Do We Have a Choice Whether To Sin or Not?

Doing or saying the right things are not always an easy thing to do. A person is either going to be ruled by their flesh or by their born again spirit. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritully minded is life and peace (Rom. 8:6). That is why the Bible says "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7, New King James), and "Be self controlled and watchful because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom the may devour (verse8). "Resist him, steadfast in the faith; knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (verse9). In other words no one is exempt from Satan attacks, but can counter them by saying what Jesus said “Away with you, Satan”(Math. 4:10). So we do have a choice.

Sin Conscience

Being sin conscience is saying that Satan work in humanity was more effectual than what Christ has done in us, because it is a reminder of who we were before we were born again. One of the things God sought to do in our redemption was to eliminate the consciousness of sin because it brings about a sense of guilt, condemnation and inferiority. These characteristics are products of spiritual death which keeps us from entering God's presence, but since we have been born again there is now no condemnation (Rom 8:1), that is why God tells us to come boldly unto the throne of grace and obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

Under the Old Covenant "It was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin, because in those sacrifices there was a remembrance again of sins every year (Heb. 10: 3-4). We are under the New Covenant where Christ has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Heb. 9:26), and because of what Christ has done, Scripture says "This is the Covenant I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and there sins and iniquities will I remember no more (Heb. 10:16). So if God is not remembering your sin, why are you? "For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are santified (Heb. 10:14).

People who are sincere about their faith in Christ do not make it a practice of sinning, but if they do it is not counted against them because we are holy and without blame in his sight (Eph. 1:2). This does not mean that because it is not counting against them one should continue to sin, what that does is give Satan place in their lives to bring about destruction because as you know he come to kill, steal and to destroy (John 10:10).

"But God Hath Revealed..."

1 Cor. 2:9, says "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Now, if you stop here, you will think that God hath not revealed to us the things that he have prepared for us; and most Pastors stop at this scripture. But if you read the next verse it says "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God, and verse 16 says, we have the mind of Christ.

Whose Report Will You Believe?

You need to get to where you believe God's report more than the world's. You've crossed over into the spirit realm when God's Word dominates you more than what you can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. Instead of letting the devil tell you what you can not do or what the doctor say or what your checkbook is telling you, you need to focus your attention on what God says about you, what He says you have, and what He says you can do. Once you do that you'll find it will break the dominion, the power, and the control of the flesh over you.

Jesus As Lord

The Word of God says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Roman: 10:9, King James). It is not enough to take Jesus as your Savior, you must acknowledge His lordship over your life. One of the difficulties that confronts many of us is we wish to have Jesus as Savior but not as our Lord. Many people want Him as their Savior from Hell, but they don't want Him as their Ruler on earth.

If Jesus becomes your Lord, He will want to have His say in regard to the types of books your read, the company you keep, the kind of amusements you enjoy, and the government of your body. He will want to have something to say about your finances, what you do with them, how you make them, and how you use them. He will want to have something to say in regard to marriage, children, and the home. He will want to have His say as to your vocation in life and where you live.

Yes, Jesus wants to enter into every department of your life. This is what make the Christian life blessed. It robs life of its weakness and human guidance and it lifts it into the realm of the supernatural.

Overcome Your Flesh

You overcome by being mindful of what God's Word says about you. When you are Word minded, your are spiritual minded because God's words are spirit and life (John 6:63). In your spirit, you are completely changed, eternal, sanctified, holy and perfected forever. As Jesus is--so are you! If you would dominate yourself with those thoughts, all it would produce is life and peace.

If you mind the things of the flesh, then you will be after the flesh and the physical realm will dominate you. In other words if you are having something other than life and peace, then you are not focusing on His word. In order to release God's power in your life you must overcome the flesh by continually focusing your mind on who you are and what you have in the spirit.

Forgiveness

The Christian life is not just difficult to live, it is impossible. In your flesh, you can not do what the Lord has told you to do. He has commanded you to just bear it when someone insults you. If they slap you on the face, you are to turn the other cheek. If they sue you and take away your coat, you are to give them you cloak also (Matt. 5:39-40). Your natural self, independent of God just want do things like that. The Lord told us to do the opposite. Without supernatural help it is impossible to do what Jesus commanded. That is why Paul said "it is no longer me that lives, but Christ who lives through me" (Gal. 2:20).

In your spirit, you have an unlimited ability to forgive, endure, believe and hope. If you catch yourself saying "I can't put up with this person any longer. I just can not take it anymore" What you are really saying is "I have come to the end of my flesh!" That's good! Now let your spirit take over! Pray, Father, I'm sorry, I have been trying to do this in my own strength, that is why I am frustrated and angry. Forgive me and live your life through me. Help me to walk in the spirit so I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Then start meditating on who you are in Christ.

That is renewing your mind and releasing the supernatural life of God out of your spirit into your soul and body. When your physical mind comes into agreement with your spiritual mind, you can literally begin to forgive, hope, endure and believe in things that you could not have done by your natural self. In your flesh, you cannot overcome, turn the other cheek or forgive someone who have done you wrong. That is why Paul said of his flesh, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death" (Rom. 7:24). In other words, Who will deliver me from this flesh, and the next verse says "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:25).