Feb 10, 2011 The Spirit Leads Us to Kill Sin
Originally posted on September 29, 2006
“If, by the Spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14
The Spirit Leads Us To Kill Sin
Romans 8:9-14 tells us that if we belong to Christ, we have His Spirit. If we have the Spirit, our spirit is alive and our mortal bodies will be given life. With that as the foundation, we are then told that by the Spirit we are to put to death the sins of the body.
We are led by the Spirit to kill sin and we must follow the Spirit in killing sin. Each time we exercise our faith and act against sin and for holiness, we are following the Spirit’s lead.
Following the Spirit In Killing Sin
Here are ten actions we can take to follow the Spirit’s lead to kill sin and to greatly enjoy God.
1. Be aware of the principle of sin (Romans 7:14-25). There is a war going on inside every Christian. We are God’s children and filled with God’s Spirit, but in our humanness we still struggle against our tendency toward sin and selfishness. Don’t be surprised by the battle within.
2. Be aware of your sin. We are tempted in a variety of ways, but each person usually has a few areas of struggle that are more intense than others. Know yourself and be on guard for the particular ways you are stirred up to sin. Doing so will help you fight for faithfulness.
3. Humble yourself before God. Don’t deny or ignore the presence of sin. Don’t blame others for your sin. Open your heart and admit your sin to God. Submit to His searching word and Spirit and repent of the sin that is revealed to you.
4. Rely upon the Spirit to deal with the sins of the heart. Deal with the sins of the heart. When dealing with gossip, change your words and repent of the self-righteousness that resides within.
5. Meditate on the cross of Christ. Seeing the Savior on the cross elevates in our minds the sinfulness of sin and the graciousness of Christ.
6. Develop your affection for Christ. Love for Christ is the greatest power for expelling sin from our lives. Think often of the character and love of Jesus revealed in Scripture.
7. Fight sin on three fronts. Renew and discipline the mind by Scripture memorization and a simple decision to not yield to the temptation of the moment. Alter your environment to remove temptation as much as possible. Deal with the soul as you prayerfully process your sin patterns before the sufficient grace of God in Christ Jesus.
8. Live in spiritual fellowship with others. Talk and pray with friends who can help you and keep you accountable for your life.
9. Exercise your Spirit enabled power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God. Just say “no”. Just say “yes”. Say it out loud if you need to.
10. Persevere. Romans 8:13 says we are to be killing sin. That means we will be killing sin the rest of our lives. Keep going to God for grace through the Spirit and the Word.
God Is the Reason We Kill Sin
Remember that the purpose of being led by the Spirit to kill sin is to more fully enjoy and glorify God. Keep God as your greatest end.
Pastor Scott