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Is It Really Sin?

by Angela Willingham  
5/27/2009 / Christian Living

The other day I was in bible study. We were discussing the sovereignty of God. One of the participants took us to Galatians 5 and asked the question, how can a believer who is living by the spirit not follow the spirit and walk in the spirit. I read the scripture from my bible and saw it as an encouragement to live by the spirit and walk in the spirit in every area of our lives. It is easy to assume we do, but even born again believers struggle. Maybe your struggle is not sex, drugs, alcohol, gossip, lying or ............ The bible is clear in Romans 7:21, Paul says, 21 I have discovered this principle of lifethat when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. We cannot escape that evil does exist in our mortal bodies. There are some things we are just naturally prone to and we will have to make an effort by the grace of God to avoid doing those things. We will have choices everyday between what is good and what is evil, whether to operate in the spirit or in our flesh.

As Christians we often question how a person could do this or that, instead of praising and blessing God that we have not been caught in that fault ourselves and praying for the person that has. In Romans 2, Paul talks about the judgment of sin. If we are not careful we may find ourselves overlooking the things God is trying to show us about ourselves.

The other day God convicted me of talking. I wasn't saying anything bad, so you might say what is the big deal. The big deal was that He was trying to convict me to stop doing it and to start praying more, seeking Him more, getting direction from Him and not trusting the wisdom of others. The conversation dealt with something personal to me, but the problem was He wanted me to come to Him with it, not to everyone else. It was easier to go to them. They would make me feel good. They would listen and even become indignant with me about the issue, when I was wronged. The problem was He desired to use the situation to change something in me and as long as I kept going to them, I could not hear Him and He was left out.

We wonder how people can live by the spirit and not walk in the spirit. It is because there is some area of their life that we are still in control of, some area we are still holding back from God. When I was talking, I sensed the Holy Spirit's presence. I sensed His tugging and trying to get me to stop, but I kept on doing what I was doing. I felt the spirit of conviction come over me, compelling me to stop, but I didn't. Why, out of fear, fear of completely submitting to God in that area. Why do people keep doing drugs, alcohol, having sex outside of a marriage relationship or whatever they are doing? People keep doing what they do for the same reason I did, fear of giving it up, afraid to give Him Lordship in that area of their lives. The answer is disobedience. When we know better, we ought to do better, but it requires some thing from us obedience, submission and trust. Trust that He knows what is best for your life and whatever you are trying to hold on to is nothing in comparison to what He has for us.

Instead of asking the question, why people don't walk in the spirit, the real question is where am I not walking in the spirit? What am I holding back from God? Where is the Holy Spirit convicting me and where am I ignoring Him? For me it was talking. The talking was really exposing my fear in that area of my life. A Christian, Yes! Living by the spirit, Yes! Still in need of God's deliverance in that area of my life, Yes! Thank you Lord for exposing that sin in my life. Keep allowing your Holy Spirit to do spiritual surgery in me, revealing, cutting away, healing, repairing and restoring the stuff in me that does not look like You. Keep giving me increased power and authority in the areas where I lack it or have not allowed it to manifest. Then allow me to share with every person I come in contact with my testimony of deliverance from that thing I did not even know was sin. Is it really sin, Yes! Reveal it to me and give me the strength to release and let it go, so that another area of my life is submitted to You.


Scripture:
Galatians 5:24-25:
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

Angela Willingham, CEO New Beginnings Holistic Fitness Ministries, Inc.
www.mynewtemple.org
Copyright New Beginnings Holistic Fitness Ministries, Inc.

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