Ways to Diffuse the Power of Sin

Posted on Aug 01, 2017 Topic : Men's Christian Living
Posted by : Erwin W. Lutzer

Have you given your anxiety to God only to find an hour later that the weight is back on your shoulders? Do you ask God to control your temper, but still blow your top?

We surrender ourselves to God, but so soon and so easily revert to our old habits. We may get on our knees and ask God to take the desire away, and we may determine not to think those lurid or greedy thoughts. But then they surface again. We are trapped. Try as we might, we just can’t get those thoughts to budge. Why?

To simply resist temptation is to make it grow stronger. Consider the best way to take air out of a bottle. Possibly someone could suggest that we build an elaborate vacuum pump to suck out the air. But there is a simpler solution. If we fill the bottle with water, the air has to leave.

To diffuse the power of sin, you need to have your thought patterns replaced by the Word of God and brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

Outline a specific strategy for experiencing the freedom you have in Christ and accepting the victory that is legally yours. I’m convinced that God intends us to be free from mental bondage. His Word is the resource by which our thoughts can become obedient to Him.

Start with these steps:

—Identify the specific thoughts you want to replace with God’s truth

—Memorize Scripture that speaks to your personal struggles

—Remind yourself of God’s promises and faithfulness

—Reject sinful thoughts and fill their void by reciting Bible passages

—Use the recurrence of temptation as a signal to give praise to God

The difference between worldliness and godliness is a renewed mind. This old adage puts it straight: You aren’t what you think you are; but what you think, you are!