VICTORY OVER SIN

The Scripture says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and this means that no one is excused from sin. We all struggle with sin which may be rooted in failures, weaknesses, or even bondages. But the Scriptures have also given us keys on how to overcome sin in our lives.

In Revelation 12:11, we are told of how Christians overcame the enemy in the last days:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

The first key is the blood of Jesus. 

The precious blood of Jesus is powerful to cleanse us from all of our sins and iniquities.
Hebrews 9:22 says “…without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.”

It is by the blood of Jesus that people are saved. Nothing is of any effect unless the blood of Jesus is applied on us. We face struggles every day, so it is important to always pray for the blood of Jesus to cover us from the attacks of the enemy.

The second key is having the right “word of testimony”, which means having the right confession.

The best example can be found in Job 1:21. This is a story of a righteous man who went through a difficult period in his life. Despite losing all of his possessions and children, he bowed down and worshipped the Lord.

Right confession is not lying or deceiving yourself, but it is declaring true hope as you go through difficult times. When God allows us to go through trials, may we be able to proclaim and believe the truths of God’s Word by His grace.

Right testimonies can also be the key to entering the promises of God. 

Canaan was the beautiful and fruitful land that God promised to the people of Israel. However, when the Israelites saw the land, it was still occupied and fortified by their enemies.

This brought fear among most of the men who spied out the land so they discouraged the rest of the people from conquering the land. Joshua & Caleb were the only two spies who had a different response. Instead of giving an evil report of the land they saw, they spoke to all the people saying:

“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” (Numbers 14:7-9).

Because Joshua and Caleb confessed the right things, the Lord fulfilled His promise by allowing the both of them to be part of the generation that would enter into and conquer the Promise Land. However, the rest of the spies who made the wrong confessions never got to enter into the Promised Land.

The third key is not loving our lives unto death. 

This is contrary to the tendency of man to always seek after easy, fast and comfortable ways. Loving our lives too much may cause us to lose our calling in the Lord. We have to be willing to pay the price in order to overcome sin.

There are other keys apart from these three.

The fourth is water baptism. 

This signifies that we are sharing in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Water baptism cuts away many bondages in our lives, giving us victory over our past.

The fifth key is being filled with the Holy Spirit. 

This type of baptism is very different from salvation and from water baptism. When one is baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to respond to our situations with excellence and pass the tests.

When we experience this baptism, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit which helps us in battling against sin. One example is discernment. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we can discern if we are being attacked or being tempted by the enemy. Another example is the gift of prophecy, which gives us direction even warnings against pitfalls or sins (Caram 96).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit also allows the fruits of the spirit to be further developed in us. These fruits are essentially important in overcoming sin.

Whenever we are faced with provoking circumstances, we will need the fruit of meekness. 

If we struggle in the area of passion or temper, we will need the fruit of self-control perfected in us. Another fruit is joy, which helps us to battle against anxieties, depression or even fear.

The sixth key is truth. 

It is the truth that sets people free from bondage or sin. Often times, wrong thinking, wrong attitudes and wrong responses are a product of not understanding the truth. Romans 12:2 tell us that the transformation that we need is through the renewing of our minds. We must realize that it is one thing to hear the truth but another thing to live out the truth.

Many believers hear good teachings, but it takes time, obedience, experience, and pain for those truths to be absorbed and become our very substance (Caram 97). This process is called conversion.

When we hear the truth of God’s Word, we must ponder and meditate on it in order to wash our minds until they are pure… then it will change the way we act. Conversion is a continuous process in our lives and we must always allow God to renew our minds.

The seventh key is wisdom. 

Proverbs 4:7 tells us that wisdom is the principal thing. It is wisdom that produces peace and helps us to get along with others. It also teaches us to stay out of vulnerable situations (Caram97).

Wisdom brings in the fear of the Lord as it helps us to understand and to keep in mind that whatever I do will have consequences. This keeps us from doing things which can cause our downfall. Wisdom also makes us prudent, making us seek the Lord before making decisions that have something to do with finances.

Wisdom also keeps us from making wrong and rash commitments, and it keeps us from sinning with our lips (Caram 97). James 1:5-6 tell us “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…” Anybody can ask for wisdom and it is important that we grow in wisdom in order to overcome sin.

The eight key is obedience. 

There can be no growth or change unless we listen to what God is saying (Caram 97) and we follow it. We have to know that we are not capable to change ourselves by our own ways. It is by hearing God’s voice and obeying it that we can be changed.

As we continue the lifestyle of obedience, a change in us takes place and grace is poured out. Then we will eventually be perfected and arrive at a pure love for the brethren, a mark of Christian perfection.

The ninth key is the fear of the Lord. 

This is the anointing of God that we should be seeking for every day. When we have a glimpse of eternity, the fear of the Lord will cause us to walk circumspectly.

The best example would be in the area of marriage. The fear of the Lord will cause you to wait upon God and allow God to choose for you. If you take matters into your own hands, you will end up in a wrong relationship and worse, you may also miss out on God’s true calling for your life.

Let us always walk in the fear of the Lord, for He will not let us down.

The tenth key is suffering. 

First Peter 4:1 says “therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin…”

There are bents in our lives and characters or areas which are stubborn that are so strong which requires great pain to curb, control, and purge them out (Caram 98).

God-ordained sufferings are used by the Lord in order to straighten out the strong bents in our lives.

One character in the Scripture was Jacob. His name means “holder of the heel” or “supplanter.” True to his name, the time came when he manipulatively took his brother’s blessing for himself by deceiving his father.

To deal with this deceptive nature of Jacob, God ordained that Jacob would dwell with his Uncle Laban who was a far greater deceiver than he was. Jacob was deceived with his wages and with his wife to be. Jacob suffered to straighten out the bent in his life.

There are areas in our lives which require many crushing before it gets straighten out. Let us always allow God to correct our wrong ways and to straighten our crooked lives.

Sufferings may not be easy to take in, but it is meant to do us good.

While battles against sin maybe a given throughout our lives, defeat is not. Victory is certainly possible because God in His faithfulness has made provisions for us to overcome.

If we apply the keys He has given, we shall experience the truth that our God is more than able to keep us from falling.


Sources:
Caram, Paul G. Foundations of the Faith: Doctrine I – II. Zion Christian Publications, 2004, pp 96-98. eBook.