February 9th
“For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.” Psalm 31:10 NKJV
Despite people’s attempts to downplay or dismiss it, sin causes bad consequences to the perpetrator. Such consequences can also include our strength and health. John Wimber pointed out in his book, Power Healing, that sin is the worst kind of sickness a person can have. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the death penalty for sin and bought the redemption of our souls. That redemption brought healing of our sin sickness, yet many Christians choose to continue living in sin.
Through Christ’s resurrection, we too can be resurrected from our sin to live in a “newness of life” (Romans 6:4), free of the bondage of sin. This happens through the power of God’s Spirit that actually gives life to our mortal bodies. Paul wrote, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NKJV).
If we return to our sin habits after we receive Christ’s redemption, we are not immune to the devastating effects of sin. Sin will continue to affect the body, mind and spirit, as long as we indulge in it. It will weaken our physical and spiritual strength such that we may be enslaved to sin’s passions, powerless to return to the newness of life that Jesus died to give us.
That is the condition that so many sex addicts find themselves in. Hopelessness can easily set in as the struggle progresses, and some people even entertain suicide as a solution. God’s word provides us the solution that will bring freedom from sin. It involves dying to sin afresh, reckoning ourselves alive in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and presenting ourselves to God as an instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:11).
The key that energizes this process is faith; believing that we are in fact dead to sin, and able to live in the newness of life through the Holy Spirit. If your faith is weak from repeated falls into sin, you can ask God to help you in your unbelief (Mark 9:24). Faith clears the way for God’s power to flood your body, soul and spirit with strength.
As we step out in faith and obey God in our daily choices, we will find that God has strengthened us such that we can resist the temptations that come our way. Walking in purity will in turn strengthen us to maintain our walk with God and avoid falling back into sin.
Questions for further thought:
How familiar was David (the author of the above Psalm) with sexual sin? (2 Samuel 11-12)
In what ways have you noticed sin weakening your strength to walk in purity?
What are some ways we can boost our faith for freedom and healing? (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 10:24-25)
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. Please forgive me for living in sin. I see how my sin has weakened me. Please heal me and strengthen me to break the rule of sin over my life. Holy Spirit, please fill me afresh with your life and power. Thank you! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”