Thoughtful Thursday: Sin and Victory

Ever have one of those days where you feel distant from God?   Oh…just me?  ;)

We all have those days, whether we realize it or not.  Maybe we woke up late and skipped our morning devotions or rushed through our prayer time without REALLY talking to God.  But honestly, as a child of God, what causes us to be distant from God, most of all?

 Sin.

We all sin on a daily basis, but I’m referring to a sin that we are struggling with that comes between us and God.

We went to a conference a couple years ago and the speaker taught us something so life-changing.  He said that when you have a sin that you seek the victory over, go to Romans chapter 6.  Then read the entire chapter out loud and replace the word “sin” throughout the chapter with the specific sin that we want to defeat.  When you hear all of the promises and reminders in this passage, paired specifically with what you’re struggling with, it’s so powerful!

For example, using the sin of consuming alcohol, one that I personally struggled with for many years:

Verse 14: For (alcohol) shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Verse 18: Being then made free from (alcohol), ye became the servants of righteousness.

“Shall not have dominion over you…”

“Being then made free from…”

Paul reminds us that as a saved child of God, we already have the victory over sin.  Whatever the sin may be, whether seemingly small or great, Jesus died for them all and we can use Romans 6 to reclaim that victory. 

Whenever I’m struggling, I read Romans 6, get encouraged and empowered, then turn to another passage.

Psalms 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.

I ask God for forgiveness and a fresh start.  I love that we serve a God of “another chance”.  He knows we are not perfect and He doesn’t expect us to be.  He simply wants us to humble ourselves and realize that we need Him.

James 4:8a – “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”

This is when I realize that He isn’t so far away.  As I begin to take a step back towards Him, He is already there.