11/19/2021
You are a Christian, but are there certain sins that you feel are holding you captive? Is your faith suffering because of some stubborn sinful behavior that you just can’t shake loose from? Sometimes we can begin to feel like a sin is holding us hostage, and that there is nothing we can do to escape it, but that is simply untrue because we have been crucified with Jesus, and in Him our sins have been brought to naught. We have been emancipated… set free from the bondage of sin.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Romans 6:6 ESV
Satan would have us to believe that there are certain sins that we can never be free of. For instance, he takes the beauty of another and tempts us with lust for them, then he attempts to bind us to it by convincing us that this lust we are feeling is true love… when In fact he is using that sinful feeling of lust not to advance love, but to separate us from God, our spouse, our family, and to dissolve the covenant of marriage, or the promise to God that we have made. This is his ploy, and we know its design, and how he uses it against us.
“so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”
2 Corinthians 2:11 ESV
To resist him we must think on things that are good, use God’s Word as our shield, and turn away from such temptation before it takes root in us.
“But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
Mark 8:33 ESV
Some of us might be saying, “Yes but I have already sinned! What about me?” If we find that we have already fallen victim to sin then we need to realize who we are, children and ambassadors of God. We need to remember what Jesus has did for us on Calvary regarding our redemption from sin; that He took our sin upon Himself, and submitted to the cross. Then, with great humility, and a broken heart, we need to pray fervently in contrition, we need to sincerely repent, and upon receiving God’s forgiveness become righteous once more; doing what Jesus said to those He forgave… “Go and sin no more.”
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV
We are not slaves to our sin, it has already been accounted for through the sacrifice of Jesus, so the lies of Satan are always accomplished by twisting the truth. He tries to convince us that our marriage is not worth saving, that divorce is acceptable to God, or maybe that someone has harmed us in a way that justifies us to not to forgive them. Whatever the lie might be that he tells us, you can rest assured that it will hang on a rusty nail of truth. However, the real truth is found in Jesus, and that truth breaks Satan’s chains, and has set us free from our sins.
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
John 8:31-32 ESV
So today we trust in the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus, and as certainly as we have picked up our own crosses and are following Jesus, our sins do not bind us… the chains that once bound us have been broken. Every binding that once held us has fallen away. Are we ready to see the truth… that sin cannot contain us, and that our enslavement to it has ended?
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving us as you do, and for sending your Son Jesus Christ to live, suffer, die, and be resurrected to break the chains of sin that once bound us. Thank you Holy Father for His blood that washes us clean, and provides us with hope, faith, and a true vision of your love. Thank you for the restorative power of your mercy and grace. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has set us free of our bondage to sin, and returned righteousness to us. Praised be your name for every escape you provide us from temptation, and every extension of forgiveness we receive from you as a result of our contrition, and repentance. You are merciful and full of grace Lord, and we fall prostrate before you in worship for your love, kindness, and goodness, that know no end. Hear our prayers Lord, and strengthen us in the resolve of our faith as we run from temptation, and fall to our knees in penitence. Find us worthy Lord, and call us your children. Seat us at your table forevermore; joyous in your presence for all eternity.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
Matthew 16:24-27 ESV
Rich Forbes