We who are believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, a member of the triune Godhead; a member of the Godhead who overcame death, the other members of whom are seated IN the throne of God and AT THE RIGHT HAND of the throne of God. Could this Godhead be more powerfully in control of all things? God has already overcome and defeated--in fact, he had before the foundations of the world. Why do we contend so willingly that the flesh cannot be overcome? We ridiculously insist that instinctual, human, basic desires are unable to be put down by the God who has already put them down!
Let me say that sin, temptation, tendencies, human nature, habit, and all the other terms for "living my life like God's not in charge of it" are challenges every.single.day. I do not deny that I struggle every day with being self-reliant, judgmental, arrogant, angry and unloving. EVERY DAY. But we cannot make any excuses for these habitual resistances to submission. I was once a slave to sin, but now I am a slave to righteousness because the old me has died and I am birthed anew in Christ because of his free gifts of grace and mercy.
Put that sin DOWN. It's a rabid dog and it needs to be shot. And hey, God put himself in you via the Holy Spirit and basically armed you with a shotgun and unlimited shells. So take that 12-gauge Holy Spirit out and shoot that rabid dog sin of yours and stop coddling and making excuses for it. It has to go. You can't live with a rabid dog, because it will kill you. So shoot it. No excuses, no delays. Shoot it with the shells of humble broken prayer before Christ that you know you've succumbed to sin, that you tried to live independently of his power and take control of it on your own, that you even tried to justify it in your mind. Shoot it with the shells of self-control and obedience by replacing the bad habit with a good one--with countering your habitual sin with what you know is good, true and right every single time the temptation arises. Shoot it with confession to brothers and sisters who can provide accountability for you, and shoot it with making the most of that accountability through commitment to truthful reporting in spite of the shame and fear that may accompany it. Shame and fear are of the devil--there is no fear in love. And nothing can separate you from the love of God.
Live in the knowledge that he loves us in spite of our sin, and in spite of our coddling unwillingness to shoot our foaming-at-the-mouth, rabid-dog sin. After all, it was in our death, in our sinfulness that he saved us and loved us. How could he now start to not love us or find our sin so repulsive he would reject us? That would contradict not only his nature, but reason. He has empowered us to overcome the world and our sin. In his power and love, we are LIMITLESS. We can overcome anything that life and fleshly desires throw at us. How wasteful to sit around thinking that our sin is drowning us, overtaking our lives or keeping us from doing great things. God is a God of great gifts, and he wants this amazing gift for you, this gift of freedom from fear and shame. So go overcome the world as a conqueror armed to the teeth with the Holy Spirit.
Be limitless.
