Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 47God delights when we believe in Him without demanding emotional crutches.Just as a new believer needs to receive God’s promises – apart from feelings – so wedaily need to receive the power of the Holy Spirit – apart from feelings.Living by PraiseWe can be greatly helped in accepting the Holy Spirit’s control if we learn thepower of praise! “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who ordershis way aright I shall show the salvation of God “ (Psalm 50:23). Paul put it this way; “Ineverything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”When we read these exhortations to praise God, we may make two verycommon errors. (1) To think we should praise God only for the good things He gives us– health, food, clothes, and other blessings; or (2) To think that we should praise Godonly when we feel like doing so. But Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks.” That meansall circumstances, whether pleasant or painful.It is extremely difficult to give thanks to God when it seems that things aregoing wrong. But it’s only when we choose to give praise for the rough spots in life thatwe will begin to see them from God’s perspective. Furthermore, if we don’t give thanksin all things, we are living in unbelief, for we are assuming that a God who loves usdoes not control our circumstances. I’m not suggesting that we give thanks for sin, butwe can thank God for how He will use that sin to teach, to rebuke, or to challenge us.Also, we can learn to give thanks even if we don’t feel particularly thankful. IfGod gives a command, He expects obedience, whether we are in the mood or not.Thankfulness, like forgiveness, is not an emotion. Thankfulness is an intelligentresponse of gratitude to God, based on His Word. It is our determination to beobedient.Here’s what we must do; first, name our sin and give thanks to God that wealready are victorious over it. When Jesus died on the cross, He provided forgivenessand freedom. Thank Him for both, and pray something like, “Father, I thank You that Iam in Christ. I thank You that my position is secure and immovable. I thank You that in ChristI’ve already won the victory over the sin that bests me. Thank You that I am free.” Soon ourexperience will catch up with what God has already given us “in Christ.”This is not a once-for-all act of thanksgiving! David wrote, “I will bless the Lord atall times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).How does praise become a way of life, a daily habit, more important than tyingyour shoes or combing our hair?We don’t learn to praise in a day, especially since we may have beencomplaining for years. New habits take time to develop. But we can begin today, andpractice tomorrow, and the next day, until it becomes part of us. “Let the Word of Christ