Stop Sinning

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you the truth, and it tells you the why.  Has anyone ever told you, “Stop sinning.”  Have you ever struggled with a sin in your life that has started to become a habit, and you just can’t shake it?  Whether laziness, comparison, slander, lust, greed, complaining, a lack of contentment, Word-less, Praise-less, Prayer-less, prideful?  Whatever it is – it started as a choice, then two and three, and now it’s become a habit.  The devil is already lying to you.  He says it’s who you are.  That’s a lie.  He’s a liar!  You wish you could just stop sinning!  But you can’t.  Why?  It’s your old nature.  And if you live in that nature – you will naturally do what the natural man does - sin - .  doing what is wrong, harmful, falling short, less than God’s best.  That’s why God gave you a new nature.  No will-power on earth is stronger than the sin nature, your natural man, that nature you died to when you were baptized, and raised into newness of life.  Your will-power to not sin works great, until the next temptation.  And the devil is the master at bringing them to you.  Your feet and your mind are in the wrong place.  The old nature is the old nature, but you can resurrect it, you can live by it.  That’s why God said – "walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the sinful nature."  That’s the only power that overcomes the sin that the old nature always produces.  Galatians 5:17 - "For the sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite of what the sinful nature wants.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, to keep you from doing the things that you want.   The sinful nature will keep you from doing what the Spirit wants, and the Spirit will help you overcome what the sinful nature wants."  The question is – what nature controls you?  What nature do you walk in?  What nature do you feed?  Spirit or flesh?  Don’t get depressed that you’re sinning, it’s what happens when your sinful nature is in control.  Don’t get upset about gravity… Instead, submit yourself to the Holy Spirit.  Learn to walk where He is leading you and your sinful nature won’t have an opportunity to take back the reigns - because you’re too busy investing your heart and mind, and your hands and feet, in what the Holy Spirit wants you to do.  The old nature brings death, the new nature is life.  Long ago I learned a great secret.  The best weed prevention is thick grass.  The weeds just don’t have any room to take root and grow.  Some people constantly plant weeds, other people just don’t plant grass, the end result is the same.  That’s why PiVAT and PRISM are so important.  PiVAT – gets God’s plans for you.  So you are so busy doing what He has planned for your good, (to fulfill your purpose today) that you just don’t have the time to do what your old nature desires.  And you are no where near those places, where your old nature can engage in the sin it desires.  You’re nowhere near the corner of the street where she lives…  You’re walking on a totally different path.  Years ago I was on a month-long bicycle trip with a group of sight-seers.  And another young man and I – enjoyed the scenery, but we really wanted to be the first to climb the mountain after a steep climb day.  Whenever he was getting tired, he would say, “I can always quit tomorrow.”  That’s true, and powerful.   I can always give up tomorrow, I can always sin tomorrow, But Not Today!  Ask God to give you an undivided heart to Fear Him today.  See the PRISM Topic – You Are Not Fearing God For Nothing.  Nothing you do in life is worth more, than the fear of the LORD.  He will bless you, your life will be fruit and abundance, even in the struggles.  But if you get caught living in the old nature, all you get is darkness, you don’t even know what makes you stumble.  Praying that PiVAT will have you busy doing what the Holy Spirit wants.  Praying that your PRISM Time with God is your priority – that’s how your mind is changed.  Think different and you will act different.  Praying that your Daily Call – doesn’t become a chore, or fall by the wayside.  Start a new 3-Day-Challenge with someone.  God said it’s how you overcome, two by two, by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony.  Remember, the old nature is only winning because you don’t resist it.  If you don’t, it gets stronger, but if you do, the devil leaves in hopes of a more opportune time.  You can always sin tomorrow – but not today.  Ask God to help you, He will.  He is the power to overcome.  He’s got grace for you to say ‘no.’  He always has a way out, and a path forward – to leave that garbage behind.  It’s so worth it!  Let the Holy Spirit lead you.  Don’t spend time on guilt trips, they don’t come from God, they come from the accuser.  If you are guilty - repent and turn, and God will forgive you.  But feeling guilty is a waste of energy and a useless distraction.   Praying that your love for God – will have you so far down His obedience path to fulfill your purpose in life, and your purpose today - that you don’t really have time for the old nature.  Everything you do, feeds the New! 
 
Love you all,
dad