Bible Verse of the Day Wednesday July 19th, 2023

 Psalms 119:13 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

All followers and believers in Christ Jesus we will always struggle with sin in our lives. Perfectionism does not exist in the Christian life. However, victory over sin is available to all who place their faith and trust in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Satan’s primary focus is to attempt to ensure that sin reigns in and dominates the life of all Christians. Too many believers suffer from defeatism because they do not see themselves as measuring up to a standard of perfectionism through Christ. It is not a given that sin must dominate the lives of Christians because we have a new life in Christ Jesus through His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

As followers of Christ, we conditionally stand as active sinners, but positionally we stand in perfection before God. If we choose to give in to the sinful desires of our flesh, we are encamping with death and decay of our mortal being. Attempts at spiritual growth without enjoining our position in Christ Jesus is legalism, however, surrendering to the grace of God means we allow him to do the work. Christ Jesus has all we require and provides all we will ever need in this life and our eternal life. Jesus does not want us to present ourselves at the gates of sin, but at the throne of almighty God.

As Christians, we are not to utilize our lives as weapons of Satan but to surrender ourselves to God's arsenal. We can either be part of the armory of God or soldiers of the evil one. If we ignore the truth that we are dead to sin and alive in Jesus, there can be no Christian life; all else will be religion and legalism. The act of not allowing sin to dominate our lives is not saying that sin does not exist in our lives, but it does not control our lives.  Prayer is paramount in overcoming sin in the life of a Christian.

Matthew 26:14 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

This life lesson was given to the Apostle Peter from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Jesus went to the Cross. Prayer is not some secret formula; it is acknowledging our short falling and limitations while accepting God's inexhaustible power and surrendering to Him for the strength to do what He wants us to do, not what we want to do (1 John 5:14-15).