Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Do you feel like you’re trapped in sin and sinful living? Is there a life you wish you could be living for God, but instead, stuck falling back into the same old sins, day after day? Well, if so, you’re not alone. This is a trap, and many are caught in it.
In this article, I want to talk about freedom from sinful living and how you can have it. This is impossible for anyone who doesn’t live for Jesus. Have you asked Jesus to set you free from sinful living?
I’ve spent more than twenty years battling both Satan and God. I battled both out of stubbornness. I would cast Satan off me and then I wouldn’t surrender to God. Satan still had a grip on me, but I was blinded to what was really going on in me. The devil will use any tactic he can to gain an advantage over you. For me, it was a lack of knowledge and wisdom.
These days, Satan bugs me every day. However, I’ve come to learn and understand what he’s up to. This doesn’t mean that I’m always able to resist him and stay out of sin, but I don’t spend much time in sin anymore. As I practice rightful living and walking in the Spirit of God more frequently, it’s getting easier to resist sinful living. In fact, it’s becoming a burden on my own spirit when I sin.
That’s where you want to be. The Holy Spirit is your Helper and He will help you stay out of sin if you listen to Him. As you draw near to Him, your ability to hear Him will improve. What is necessary is to build a hate and disgust toward sin in your life. When you get to this point, you’ll spend far less time living in sin and much more time praising Jesus for the life He’s given you.
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Sin leads to death
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
It’s important to understand about Heaven and Hell. There are people who don’t believe in these places, nor do they believe there’s a devil. They only acknowledge a god, and not even the true and living God. This is a bad place to be. This is a huge lie that Satan is causing many to believe. A God with rules doesn’t fit into common society these days. After all, no one has the right to say what we can or can’t do, right?
Well, God won’t be put into this kind of box and tossed around. He’s watching and paying attention to the behavior and thoughts of people everywhere. He’s keeping tabs and taking notes. One day, He’ll call each of us to stand before Him to give testament to the way we lived and to be accountable for the way we acted.
On this Judgment Day, there will be separation. Those who fought the good fight and stayed the course of faith for Christ will go on to experience Eternal Life in Heaven with Jesus. Those who didn’t put in the effort, or, outright rejected Jesus altogether, will experience eternal torment in Hell.
It’s continual living in sin that will keep you separated from Jesus. Satan despises Jesus and will do everything he can to destroy those that love Jesus. He will entice you with all sorts of pleasures of the world to draw you away. When you are living to please yourself, you certainly won’t be living to please Jesus.
So, it’s knowledge that’s necessary. Knowing who God is and what He expects from you is an important first step. Also important is knowing that engaging in sinful living will give Satan authority and dominion in your life and keep you separated from walking in the freedom Christ died for you to have. God can’t stand divided loyalty. He goes so far as to say He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth in Revelation. He wants all of you and isn’t willing to share any part of you with the devil.
Satan is relentless
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Satan won’t give up. There won’t be a time in life where you’re completely free from his attempts to bait you and lure you in. You’ll always need to stay on guard. But don’t let this discourage you. If you read the bible, you’ll see that those who stick to God win and Satan and his followers lose. You don’t have to lose. But you must be willing to fight.
Satan will be watching for your moments of weakness. He’ll be looking for when you’re tired, when you’re alone, when you’re hungry, and when you decide that you don’t have to pray today or read your bible. Each of these are times where you’re going to be running low on strength and focus. That’s when he’ll come along with his clever thoughts that will sound good to you.
Reading your bible and praying first thing in your day is the best way to put on the armor of God. Getting a good dose of Godly wisdom first thing in the morning is the best kind of refreshment your spirit needs to stay strong throughout the day. It’s like eating your Spiritual Wheaties. By doing this, you bring the issue of spiritual warfare to the forefront of your mind. Then, when Satan is trying to attack you in any way, you’ll see him coming.
Getting a good dose of Godly wisdom first thing in the morning is the best kind of refreshment your spirit needs to stay strong throughout the day. Click To TweetSatan doesn’t care that you don’t want to be his friend. You can tell him over and over and he’ll just keep coming back. You have to ignore him. You have to understand his overall goal for you and the strategies he uses against you.
The more you focus on God and His Word, the less time you’ll spend messing with Satan.
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Sons and daughters of God
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
If you choose to follow Jesus, then you’re a child of God. Yes, all of Creation belongs to God, but those who live to please their sinful nature belong to Satan because they choose the spirit of Satan.
It’s like you were born into one family, but you then say, “I want to be part of this family, instead.” At least, that’s how God see’s it. Choosing to sin is choosing to join Satan’s family. Even if only a small sin. God see’s all sin as sin – big or small. One doesn’t weigh heavier than the other, with few exceptions.
However, if you choose to fight the good fight and side with Jesus, you’ll be set free from the punishment of sin and will be given life. You’ll be seen as a child of God, an heir to Jesus Christ Himself, and you’ll share in the eternal inheritance to come.
By choosing to live for Jesus in this world, you’ll come against opposition and persecution of various sorts. However, the Scripture says that if you suffer with Christ, you’ll be glorified with Him, also.
Being true children of God might not be an easy decision these days, but it’s the overall picture that must be viewed. Looking at life from a moment-by-moment perspective will leave you with missing pieces and only puzzled.
Don't Let the devil Defeat You - learn to combat the tactics of the devil through Christ to be better equipped in spiritual battle.
Jesus is your strength
As you’ve decided to live for Jesus, you can draw on Him for help. As Philippians 4:13 says;
When you walk in the Spirit of God, you walk in the protection and power of God. There’s nothing Satan can do to you to derail you and separate you from God. If you choose Jesus, nothing can stop that.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There is tremendous power in the mind God gave you. In your mind lies life and death. It’s your choice. Satan can only mess with your mind and put thoughts there. It’s up to you what you do with them.
Does the devil “make” anyone do anything? Well, I suppose there is demon possession and if you spend enough time worshiping the devil, this can happen. But if you are trying to live for God, but struggling with sin, God will protect you and keep you.
The Scripture here doesn’t say that if you follow God that you’ll never sin. It says that nothing, including sin, can separate you from the love of God if you are actively choosing to live for Him.
Every day will be another day of battle. Every day you’ll need to actively reject the harmful thoughts that Satan puts in your mind and think first about how this will affect your walk with God. Satan can and will try to tempt you and put various thoughts in your mind, but he can’t go any further than that. He can’t make you do it.
Starting right now, every time you get a bad idea or a harmful or negative thought about yourself or someone else, say, “Satan, in the name of Jesus, I command you to leave. I’m a child of God.” Don’t give it another thought. Start thinking about the good that God’s put in your life and thank Him for it. By doing this, you’re redirecting your thoughts and attention away from Satan and onto God.
When you praise God, Satan leaves.
Conclusion
There is an ongoing attack on your life, but Jesus can set you free. Each day, you’ll need to fight. You’ll need to make a choice to follow Jesus and deny yourself. But when you do this, Jesus will fight with you. You can draw on His strength at any moment and in any place. All you need to do is seek Him wherever you’re at.
Spiritual warfare isn’t complicated. It’s dangerous, but not complicated. If you gain the valuable knowledge about this spiritual battle going on, then you will be equipped to choose your side and stand your ground. Ignorance isn’t going to cut it. God’s bible provides all the information you need to know to stand firm against the devil and to get through life in one piece.
Since the fight is for your eternal soul, you can expect Satan to come after you until God calls you home. Every day is another chance for the devil to entice you or attack you, and he knows it. So, he keeps at it. But God also knows it, and His Holy Spirit in you will help you win this battle. But you’ll need to surrender to God first thing each day and remain in His protection all day.
Spend time reading the bible, praying about everything and at anytime throughout the day, and praise and worship God as often as possible. Instead of listening to the news or something else while driving, try putting on some worship music or a recorded sermon.
The more you fill your mind with the things from above, the more likely it is that you’ll stand firm against the devil and cut the sinful living out of your life. Freedom in Christ is in your hands. You just have to choose it.
Ask Jesus to set you free and you’ll be free indeed!
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can follow this link (Prayer for Salvation) to find out how. Also, if you need prayer for your life or your family, feel free to fill out a private prayer request in the provided prayer box in this article. My wife and I would love to pray for you.
Take care!