Victory Over Sin, Part 2
Rom 6:11-12 – Die to the old man. Remember that, as far as God is concerned, you are doctrinally a “dead man”. You are crucified with Christ, Gal 2:20. You must daily die to yourself, 1 Cor 15:31. Visualize Christ on that cross. Christ died there so that you can have eternal life. Now visualize yourself on that cross. You die there so that Christ can live in you. He doesn’t commit the sins your flesh wants to commit.
Eph 4:22-24 — Put off the old man; put on the new. 1 Cor 6:9-11 Realize that you are a new creature and not what you were. Believe what the Bible says regarding God’s forgiveness. The devil tries to defeat you by getting you to look at your sin. God encourages you by getting you to look at what you are after you get saved. You are washed (clean), sanctified (set apart as a clean vessel to do something for God), and justified (declared “not guilty” at a judgment before God). Look at the sins in the list. They are vile. But the people who committed those things are no longer what they used to be. And neither are you if you will simply believe what God said about it and yield yourself to do God’s will instead of your own. Put on the new man.
Heb. 9:14 – Plead the blood. That is, when the thought comes up, cry out to the Lord to put it under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He’ll purge your conscience.
Jude 9 – Say to the devil, “The Lord rebuke thee”. See Zech 3:2. Sometimes these temptations are brought on by the devil. I say sometimes, because more times than not these temptations are simply coming from our own deceitful lusts. When you believe the devil might be involved in exacerbating the temptation, say, “The Lord rebuke thee”. Michael did and so did the Lord. So should you.
Col. 3:23-24 – Dedicate your time to serving the Lord. Do everything you can to glorify him. Stay busy for God, Prov 16:3. It’s easier to gave victory over sin when you are fully occupied with the things of the Lord.
1 Cor. 10:13 – Remember that your temptation is common, God is faithful, he’ll make a way to escape. Your trouble with temptation is a common problem that all people have. We may not do the same sin that you do, but we are all tempted exactly the same way. It’s God’s faithfulness that gets us through the temptation, not our own resolve. There is a way to escape every time, if you will trust God.
Conclusion: I hope this helps you get victory over sin. We are not talking about an overnight success. These are tools that you will use till you die. If you follow them, you will find yourself strengthening over time. Be patient and be practical. If you fall, get back up and keep going for God.