to make it obedient
• 10:29
  to Jesus Christ. May we live surrendered to You.
• 10:33
  I pray in Jesus name that you would break off every lie, every
• 10:39
  false truth from the enemy, every chain that is not from
• 10:43
  you. Would you remind us who we are
• 10:48
  as your children and would you go before us?
• 10:51
  Let your presence lead us to walk in the freedom that you,
• 10:56
  Jesus, already paid for. We ask this in your precious
• 11:01
  name, Father. Amen.
• 11:03
  OK guys, well, that's today's episode.
• 11:06
  Praying that it ministers to your heart and that you can just
• 11:10
  be encouraged and feel empowered that you are not stuck in your
• 11:15
  sin. That is not just who you are.
• 11:18
  You are so much more than what the enemy wants to try to tell
• 11:21
  you. So live in the truth today.
• 11:24
  Be led by the Spirit. And I'm praying for y'all as you
• 11:28
  move into the rest of your day. I'll see y'all on the next
• 11:30
  episode.