When I Struggle With Sin...

... I feel like a hypocrite.

Every week, I speak no fewer than five times about the Lord. There's my Sunday School class, the Sunday morning sermon at Grace Pointe, two small group Bible studies, and a radio show. Then, every other Sunday, I preach at the Market Place apartments.

Each sermon includes warnings against sin, encouragement to have faith in the Lord, exhortation to center one's life around the Lord, and a commission to serve the Lord. I am sincere in my belief of these things. I honestly believe that God blesses those who live their lives for Him. But preaching the Word, and practicing what I preach are two completely different things.

Monday rolls around, and I tend to fall back into the same routines as everyone else. My life becomes about making a living, paying bills, and being frustrated that my wildest dreams have yet to come true. When your focus drifts from the Lord and into the day-to-day routine, you lose that Spiritual connection to the Lord, and He begins to seem distant. When this happens, we become susceptible to temptation. Such is the case with me.

I'm not going into a confessional here, but there are times that I misrepresent Christ. There are times that I fall short of the Biblical mandate to let my light shine. There are times that I betray my faith, and my Lord. And when my eyes are opened to my fall, I begin to wonder if all this is a facade, and if I am really a rotten human being. You may have experienced the same.

How can we reconcile our salvation and our lives in Christ with the sin that "so easily besets us?" (Hebrews 12:1).

We begin by recognizing that we are not alone in this struggle. Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We are all sinners, we all fall short. We all fail. Romans 3:9 says we are all under sin.

Scripture also lists examples of the great heroes of the faith who fell short of God's glory. From the depiction of David's adultery with Bathsheba, to the acknowledgement in James 5:17 that "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are." Yet, David and Elijah did great things for the Lord. Romans 7:15-17 describes the same struggle that the Apostle Paul had.

The lesson we take here is that our struggle neither defines us, nor limits us.

We continue by recognizing what this struggle reveals in us. There are times that you overcome, and there are times that you fail. Through each time of temptation, you learn more about your Spiritual maturity, and where you stand with the Lord. However, failure is not as devastating as you think.

Romans 7:15-17 says:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul confessed that he knew what he should be doing, and what he shouldn't be doing. He then confessed that he found himself doing the things he shouldn't (For that which I do I allow not.) He found himself doing the very things he preached against. He also confessed that he found himself not doing the things he should. (For what I would, that do I not).

Despite the disconnect between what he believed and what he preached, and what he actually did, Paul steered the conversation back to God's word. He didn't justify what he did. Rather, he promoted God's law, and declared its truth despite his failure. (I consent unto the law that it is good.)

So, if Paul knew God's law, agreed with God's law, and promoted God's law, why was he sinning? Simple. Paul understood that he was still infected with the sin nature. (Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.) This is not an excuse. He's not saying that he can continue in sin, as it's just in his nature. He is merely explaining his failure.

When we struggle with sin, we are reminded that we still have the sin nature. It's the flesh within us that desires sin, that desires the things that are forbidden. It's the same nature that wants to abdicate personal responsibility and live for the pleasure of the moment.

When we recognize the role that the sin nature plays in our struggle, we are able to move away from the notion that somehow we are just flawed, and not as good as everyone else, and we see our struggle as part of the human experience. When we understand this is a struggle everyone faces, this helps us see the struggle that others endure, and it helps us to be graceful to others when they sin.

The other thing that recognizing the role of the sin nature accomplishes is that it reminds us that conquering sin is not something we can do on our own. We need the Lord. Which brings us to our next point.

We return to our roots of faith in Christ.  In Romans 7:24-25, Paul exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

In verse 24, Paul declares his inability to overcome sin, and turns to the Lord for deliverance. In verse 25, Paul trusts the Lord for that deliverance.

If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, there was a time that you surrendered, and called out to Him for salvation. At that point, you were exactly where Christ wanted you. In the days and weeks that followed, the Lord was able to lead you through a time of exponential Spiritual growth because you had total faith in Him. But, as time moves along, we drift away, and we wind up in the boat we're in today.

When you struggle with sin, and you recognize that it's part of life, and that you cannot overcome it yourself, the proper course of action is to surrender, ask God for deliverance, and trust the Lord to deliver you from that struggle. When you reach that point of surrender and faith, you are right where Christ wants you. When you reach that point of surrender and faith, God is then able to do great things in your life.

When I struggle with sin, I feel like a hypocrite, but I am not. I am a child of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, who has not finished his race here on earth. I remember that I stand on the shoulders of giants, that others have faced these same struggles, and that the struggle with sin comes as a result of my sin nature.

The only answer is to ask God for forgiveness, and trust Him to deliver me from these temptations. When I reach that point, God brings a revival in my life. He will yours as well. Keep the faith, God is on your side.

Roll Me Away!

"Took a look down a west-bound road,
and right away I made my choice,
Headed out to my big two-wheeler, 
I was tired of my own voice,
took a bead on those Northern Plains 
and just rolled that power on." 

- Bob Seger, "Roll Me Away"

Okay, I admit it. Over the past two months, I have come to understand the fascination with motorcycles that so many of my friends and family members have... freedom! Maybe it's the amount of time I spend at work, maybe it's summer and I have a house full of kids, or maybe I just need a real vacation... whatever the reason, I have found myself in a never ending Southwest Airlines commercial... "Wanna get away?"

I have friends who have itinerant ministries... they travel from place to place, from church to church, holding revival meetings, VBS events, camps, etc. What a life, huh? Be able to travel the U.S., or even the world, working for the Lord and having one big adventure. (Truth be told, they'd probably tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be.)

Meanwhile, every scripture I read, every radio sermon I hear, every conversation I have, seems to remind me of one fundamental fact... God is not finished with me in Brownwood... I am to stay right here, and honor my commitment to Him, and allow Him to work through me and Grace Pointe to minister to the people of Brownwood... oh, look at how pretty that sun looks setting behind Bangs Hill... maybe I'll just take a drive...

Basically, I just need to get my mind back on my business.

Romans 14:23 says "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Anything you do that is in disobedience to God, or that even disregards God, is a sin.

In this case, my sin is not being thankful for the blessings God has given me, and not being thankful for the things that He has done in Brownwood. Further, my sin is not completely trusting Him to bring Grace Pointe to a point where she is self-supporting... not trusting Him with the results... not trusting Him to bless His own work. There have also been times I have failed to recognize His hand in Grace Pointe's successes. I could confess more, but my father once told me that inner-most thoughts are called that for a reason, and many times, it's best that they stay that way. (Not exactly canonized scripture, but Dad does have a point every now and then).

I share this to warn you. Temptation doesn't always come in the form of an enticement to commit an act of immorality... it's not always an enticement toward sexual sin, greed, anger, theft or even murder. Sometimes, Satan tempts us by luring us into disobeying what God has called us to do with our lives.

When Satan tempted Jesus, he tempted the Lord to do three things. (1) Make the stones into bread. (2) Jump off the pinnacle of the temple to see if the angels would catch Him, and (3) to bow down and worship Satan. Each of these three temptations would have derailed God's plan of Salvation through the Gospel. Nevertheless, in Christ was no sin, and the Lord stayed obedient to the plan.

In the same way, Satan often tempts us to stray from what God wants us to do. If we fall for that temptation, we can derail our lives and miss God's blessings. To fall for this temptation is just as much of a sin as if you had fallen into immorality. Remember, after you are saved, the most Satan can do is destroy your testimony and render you useless in this life. If he can't get you to fall into immorality, he'll get you to do something that will silence your voice for the Lord. Be on guard.