Our Battle With Sin

Scripture:  Psalm 51:1-10 - Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.  7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

We all battle with sin, and often we lose our individual battles (Romans 7:15-25).   Transgression is a violation of a law or command – stepping over the line (Psalms 51:1).  Iniquity is a gross injustice or wickedness --  or perverting (Psalms 51:2).  Sin is falling short of the mark (Psalms 51:3).  Evil is being completely rotten or vile (Psalms 51:4).   Even though we are born in sin and shaped in iniquity (Psalm 51:5), once we invited Jesus Christ into our lives, God has made provision for our warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Sin affects our sight (Psalms 51:3).  It affects our hearing (Psalms 51:8).  It affects our speech. (Psalms 51:13, 15 says “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You….15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.”) It affects your mind (Psalms 51:6). It also affects your spirit and heart.  (Psalms 51:10 says “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Yet, sometimes we all take sin lightly in our lives.  We simply don’t see the seriousness of sin.

We should not allow sin to have dominion (the power or right of governing and controlling) in our lives.  When I went to the Bill Gothard Basic Youth Conflict Seminar in 1979, one year after I invited Jesus Christ into my life,  memorizing Romans 6:1-14 (and asking the Lord to help us apply it) was stressed.  (Romans 6:1-14 - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.)  

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father:  Thank You for forgiving/saving me.  Help me to see the seriousness of sin on a daily basis.  Help me not to make excuses for sin.  Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

(by Marsha Williams)