Falling Out Of Love With Sin

"How far will we go till we cross the line?
We don't call it sin, we're just close to it,
Only playing with fire,
To try to please both God and ourselves,
To believe the lie it'll all balance out..."

These lyrics from a song I wrote earlier in the week express my thoughts about the Believer's ongoing affair with sin - sometimes an on-again, off-again relationship that we can't seem to shake.
There is nothing more destructive, nothing more damaging to relationships, and nothing that will pull you away from the Lord more than sin.

"The difference between the godly and the ungodly in manifest by the different light in which they regard their sin." ~Annon

To have an accurate, biblical view of sin is to see it as something God hates, and absolutely detests.

"We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." ~Romans 6:6-7

We must live in FREEDOM from the bondage of sin because it is REALITY! We are free, so we do we crawl back into bondage again and again?

Since we are now not bound to sin, let us ask and allow the Lord to remove our love of being in bondage to it.

"...Hate what is evil, cling to what is good." ~Romans 12:9b

God HATES sin, so we must take on the same detest for it, recognizing that it is so easy for us to get caught in its snares, but God has called us to something better.

"Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come."
~2nd Corinthians 5:17

As believers in Jesus, we have repented and God has not only wiped our slate clean, but He has made us a NEW CREATION~ a new self that has an intimate, personal relationship with God.
Let us fall out of love, so to speak, with the things of this world, and go on to pursue Christ and walk in His ways.

My Sufficiency

Where do we find our sufficiency? Isn't this a great question to ask ourselves, especially in the days where we are feeling drained and overwhelmed? Maybe your alarm didn't go off this morning and you were late for school (or work), or you have a heavy work load and are trying hard to stay on top of things, or you are struggling in a relationship, or whatever the case may be...where can you go to be filled? 

"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be minsters of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
~2nd Corinthians 3:4-6 

Here's a shocker for ya: We cannot find sufficiency in ourselves! 

God made us to be in relationship with Him, completely reliant on Christ, who is our intercessor. There are so many times I deceive myself in thinking I can get by on my own, and that is when I find myself the most worn out, the most thirsty for something outside of myself. In the Word of God it even says that we are NOT sufficient! 

We are made competent to be ministers of a new covenant, which if you remember by taking communion, we see that it is Jesus' work on the cross, His body the bread, and His blood the wine...a new promise that we are covered in grace. We are recipients of God's grace and of His promise of salvation. 

"...not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

The word "letter" here in the Greek is "Gramma", meaning "a note of hand, bill, bond, written acknowledgement of debt," and also, "the sacred writings of the Old Testament." Paul is talking about the letter of the Mosaic Law, and what does it say the law does?

 The law is a bill, a letter producing bondage, and we acknowledge, just like Paul does, that we have a debt that just cannot be paid on our own because we are so insufficient and so inadequate to fulfill the requirements it calls for. It is through the law that we see our great need for a Savior. We should be looking to Christ for fulfillment of that need!

 "...For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

What does the Spirit do? 
It gives LIFE!
Here is the Greek word for "gives life": zōopoieō  
I so wish that the phrase in English could be able to convey just how much this means! The Greek word means, "to produce alive, begat; to arouse and invigorate, to restore to life, growing."

God gives, invigorates, restores, grows us up...and WE are the RECIPIENT of all He is, and all He has done for us and is doing in us. Nothing will ever be enough for us compared to God and the riches of His grace, for He is sufficient for every need we have.

So WHO do we find our sufficiency in? 

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 
~2nd Corinthians 12:9

So lay down your burdens at the foot of the cross, and find your rest, your LIFE, in Jesus. He is sufficient when we feel the most insufficient and weak, and His blood is enough for us. He is our sufficiency.  

A Word of Encouragment

I'd like to give a word of encouragement today, as I know that people are struggling (just like I do) and going through trials.
 It is too easy to get caught up in your problems, in your sorrows, depression and crumbling life that is such a weight on your shoulders because its so comfortable, immediate, and natural. It has you living like the magnitude of God, the blessings He pours out on His children, His grace that is saving, His precious blood that was, is, and will always be sufficient, His perfect plan that He ALWAYS has, His promises He makes...(shall I go on?)....are applicable to every other Believer but you.  

Please don't give in to the lies. 

Please know the truth. 

Don't give up, even if you are weary.

Don't give up, especially if you are exhausted and all you can do to motivate yourself is saying, "One more day. Just get through one more day."

Don't give up, even if the idea sounds so relieving and enticing.

I don't just write this to preach to everyone else, I do it to encourage US, as you and I fight the good fight, and run the race though we are under the impression our legs are about to give way any second, and our lungs are on fire.    

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
~James 1:2-4

Just don't give up.

Taste and See

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" 
~Psalm 34:8

While fixing my breakfast this morning, this verse came to mind~mostly because I have been sick for almost a week, and haven't been able to taste anything for days (really, you don't realize how much you appreciate it until it's gone!). It gave me a fresh perspective on my relationship with Christ, and how it can sometimes go. Can I be spiritually 'sick', and lose my sense of 'taste' and wonder of God? I am constantly being exposed to the world, and can get so wrapped up in the things of it that I become numb to how good my God is to me. And He is so utterly good to me ALL the time-whether I am acknowledging it or not. 
So while I am in a time of rest and healing (physically and spiritually), I am dwelling on the fact that God is good, that there is evidence of His goodness in my life all around me-I just have to look for it. 

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them"
The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad."
~Psalm 126:2-3 

From my heart...

First post! :) I'm sure I'll get the hang of this blogging thing later on...(I won't even tell you how long it took me to set this up) but until then I'd appreciate the grace. So! What shall I write about for this first post...how about the story behind the name? Well, it's quite simple. In everything I do, or write or say I have a deep desire to be honest. To be real in who I am and stand firm in what I stand for. It just so happens, that I am Child of God saved by His grace. He changed my heart and my life (thank goodness!) and made me more new and joyful and free than I would ever be without Him. Long story short...everything I write or post I pray reflects my heart and desire to just worship God for all He's done and all He is. My main goal in starting up this blog is to bring glory to God and encourage people in Him, whether that be by sharing a song, pictures, verse, or stories of what I'm going through.
Welp...I guess that's enough for now. I have plenty more to write in the future and am looking forward to it.
~Keilah