Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 27pray, except for the dutiful grace at mealtimes. He was not a spiritual leader in hishome; his wife taught the children the few Bible stories they knew.No he wanted God to help him quit smoking because the doctors told him hemight die of lung cancer. Could God help him overcome that habit? Yes, of course, Godcould. However Ken would have to yield himself fully to God – his time, property, andreputation would have to be committed to the Almighty. Ken would have to beginreading Scriptures and turning to God daily for the needs of himself and his family. Buthe didn’t bargain for such changes. He thought God would deliver him from cigarettesand leave the rest of his life untouched.Then there is Mary. She desperately wanted to lose those ugly pounds. But she3.did not see her problem as a genuinely spiritual one. She spoke of it as herweakness without treating it as a sin of the flesh. The Bible condemns gluttony(Deuteronomy 21:20 & 1 Peter 4:3). The Bible warns that, “the heavy drinker and theglutton will come to poverty” (Proverbs 23:21). Paul wept over those whose “god was theirappetite” (Philippians 3:19) Those who struggle with gluttony must renew their mind,and use the Scriptures to resist Satan just as anyone who is caught in the other sins ofsensuality.Undoubtedly, God wanted to us Mary’s problem to teach her valuable lessonsabout resisting temptation, the tactics of Satan, and above all, the remarkable power ofthe Word of God. But sadly, her mind was focused only on her weight. She passed upan opportunity to take some giant steps in her Christian life.4. Finally, there is John. His problem, so he thought, was that he was born with ashort fuse. And, of course, his circumstances were to blame –-- if everythingwould go more to his liking, there would be no need to blow up, no need to put his fistthrough the wall. One reason John still lacks self-control is because of his unwillingnessto face his underlying attitude toward God and his family. Actually, John is alwaysangry --- angry at his employer, angry at life itself. He feels he has been gypped becausehe has never been the success his father hoped he’d be. Though he doesn’t realize it, heis a man at war with God, rebelling against the vocation and circumstances of life towhich he feels that God has allowed. Until he accepts himself and his place in the worldwith joyful thanksgiving, he will never learn to control his tempter. God is concernedabout changing these attitudes, but John isn’t. He wants victory over his temper toavoid future embarrassment and to keep his marriage intact. He wants the minimumrequired to maintain his life on a fairly even keel --- but no more than that!Isn’t it true that so often we want freedomfrom a particular sin without facing basic issues?Sinful habits are usually indicative of unresolved conflicts. We must seekunderlying causes rather than treating the symptoms. God uses our struggles with sin