“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:7
This old, old story speaks to the ever-present danger of sin lurking within our hearts. As long as we live, the temptation to sin will infect our hearts, minds, and lives. Sin works hard to draw us in and separate us from God. It’s Satan’s primary tool to separate people from one another, fellow believers, and God. Even once we’ve embraced Christ, been set free from sin’s absolute authority, and are united with Christ by God’s grace given through faith, sin diverts us from worship, meaningful service, and transformational growth in Christ. Sin hinders our prayers and destroys our witness to non-believers.
God commands Cain to rule over the sin in his heart (he fails). Likewise, God commands us to rule over sin and gives us His Holy Spirit to help us do so. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that’s constantly encouraging us to do the opposite and be ruled by our sin. We’re told to embrace our nature, do what feels right, define ourselves by our sin, and celebrate whatever evil or depravity we happen to prefer. Our culture is increasingly defined by sin and its message can easily penetrate the hearts and minds of Christians.
Don’t let it! As a new year begins, fight the good fight to rule over sin in your life. Pray, learn to walk in the Spirit, and reject whatever sins tempt you. Recognize those sins for what they are – spiritual poison and an affront to the God Who loves you. Pursue the life of holiness modeled by Christ and commanded by God. Teach those in your sphere of influence how to conquer sin in Christ and why it’s so desperately important for everyone who professes to follow Jesus to battle constantly to rule over the sin that would disrupt their walk with Jesus.
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