While we are to confess to one another our sins, it is to repent and move on. Leave that stuff behind. Be a new creation. It is not to host a pity party or reminisce about your list of past or recent sins. The idea that you are what you eat continues to apply here. If you’re preoccupied with sin, then you’re dwelling in darkness. You’re thinking about sin, feeling guilty over it, and are maybe even still being tempted to do it again. What you focus on, you get more of. Don’t let that be a negative thing. This week our pastor said, “If you’re preoccupied with following the Spirit, you won’t have time to follow the desires of the flesh.” Are you thinking about your recent failures or next “fix,” or are you thinking how to best serve your neighbor? You can only expel sin/darkness by adding holiness/light. Spend the bulk of your time praying and delighting in the gospel instead of the sinful nature. The Spirit is continually at war with the flesh, so don’t give in but instead crucify the desires of your flesh. Those who walk in the flesh cannot please God, so set your mind on things of the Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit that enables us to obey, not ourselves. So pray and read the Word, grow in faith, and the Holy Spirit can and will help change your desires. We can’t do it on our own. We might sin occasionally, but we don’t camp in it. Sin cannot reign where Christ reigns, so make him Lord of all. Let everything you do be for the glory of God, for His purposes. Pursing Christ is how the Spirit grows us. If we remain in Christ, we will bear much fruit. So let God work through us, because we can’t do it apart from Him. Occupy yourself with the things of the Spirit, and everything else will follow.
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July 2020
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