by Jim Hughes
Eccl. 3:18 Then I realized that God allows people to continue in their sinful ways so he can test them. That way, they can see for themselves that they are no better than animals.
If God wanted to, He could make us do what is right in His eyes. He could force His ways upon us. He could take care of sin without any problem at all. But, He has not chosen to do it. In a lot of ways, I think it would make living a much easier process. At least then, we wouldn’t be constantly struggling to not sin. But then, we would be merely robots in God’s hands and not able to have a love relationship with Him. We would not be able to know Him in a deep and personal way, as one who helps us in our times of need and struggles.
God knows that the real test of one’s faith is how we handle sin. He knows what we should know, that if we are His children we will not continue to sin against Him. God is holy and there is no sin found in Him. If He lives in us and controls us, then we should not sin against Him. It’s as simple and plain as that. There is no wiggle room when it comes to sin. It is detestable to God and will be judged by Him.
No one has to tell you that sin is a problem for you. We all know that we are not as godly as we would like to be or as others perceive us to be. Sin is common to all people. The more sin we see in us, the more we realize that we need the Lord. We must have the Lord’s help if we are going to have victory over sin, because it is too powerful for us to overcome on our own.
When we don’t let the Lord help us, we will do as the animals do; we will follow our sinful instincts. We can’t change our ways on our own. We are born sinners and will die sinners without the Lord. Denying that it is so does not change it. God makes it very clear in His Word.
You will never know the peace of God while dabbling in sin. You will know how strong your faith really is by how well you resist sinning. Your love for God is seen in how you handle sin. If you find yourself yielding to sin more than you do resisting it, you are not living in fellowship with God.
Dear friend. Only Jesus can help you with your sin problem. No one can stop you from sinning, but Christ can help you overcome your desire to sin. Let Jesus be your Lord and you will discover that you will no longer be a victim to sin; instead, you will be a victor over it.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.