It seems nowadays, Facebook is where you find out most news, even tragic things such as the death of a 23-year old guy who once stepped into your home to play a popular trading card game. I didn't know him well, but a friend of mine and a brother in Christ was very close to him. My friend texted me concerning his death and wondered about the reasons so many of us take advantage of life. It's strange isn't it? So many of us would put off having a better relationship with Christ, or even starting a relationship with Him because we'd rather hold onto a sin that will only give us temporary happiness. Many of us even keep Jesus at arm's length to keep from having to reach others in His name. In both of those examples, we put off having a relationship with Christ, or improving the one we already have with Him because it's the comfortable thing for us to do.
In texting my friend, he mentioned how messed up he thought it was that it took a friend of his dying to get away from a sin he was struggling with, but it's not messed up. What could be messed up about righting your relationship with Jesus, and I told him that. Yes, it's a painful thing to experience, but even something as tragic as a friend's death can be used for good. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time."
Sin, especially habitual sin has a knack for holding onto you and making it seem impossible to escape it. Every time I fell back into my habitual sin, I felt like a failure as a follower of Christ. I was the worst Christian imaginable and Satan made a point to let me know this every chance he was given. This is the part where Jesus gave me the spiritual equivalent of a nuclear arsenal to fight Satan with. He led me to 1 Corinthians 10:13 where the Bible says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (NIV 1984). First off, the sin I'm dealing with is common to mankind, meaning I'm not alone, which is what Satan would love to make me think. He wants me to feel isolated and that's just not true. Secondly, God will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear, which means no matter how hard temptation is coming at me, I win. I can claim victory over temptation no matter how impossible it seems to overcome. No matter how broken and beaten down I feel from temptation, it's going to lose. How awesome is Jesus? So awesome that He continually saves me from myself and loves me despite the many screw ups I've had, or will have. Ever.
In texting my friend, he mentioned how messed up he thought it was that it took a friend of his dying to get away from a sin he was struggling with, but it's not messed up. What could be messed up about righting your relationship with Jesus, and I told him that. Yes, it's a painful thing to experience, but even something as tragic as a friend's death can be used for good. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time."
Sin, especially habitual sin has a knack for holding onto you and making it seem impossible to escape it. Every time I fell back into my habitual sin, I felt like a failure as a follower of Christ. I was the worst Christian imaginable and Satan made a point to let me know this every chance he was given. This is the part where Jesus gave me the spiritual equivalent of a nuclear arsenal to fight Satan with. He led me to 1 Corinthians 10:13 where the Bible says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (NIV 1984). First off, the sin I'm dealing with is common to mankind, meaning I'm not alone, which is what Satan would love to make me think. He wants me to feel isolated and that's just not true. Secondly, God will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear, which means no matter how hard temptation is coming at me, I win. I can claim victory over temptation no matter how impossible it seems to overcome. No matter how broken and beaten down I feel from temptation, it's going to lose. How awesome is Jesus? So awesome that He continually saves me from myself and loves me despite the many screw ups I've had, or will have. Ever.
