Victory Over Sin, Part 1

A sign was seen in west Texas with a ranchers name signed in blood red paint at the bottom which read, “STOP. I know you're thinking about crossing this gate. What you should know is that if the Coyotes, Cactus, Mesquite, Heat, Dust or Rattlers don't get you, I will.” That sign reminds me of sin in our life. No matter how hard we try sometimes to avoid it; it just seems to always be there. That brings me to a question, “How can we get the victory over sin in our life?”

Before we continue, we must first understand that sin comes from one of two problems. Either you are unsaved and therefore incapable of getting victory over sin or you are saved and don't know the scriptures that you need to believe to strengthen your faith in the battle with a particular sin.

First, if you are unsaved, you are incapable of getting victory over your sin. You are a slave to sin and it will rule over you always. Romans 6:16 tells us, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Second, if you are saved and struggling with sin then I have ten solutions for you.

First, you must know that temptation is a common problem. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13a, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…” All of us are tempted. We are all tempted in the same way. What way is that? The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

If you look in Genesis 3, Eve was tempted with the “lust of the flesh” in that she did see that the fruit was good for food. She was also tempted with the “lust of the eyes” in that she did think that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. Also, she was tempted with the “pride of life” in that she desired to be to be wise like God. If you study the Temptation of Christ in Matthew 4, you will see that the exact thing happened. Jesus was indeed tempted with the “lust of the flesh”, “lust of the eyes”, and “the pride of life” in each of the temptations that the Devil threw at him.

However, the great news is that even though we are all tempted in the same ways to sin; is that we can have the victory of it. The rest of 1 Corinthians 10:13b says, “…but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” In other words, God is faithful and will never allow you to be tempted so far that you can not resist. He will always give you a way out. No, there is never an excuse for sin. That’s why it is so condemning. We all have the ability to get victory over our temptations and the sin that follows. Paul said in Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” In truth, if we all stayed in the Spirit all the time we would never sin. That is why God holds us accountable for our sin. We all have a choice as to whether or not we are going to heed and succumb to the temptations of the Devil or take the way out that God promises to give us.

So, our root problem in this life is our lusts. James 1:14-16 confirms this when it says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”