Overcoming Sin

God orchestrates things in very interesting ways, doesn't He? The class I'm taking on Sunday nights has been difficult on ocassion, given my present circumstances, but none-the-less Biblically sound and true. Truth usually isn't easy is it?

Last nights lesson was on overcoming the power of sin. Boy did I sit there rehashing the last month of pointless, futile conversations with Robert on that one. Here is the breakdown:
#1 - Learn why past efforts have failed. (We attempt to beat it ourselves. We want victory, yet want to enjoy the sin as well = doublemindedness. We are ignorant on what it really means to live in Christ. We make foolish fleshly provision for the sin. And we keep it shrouded in secrecy - every single one of these I've seen in Robert.)
#2 - Learn what it means to be "in Christ". (We benefit from our fathers' obediance as Levi was credited for Abraham's tithes. We also reap the consequences of our fathers' disobediance as we are born into Adam's sin. Since both of these are true, when we join Christ in the new birth, then what He did, we also did as a part of Him. i.e. - if he fulfilled the law and lived perfectly, then we fulfill the law and live perfectly - IN HIM)
#3 - Learn how to turn our position "in Christ" into daily experience. (acheived by the hearing of faith, asking for wisdom and revelation, and trusting God's Word rather than our human reasoning. For instance - God promised Abraham a son. He believed and it was credited to him as righteousness even though it was foolish and impossible according to human reasoning. Therefore, if we trust God's word when he says we are dead to sin, and believe it, then we can walk sinless. Our victory is already won in Christ. We simply turn that truth into reality through reckoning it so and yeilding to God's Spirit.

Now how do we "reckon"? By engrafting His word into our souls. Especially Romans 6 and Romans 8:1-15. This is more than meditation or memorization. It has to be second nature - to the point where we could quote it while sleeping. Then we meditate on it always - wording it in first person and even naming the sin (ex - "what shall I say then, shall I continue in lust or greed so that grace may abound? God forbid! I died to lust and greed; how can I live in it any longer?...). Then, I should make no provision for it. If the problem is lust, remove it from my home, work place, car, radio, TV,etc. If the problem is gluttony, get rid of extra and junk food. If the problem is lying, find someone to keep me accountable for every word out of my mouth. Next, picture yourself dead to the power and appeal of that sin. How would a dead man react to a seductress? Ignore her. To a lot of money? Ignore it. To a huge, scrumptious meal? Ignore it. The next step is the most important - accountability. Daily. It's clearly the early church model and we've lost sight of it under the guise of "privacy" and "not airing out my dirty laundry". Secrecy is the devil's most potent weapon. Last, we are to not only live "dead to sin" but "alive to righteousness" by recognizing and obeying the scriptural prompting of God's Spirit. To not only NOT do what is wrong, but to DO what is right. The instructor compared the law of sin to the law of gravity and an eagle. If an eagle who is soaring tucks in his wings, he will be subject to the law of gravity and will begin to plunge. If he keep the wings tucked, he has no choice but to crash. However, if he simply, with very little effort, spreads those wings, then a new law takes over - the law of lift. Because he was created to fly. And man was created in the image of God to live sinlessly. All we have to do is spread our wings of being "in Christ" and being "dead to sin" and we are no longer subject to the law of sin. But, WE have to do it. We cannot sit back and expect God to reach down and pull our wings out for us while we plummet.

This is a hard but timely teaching as I struggle with sinful attitudes such as hate, bitterness and vengence. And also as I am tempted with the same lusts my husband has embraced - I suppose part of that comes from the fact that he brought it in the home and the marriage bed - that he exposed me to it. And the other part comes from the fact that for 17 years I enjoyed a beautiful, Godly physical relationship with my husband that has now been cut off for me. But I have set in my heart that I will make no provision and I will embrace truth and engraft God's word into my heart that I might not sin against Him, or myself, or my friends and family, or my sons. My sons are innocent in all of this and I MUST make every decision in their best interest. There is no room for me to be selfish here. Their souls are much more important than any momentary temptation of deed or attitude. And now I have to fight against the onslaught their earthly father has unleashed. I have to pour into them truth, and remove the lies and deception and curses. I have to protect against the consequences they will inevitably face due to the disobediance and rebelliousness of their earthly father. I have to teach them what it means to let God be the only father they need.

May Christ be glorified. Please continue to lift me, Ethan and Noah up in your prayers.