Re: [Awake4HisReturn] Stopping the Sin Cycle
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My god is bigger then any storm, so bring it on.....
From: Wanda Ward <angelina56p47@yahoo.com>
To: awake4hisreturn@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, May 18, 2011 7:33:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Awake4HisReturn] Stopping the Sin Cycle
Well i have been told we are free from our old sins, but we still have a sinful nature to deal with. We can spend the rest of our lives trying to learn how to live without sin. I am a sinner saved by grace and i try every day to live without sin.
On Wed May 18th, 2011 3:03 PM CDT Michael J. Knight wrote:
>
>Stopping the Sin Cycle
>
>
>
>Sometimes we think that when we become Christians, either we will be
>perfect or we must be perfect, and when we are not, when we sin terribly
>against God, then there is nothing for us to do but spin deeper into our
>own sinfulness.
>
>If you have ever felt like that, I bring you hope and a plan of attack
>to get out from under the mire.
>
>We All Fall Short of the Glory of God
>
>We might despair in the pattern of our own sinfulness because we
>recognize our own inability to fix the problem. But I thank God for the
>apostle Paul; he too struggled with the vicious cycle of his sinful
>nature. He says, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the
>evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19).
>
>It is not simply a matter of recognizing our sin. And although we must
>repent of our sins before the Lord, we can have a repentant spirit and
>confess our sins before the Lord and still return to our own evil
>desires, just as Paul explains. So how do we break the pattern of sin's
>hold on our lives? Here are some thoughts that I have found in my own
>personal study of the Bible that I would like to share with you.
>
>God is Stronger than Our Struggles
>
>First we have help from God. God knows we are weak in our own power.
>Return with me to Romans 7. Paul is confessing his wretched state of
>sin, that spiraling cycle that keeps pulling him away from what he knows
>is right and good. This is the same man who sat at the feet of Jesus and
>wrote mightily under the power of the Holy Spirit the letters we read in
>the Bible, yet, he too struggled just like us. But instead of
>floundering in self-pity over his plight into sin or becoming
>fatalistic, Paul remembers the power of God to overcome his weaknesses:
>"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
>Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7: 24-25).
>
>And we can take comfort and confidence in the knowledge that according
>to 1Corinthians 2:16 we have the mind of Christ.
>
>Therefore we can be strong in the assurance that though we are
>struggling in our own weaknesses, whatever they may be, God is stronger.
>He who is in us is by far stronger than he who is in the world. Praise
>God!
>
>Put on the Full Armor
>
>Second, we have the power of God to vanquish evil -- wrong desires, evil
>thoughts, unwise actions, and the like with the weapons God has given to
>us. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God: the helmet of
>salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the
>shield of faith, the sword of the Word of God, and the shoes fitted with
>the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:14-17).
>
>In this way the Christian can stand firm against the evil attacks of the
>enemy. See, we have all we need to take charge over temptation and
>pitfalls. We have faith in Christ, which is a gift from God; the Word of
>God set before us in the Bible we read; the righteousness that we
>received not because of our good deeds, but solely because of the fact
>that Christ died for our sins; and we have holy sandals to walk in
>peace.
>
>Choose to Follow God
>
>But there is something else we must not forget as we combat our sinful
>desires: God has given each of us free will. We have a choice whether to
>follow our sinful desires or to follow God's ways. If we truly want
>victory in our lives, we must consciously decide to follow God. We must
>recognize that we are responsible for the thoughts we think, the
>feelings we harbor, and the actions we choose to follow. Although our
>culture many times purports that we are victims of our own desires, we
>must reconsider what God says.
>
>God would not give us commands to follow if He did not give us the grace
>to be able to carry them out. Just as a wise boss wouldn't ask you to do
>something that you are incapable of doing, God never gives us more than
>we can handle. So get that notion that you can't do it out of your head.
>You can with God's help.
>
>Renew the Mind
>
>Now God shows us how to control the sin nature. Let's begin with our
>mind. We harbor a thought that is contrary to the will of God. Perhaps
>we are jealous. Perhaps we have lustful thoughts. Before these thoughts
>turn into actions that go against God's desires, we must control them.
>How? The Bible tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience
>of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Give it to God and find out what God
>says about what you are thinking. What does God say in response to
>bitterness, lust, hate, slander, etc?
>
>It is crucial that we as Christians know the Word of God. This is the
>essential ingredient in mind renewal. We have the mind of Christ, yes,
>but we too quickly forget what He is saying to us if we are not keeping
>in close contact with His Word. In Romans 12: 2, we gain a clear picture
>of how to handle our thought life: "Do not conform any longer to the
>pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
>Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his
>good, pleasing and perfect will".
>
>When we detoxify our bodies, we rid them of impure things and consume
>only things that nourish. When I get sick, I avoid harmful foods like
>chocolate or simple carbohydrates and choose to eat the things I know
>will heal my body, like fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It is
>the same with our mind. Nourish it with the Word of God on a daily
>basis.
>
>Get a Daily Dose of God
>
>Sometimes we think that we can live two or three days on a verse that we
>got from Sunday's message. But remember when God sent manna to the
>Israelites in Exodus? God specifically told them to pick up only as much
>manna as they needed for that day and no more. When some decided to
>hoard more for later, the manna became infested with worms and was no
>longer good to eat (see Exodus 16:17-20). In the Lord's Prayer it
>specifically says, "Give us this day our daily bread." There is reason
>for this.
>
>Sometimes we are not sure if what we are thinking is right or wrong.
>Don't be afraid to question. It is a valid response. The Bible tells us
>to use discernment. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test
>the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false
>prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1). God even equips us
>in this area. We can test the spirits by seeing them in the light of the
>Scriptures, but there are times when we still do not understand what is
>right and good according to God. Therefore, God being rich in mercy,
>tells us in the first chapter of James to simply pray to Him for wisdom
>and He will give it to us without finding fault.
>
>Walk in the Spirit
>
>Once we have our mind righted, we are ready to walk in the ways of our
>Lord. Walking is such a great illustration of the entire Christian life,
>because it includes our mind, our will, and our active response. Before
>we place our foot on a path, our brain must signal our legs to move.
>Something must occur in our mind. But we also choose the path we take.
>This includes our will as well. Then our body must follow by taking
>steps. Thus the cycle is completed.
>
>The next question is: How do we walk in a way that pleases God? First
>John illustrates our Christian journey as one in which we walk in the
>light. If we walk in the light, which is God, then not only will we have
>fellowship with others, but the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin
>(see I John 1:5-7).
>
>In Romans 8:9 it says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
>nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." Further in
>the same passage, Paul continues: "Therefore, brothers, we have an
>obligation -- but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to
>it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if
>by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body you will live,
>because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans
>8:12-14).
>
>As these verses and many others attest, we have the choice to walk and
>live in God's ways. And lest we forget, we also have help from God
>through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to overcome the sin that wants
>to overwhelm us.
>
>Give Burdens to God
>
>Last, take heart, my friends. We all sin. We will again. But God
>forgives. God is the God of restoration and second chances—even
>third and fourth and fifth chances. When you are troubled by your own
>sin, rest in Him. God cares for you and He is ready and willing to help
>you at every turn. All you have to do is recognize your error and ask
>for His help.
>
>"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
>petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
>of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
>your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
>
>He who has ears to hear let him hear.
>
>Remember
>Only one life, will soon be past,
>Only what is done, for Christ will last.
>
>The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
>communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians
>13:14)
>
>Love & Prayers,
>
>Michael J. Knight.
>
>"By the grace of God I am what I am…." 1 Cor 15:10.
>
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/>
>
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InnerVoiceMinistries/
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InnerVoiceMinistries/>
>
>What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
>
>
>
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