Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 88for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown intohell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is betterfor you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell”(Matthew 5:29-30).Once an eye is cut out or a hand cut off, there is no chance of it being put back.The separation is final; there is no hidden agenda for a comeback. Paul wrote, “But puton the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans13:14).Also, there is the signpost of spiritual coasting! That’s what happens when webegin to crowd God and His Word to the circumference of our lives. This happens sosubtly, unintentionally, as we feel more pressured by the responsibilities of life; job,spouse, children, hobbies, church, friends --- and even television!Backsliding can take place so slowly that one hardly notices what is happening –without fanfare --- so quietly that one scarcely notices it. Only tragic failure makes onerealize how far he has drifted from the shore. God, in His Word, tells us that He prefersthat we are either cold or hot, rather than lukewarm. The reason is simple --- someonewho is cold seeks the fire, a person who is lukewarm is generally comfortable and seesno need of change. He is so self-satisfied that he doesn’t know how bad off he is! Thepeople at Laodicea were lukewarm, but thought they were hot! They had drifted fromtheir first love and didn’t even know it! Beware of spiritual coasting!Finally, there is the signpost of compromise. That’s when we tolerate personalsin for just a little while. Ever watch someone shatter a cement wall with a hugehammer? The first time they hit the wall, it was as solid as ever. Even after 20 blows, orso, it seems immovable. But, as they keep at it, after a while, the wall weakens, but stillstands firm and upright. But it weakens. A small piece falls -- then another -- andgradually you see the wall collapse.That’s the way sin is. It is true that you can tolerate sin without having it ruinyou --- but you can’t do it forever! Compromise is possible for a while withoutdisastrous results, but eventually it weakens our resistance.How Long Before We Stand Again?Let’s say that we’ve been caught in the old trap and we’re back in the same rut,the question now is, “How long are we going to stay there?” Satan would like to say,“Forever! After all, what’s the use --- since you are not really sure you’ll be victorious nexttime, why bother getting back into fellowship with God!”We could be tempted to agree. Human nature resents the idea that we mustcome back to God without an “award for special merit” sign pinned on our vest. We areuncomfortable accepting mercy that we don’t deserve. We hesitate to come backimmediately without a period of probation. We may even want to punish ourselves for