Romans 6 tells every Christian very clearly how they should live after they receive Christ into their lives. ”What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? “. This is the key verse. ”For sin shall not have dominion over you” That’s it in a nutshell! Before a person gets born again, sin has dominion over them and they can not help but to sin,it is their nature. But the child of God is free from that dominion, to decide for themselves if they are going to sin or not!
Let me tell you what sin does to you as a child of God if that sin is not confessed and every effort is made to turn away from it. James 1:14-15 says…”But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Yes, even death! God loves His Children, but He commands that we obey Him and He has every right to do that! Your sin will not change your position as God’s child, but it will hurt and change your relationship with Him if you are not walking in a spirit of repentance. And some Christian have made an early flight home because of their lifestyles according to the book of Revelation.
The Christian life is really a walking thing, it’s about walking in a spirit of repentance and that simply means that you’re struggling and fighting with every ounce in you to do the right thing, hating the old fleshly nature in you while longing to please the new nature that is pulling you to do the right thing.
There is an old story about an Indian who got saved. He told his missionary friend that there was a war going on inside of him. The black (or bad) dog was fighting the white (or good) dog, he said. When the missionary asked him, which dog was winning, the old Indian man told him, “whichever one I feed the most.” So, it is with every Christian as well. We will have these battles as long as we live. But we can learn to control that flesh in us and allow our spiritual nature to thrive if we feed on God’s Word, obey what is says and neglect to feed our fleshly nature.
Sin if not dealt with correctly will control your life, wreck your home, sear your conscience, destroy your testimony, hinder your witness for Christ, zap your spiritual power, choke your fruitfulness that you are meant to bear, steal your joy, prevent and hinder your prayers, damage your health and as I said earlier, can shorten your life. The Scripture tells us that whom the Lord loves He chastens in Hebrew 12:5-7. When a Christian sins, they break fellowship and lose spiritual power in their lives to walk according to their calling. It is only through repentance, that God forgives and restores us to walk in the light and power that we are called to walk in.
Remember, sin no longer has dominion over you and if you sin, it will be your choice. Place your spirit on a constant diet of the Word of God, get in fellowship with other believers and you will starve, or put to death the flesh that lingers in you to draw you away from what is best for you.
Romans 8 tells us that there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The way to victory is not by your own power, but by His power released in you as you walk in obedience to him.
Hold Fast,
-Bren
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