How do we keep addictive sins from accumulating?

Do you ever see the dust on your shelves, sigh, and walk away?  "I'll deal with it tomorrow," you tell yourself.  But several days pass and the dust has not gone away, but has accumulated even more and will require even more work to get rid of it.  It will not disappear on its own and you must put forth the effort to get rid of it.  Not only that, but if you don't work at keeping a clean house on a regular basis, the dust will always return.  

What does this make you think of?  Sin.  The exact same principle applies. Philippians 2:12 says we must "work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling."  It does not say we can lazily sit back and expect sin to to take care of itself. We cannot just ignore the sinful issues in our life and expect them to go away on their own.  Although in some cases deliverance can be instantaneous, realistically we must continually work at keeping habitual sins at bay.  

How do we keep addictive sins from accumulating as deep as the dust on a neglected bookshelf?  First, and most important to remember, you cannot do it on your own!  John 15:4-5, Jesus reminds us, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."   Apart from help from Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we are unlikely to have permanent success on our own.  That is why so many addicts return to their vices after claiming victory, because they do not allow Jesus to take control of their life and use His Holy Spirit to fill in the void that addiction has left.  They still feel empty and hopeless even after they have done their best to take control of their sin, but since they are still denying the love of Jesus, the hole in their heart remains and therefore, they return to their sins.

2 Peter 2:22 puts it this way, "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."  

Although this verse has to do with those who have "known the way of righteousness" (in verse 21) and then backslidden, the same concept can be said for those who claim to have gotten rid of sin but still live in rebellion to the Lord.  You are allowing the dust to permeate your heart and soul over and over again until you surrender yourself to Jesus and allow Him to make you clean every single day!

Even when you allow Jesus to take control of your sinful nature, you still must be proactive in battling your temptations.  If your addiction is pornography, get rid of your source of porn (movies, Internet, etc.), just as you would remove the alcohol from your home if you were trying to quit drinking.  If you find yourself perpetually angry and fighting with others, stay off of social media if you feel it will tempt you to lose your temper and displease the Lord.

Remember what  I Corinthians 10:13 promises, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: 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."  So you never have an excuse to say you were not able to simply say no and walk away from your sin. 

You may need to seek personal or professional Godly council.  As Provers 27:17 says, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Which means it is always a good idea to find someone trustworthy to whom  you can be accountable. And pray for one another and encourage one another in living for the Lord. 

If you are trying to claim victory over sin, especially ones that deal with addiction, you need to find something to fill in the gaps left by the sin you have purged yourself from or you will fall backwards and need to fill in the lonely, desperate, hopeless holes in your life.  First, admit you have a problem, ask God to forgive your sins and surrender your will to Him.  Daily make the decision to live a life of honor.  No one is capable of being perfect, but it is important that we all strive to walk down paths of righteousness.  God sees your effort and your heart and that is what pleases Him most.  Fill in the gaps with Bible study, Godly preaching, praise music, etc. Do not rely on ungodly entertainment to be of any assistance as it filled with all the issues that only contribute to the problem.  Secular music and books, television, movies, and even Calvinist preachers will all tell you that your sins are perfectly normal and acceptable and never encourage you to give them up.  They do not care about your soul or if you succeed in cleaning up your life, but God does and He will be your champion in helping you find permanent victory over sin.

I will end this by posting Psalm 51:1-17.  Print it out or memorize it and make it your daily prayer as you work on keeping the sin from accumulating in your life.

Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.   For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:1-4; 6-13; 16-17

Bride of Christ

 

I wrote this in 2017. I mentioned this blog in my recent "Hosea" video, so I wanted to post it again.

This is not an original topic, it is simply my take on the subject.  It is not the typical approach, but the way God gave it to me to share with you.  I am aware that when the bible speaks of the bride of Christ, it has to do with the church.  However, the idea that formulated in my heart revolved around more of a personal relationship as an individual bride.  For an excellent blog on what it means for the church to be the bride of Christ, please read Mel’s blog: http://swordofthespirit77.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-parable-of-wise-and-foolish-virgins.html.

 I was prompted to write this blog about a month ago while Mel and I were both miserably suffering with a flu that lasted longer than two weeks.  It was one of those flus where all you can do is sleep for 20 hours a day, everything hurts, I was running a 102-degree fever for 4 days, and Mel ended up in the emergency room because he passed out twice!  Not fun!  In a rare moment when I was awake and somewhat alert, I started thinking of how frustrating it can be to live in a fallen world where such potentially deadly flus exist.  Just because we make Jesus Lord of our lives, it does not make us exempt from such things.  Life happens, and we have to learn to roll with the punches.   Part of such an attitude is thinking of my relationship with Christ as I do my wedding vows.  I will be loyal to God in sickness and in health and in richer and poorer.  The good news is, I do not have to add, “Until death do us part,” because God has given us the gift of eternal life with Him if we repent of our sins and daily walk in ways of holiness.

Just as I will always be faithful to my precious earthly husband, I always want to be an honorable bride for my heavenly husband as well.  Jesus will come back for a bride who has done her best to live a life separated from the world, daily died to the flesh, followed the teachings and attributes of Christ, and placed Jesus as Lord of her life above all others.  We are not expected to be perfect, but the desire to be the best we can be in order to be a Light for others and please our Creator, that’s what matters most. 

Being a loving wife to my Mel does not end after the honeymoon, I must make the right daily choices to be respectful, romantic, and kind. And, yes, it is a daily choice with my relationship with Christ as well, not a one-time prayer.  Getting on your knees to ask Jesus into your heart is not a prayer of salvation, it is a prayer of new beginnings.  Only those who endure to the end will be saved, which means we are in a continual process of being saved, salvation is not automatic and it can be lost (At the very least, read Revelation chapters 2 & 3), just as earthly marriages can be lost to infidelity, abuse, and lack of love and respect. 

Mel and I will were married in June 2012, but people still tell us how cute we are and think we are newlyweds (and still do in 2021).  Our bond grows stronger because we put forth the effort to communicate and never stop learning about each other.  We are still discovering and telling new stories of our pasts.  Even telling or hearing the same stories multiple times reemphasizes how well we know each other when we realize how well we know a particular story!  (In other words, don’t be rude when your spouse repeats something; smile that you know exactly what he’s going to say next because you two are so bonded!)  We are best friends and spend hours a day talking, going for walks, and playing games.  If we ignored each other all day, let the romance fade, and spent the majority of our time apart, our marriage would fizzle.  Instead, we keep the flames of love and romance alive because we are so much in love we never want our inferno to be extinguished.  The same is very true in my approach with my walk in the Lord.  I want to make certain I never cease trying to learn all I can about His teachings.  I read my bible to remind myself of His Truths.  Even after hearing or reading the Word of God for more than 44 years, I still discover new things I never considered or simply overlooked.  Just as I keep the lines of communication open with Mel, I make sure to tell God how I feel. 

One of the best ways to show Mel I love and accept him is to pay him compliments.  I am very much against wives being nags (I would not even talk my child or pet the way some women - and men - talk to their spouses!) I love to find creative, fun, and romantic ways to show Mel how much I loved him and how much he means to me.  (You can read more about this on my ABCs of a Joyful Marriage blog: https://www.facebook.com/theabcsofajoyfulmarriage ) Although I’m obviously not going to make art projects for the Lord, I should still put forth the effort to always tell God how much I love Him and appreciate all He does for me; tell God  I love Him just for Who He is.  Prayer, praise, and worship are the best way to show Jesus how much I love Him, as well as using my talents to bring glory to His name.

To end, I will quote this paragraph from a blog I  wrote on Feb. 16, 2013 that goes perfectly with this theme titled: “It makes so much more sense to me now" I have always felt that cheating on your spouse was abhorrent, but since I've been married, I see it 100 times more so. It helps me realize even more so why the bible says God is a jealous God: Exodus 34:14, "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." I am also a very jealous wife. My husband is completely honorable and trustworthy, but any woman who flirts with him or even looks at him the wrong way makes me very upset. This jealousy is based on how much I love and adore him. I am possessive of him just as God is with me. It makes so much more sense to me now. Basically, I wouldn't cheat on my husband with another man because I love him so much, and he loves me. In turn, I would not cheat on God with a false god (or worship a religion, or put an idol before Him, etc.) because I love God and He loves me."

Here are some scripture verses on being the “literal” bride of Christ, or more specifically, the verses that relate to the church.  You can make these personal.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.  Revelation 21:1-7

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:16-17

For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Revelation 19:5-8