My Sin

Do you have something--a particular sin-- that you struggle with? How do you feel when you give into that temptation? I feel worthless. A complete failure. UNchristian. Sound familiar?

In Pastor Haugen's class the other day here at Bible School he said something that shed light to this for me. "The struggle [with sin] is not bad. The sign of life is the struggle. Don't be defeated. Don't think that you are bad because you struggle."

So even though we do struggle with sin, that's not evidence that we're not following God. Satan loves lying to us by showing us what we struggle with and proclaiming that we're horrible, wretched sinners. The struggle within is evidence that there is a battle between good and evil, it shows that we do want to follow the Lord. The struggle proves that we are human.

Ephesians 2 says, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved". (verses 1-5)

You WERE dead. Did you notice that word? The word "were" is in past tense, something that was and is now not anymore. In Christ, we have been made alive! That doesn't mean we won't ever struggle with sin again-- we will-- but it means that we have the power in Christ's blood to turn down that temptation. However, when we do sin--God is always willing to forgive.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust" --Psalm 103:11-14