Back in August 2020 I posted this devotion. It is one of the most important devotions I have ever written and I hope that you let the Holy Spirit help you in this lifelong struggle.
As a Christian, dedicated to traveling on the narrow road of the deeper walk with Jesus, one thing always tries to detour us as we press on towards the prize – and that is ourselves. Our old sinful flesh is constantly trying to come along for the ride even though it is an unwelcomed guest.
Why is it we have such a hard time putting to death this old foe? For one thing our old sin nature has been an intimate friend, for many of us, for such a long time, that it is difficult to say good-bye. And secondly, we often fail to realize that the answers we are looking for our staring us right in the face; and they are contained in our old friend – the Bible. And the Holy Scriptures have some very powerful weapons to defeat our arch enemy – sin.
Remember when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness to sin? Rather than fight with the devil he used Scripture and quoted three verses from the book of Deuteronomy, (Deut. 8:3, 6:13, 6:16), beginning each verse with the phrase “it is written.” And the Bible tells us that the devil left Him, for I believe that he is no match for the power of the Word of God.
Friends, I would like to share with you three verses from the Bible that I believe can be of great help in overcoming sin. Let’s look at them one by one.
The first verse is from (Romans 8:13): “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” It is so important that we die to self and let the Holy Spirit, who already lives in us, fight our battles with sin. If we don’t let the Holy Spirit run our lives, we will never win the battle over the flesh. But with the Holy Spirit, fighting our battles for us, Satan is no match for His power and authority.
The second verse is from (Psalm 119:11): “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” We should never underestimate the power of the written Word. As we shared previously, Jesus didn’t. He quoted from the Old Testament and the devil was no match for the Word. It is so important that we cultivate a habit of regular Bible reading so we can constantly have the Word on our minds and in our hearts. Memorize Scriptures when possible and this way when a temptation comes your way you will be equipped to launch a scriptural torpedo (verse) at the situation. Satan is no match for the anointed Word but if you don’t know your Bible you are no match for him. I love how (Psalm 119:11) says that we need to hide the word in our heart. This speaks of knowing the word and keeping and guarding it next to the center of your being. Remember that the more of the Bible we know and cherish in our hearts, the better prepared we will be to go into the battlefield called life; with all of its snares and temptations to sin.
The third verse is from (Proverbs 16:6): “In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil.” This gem of a verse should be memorized by every Christian because it contains the greatest secret, I believe, in all of Scripture for overcoming sin. The concept here is not to be afraid of God but to have a holy reverential awe of Him. The more we reverence God and hallow His name the more we will want to do everything in our power to glorify Him. On the positive side this means to always praise Him for His mighty deeds and on the negative side to not sin. As we read the Bible more and spend time in the presence of Jesus we can’t help but fall more in love with Him. And the more we love Jesus and magnify His name the more we will live a holy life and not want to sin because we love Jesus too much to displease Him.
To sum up, the way to overcome sin is to let the Holy Spirit take control of your life, hide God’s word in your heart by reading, studying, and meditating on it, and to cultivate a holy awe for God by just spending time realizing that He is the sovereign Lord of the universe and yet He calls you His treasured possession (Deut. 14:2 NIV). This three-fold prescription, I believe, when taken seriously will revolutionize your ability to say no to sin.
I also found that Phil. 4; 13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is another powerful scripture to use when we are “fighting the good fight of faith”. Every Christian should have this scripture in their spiritual toolbox!
Terrific encouragement that has proven true since I became a christian 36yrs ago I’m now 76 next month and I still require Holy Spirits guidance each and every day. God our God is faithful!!