SIN IS EVER PRESENT
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As a Pastoral Counselor, I have met a lot of men who struggle in their Christian walk. I know you're probably asking, "Don't we all?" Yes. We all have our trials, but these men struggle with habitual cyclic sin, a sin habit that repeats itself in a person's life.
I have gotten to know a particular alcohol/drug addict who fell subject to the laws of the land and was sent back to prison. Many of you are probably thinking, "What a looser!" or "What's wrong with that person?"
The answer is cyclic sin. As I stated before, it is a sin that continues over and over. Our sin nature, if not kept in check, will grow and escalate like a cascading snowball. James 1:14-15 tells us: "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." When we start to dwell on our sin nature, which begins in the mind (thought life), it soon transfers to our attitude. The attitude effects the action, and soon the action effects behavior. So, if one thinks abut crack cocaine, and his thought life causes him or her to desire it and think, "Oh, a little won't hurt!" They go to the street corner or someone they know (this is the action), they buy it then they take it; their behavior is altered. They are enjoying the sin now, and, as they say in drug terms, "they are on the run," where they continue to use for days, weeks, months, or even years.
Sin in this particular mode of operation is not he only form. Sin has many forms and can destroy our lives if we don't keep it in check!
For the believer in Christ, when he or she falls into some form of cyclic sin, it isn't that sin that kills, but the mechanics. I've known several that have overdosed trying to satisfy the lust of the flesh.
Look at Romans 7:15-20, which says, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."
Our sin nature is ever present in our lives. This is why we must be aware of our sin nature, especially those sins that easily ensnare us. Sins that we feed into easily. This is why our thoughts need to be kept in check and we must judge ourselves. We must repent, which means we agree with God about our sin, which in turns brings us to confess our sin to Him. That is what I like about the spiritual application of 1 John 1:9, that we are about to confess our sins to the Lord Jesus Christ and be restored unto the fellowship with Him. Remember our fellowship with the lord Jesus Christ is a temporal fellowship, but our relationship is eternal.
First things is per 2 Corinthians 10:5, which tells us: "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Our war is spiritual, though we are in the flesh; it always begins with the mind.
This is why the intake of Bible Doctrine is important. Daily Bible doctrines applied to our lives are the daily application in the Word of God. Three things happen when a person doesn't abide in Christ, the Word of God, and continue in fellowship. They are:
- Implode - Sin develops and grows causing one to lose sight of the Lord.
- Explode - The sin gives birth.
- They revert to their habitual sin.
- Intake - A person is taking in the Word of God and applying it to their daily lives.
- Thinking and Learning - They are dwelling on the Word of God, fellowshipping with the Lord, praying and studying the Word of God.
- Solving - One is able to stand fast in the Lord Jesus Christ and have the ability to grown in grace, they are able to problem solve through the Word of God and God's grace. Only God's grace can solve the problem.
Our walk with Christ Jesus is a wonderful experience and His grace causes us to grow when we are in fellowship with Him and walking with Him day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Remember, if your cyclic (habitual) sin is a particular sin such as drugs, don't hang around other addicts or stay in neighborhoods that are infested with that kind of lawlessness. Separate yourself unto the Lord, the body of Christ, and most of all be honest with God and yourself.
