Do you hate sin like you hate pimples? Part 2

Note: To all guy readers, do not be turned away due to the use of words like "pimple" and "clear skin", etc. This post is in no way girly at all! It's just metaphorical, so please read and enjoy! ;)

On Monday I wrote a blog post describing the metaphorical relationship between pimples and sin. If you haven't read it, you can by clicking here!

Let's continue on! Keep in mind that this post will be done through the using of the metaphor, so hopefully you won't get too confused. :)

What if I'm constantly breaking out?

If sin is constantly having control over your life and perhaps you're even letting it - then maybe you were never freed from sin to begin with. When you become saved through Jesus Christ, you're then automatically freed from the bondage of sin. Check it out:

Romans 6:6-11

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. that we should no longer be slaves to sin—Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Romans 6:18
"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

This is not to say that you will never sin or struggle with sin again, rather it means that because of your being born again, you are now at an advantage with Christ to overcome and defeat sin - just as Jesus did. If you find yourself constantly giving into sin in various aspects of your life, rather than giving it up for Jesus' name and because you love Him - maybe you should reevaluate your heart and find where it's truly at. 

If you do know Jesus yet continue to sin against Him, He will certainly discipline you(Hebrews 12:4-13). He does this out of love, like a parent to child. I have seen Him do this in my life and in the end, all I can speak of is thanks to His name.

What if I have a reoccurring pimple?

For some of us, if not all, there is a specific sin that always seems to be knocking at our door. One day we may think we have fully overcome it in every way, just for it find us where we are the next day. The struggle can go deep - it can relate back to past events in our lives or things that have caused us to think or act a certain way which relate to this sin. If there is a reoccurring sin in your life that seems to continually have its grip on you, I encourage you to seek out the power and strength of Jesus.

Romans 6:22

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Remember, through the death of your old self, and the new life given through Jesus, you are set free from sin. It is no longer your master, but rather Jesus is. Though you may be tempted, you may also overcome that temptation as well! In tempting moments, Jesus can and will provide the strength you need to say no to whatever it is - but you must seek Him out in those moments. Say a prayer, read your Bible, call a close friend, etc. All these things are helpful and necessary when struggling. I will say that you may never be completely free from the temptations of certain sins, but you ALWAYS have a choice to obey or disobey Jesus. You will always have the opportunity to turn to Jesus in those moments - and I encourage you to! There is is nothing quite like the feeling of overcoming and defeating temptation and sin. :)

 
Why doesn't my skin ever completely clear up?

As previously mentioned, though we are now at an advantage towards sin, we are still sinful. We are still bound by the curse of sin until we die. The fight is tough and some times can be very discouraging. There can be very low and dark points, but we also can remember and trust in the promise of Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 12:1-3

" ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

1 Timothy 6:12

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

No matter how difficult the struggle or how powerful the temptation of sin may be, there is nothing that can compare to the victory and joy in Jesus! Hold fast unto Him and you will see this victory! :)

Here are some things to keep in mind while dealing with sin:

1. Don't do things that lead to breaking out.

I know this doesn't necessarily apply to guys, but I think you'll still understand. When a girl tries on a make-up, lotion, etc. and it causes her to break out, she DOES NOT buy that product again. Makes sense right? 

The same thing applies to sin. If you know doing a specific thing, thinking a specific thing, being with a specific person, etc. will cause you to be tempted to sin, THEN DON'T DO IT. It is a very foolish thing to know what causes your temptations and then to continually put yourself in those spots. It may take sacrifice, but if you truly love Jesus, no sacrifice could be of too great worth, not to mention the sacrifice He made for you! 

2. It isn't YOU alone that gets rid of your pimples.

Think of it this way: You use facial cleansers or medicine to help get rid of the pimples you deal with. If it weren't for these cleansers or medicine, then your pimples may be more rampant and out of control. You yourself cannot really or truly get rid of your acne problems. The same goes with sin and Jesus. If you're not depending on Jesus (aka the "cleanser") in parts of your life where sin (ance) is prevalent, then you cannot expect for it to go away or for you to overcome it. The truth is, as sinful human beings, we are weak. It would be an unwise thing to depend merely on your own will power to defeat certain sinful struggles in your life. (John 15:5 - Apart from Christ you can do nothing) So stop depending on yourself if you are and depend on the power of Jesus!   

Titus 2:11-12

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,"

Once again, there is hope and victory in the name of Jesus! If you trust and depend on Him to bring you to this victory then I guarantee you that you WILL see it!

3. It's a process

Just like pimples, they don't just quickly vanish or go away. It takes time, typically several days for it to come and go. The same applies to sin in our lives. If you are quick to spot the pimple AKA sin coming on in your life, and apply some form of cleanser AKA Jesus (reading God's word, praying, seeking council, etc.) then the quicker it should go away. Still however, some pimples can really take their good 'ol time on leaving. Don't be discouraged if sin is not so easy for you to be rid of in your life. Through this constant process of having to trust in Jesus for Him to enable to you to overcome it, your relationship with Him can grow tremendously! 

My Challenge to you: Keep running the good race and trusting in Jesus! Think about the principles and concepts I mentioned and see where they can apply to your life. As followers of Christ, we are already on the winning side, so don't forget that and keep serving your Jesus! :)

Food for Thought

"A man is what he thinks about all day long." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, what do you think about all day long? It's an interesting thought, isn't it? 

Would you say your thoughts are more concerned with things of this world? Appearance. Material items. Friends. What's going on tomorrow. Plans for Friday. The next new movie, CD or magazine.

Or are your thoughts centered around Christ? Loving others. Being patient. Sharing the Gospel. Reading your Bible. Meditating on God's truth. Serving others. 

Pretty noticeable difference, huh?

Now, it definitely is true that you cannot always be thinking about spiritual things, simply because that's not an option, we still have to fulfill our earthly responsibilities. But it is more important to have a healthy balance, just like with anything. Let's see what God's word has to say about this!

Romans 12:2
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

My challenge to you: Consider the things you think about. What are they mainly centered around? What does this show about your heart in terms with your relationship with God? What could YOU be doing to help your thought life and make it more pleasing to your Heavenly Father?

Left or Right? How about WRONG!

Have you ever been wronged? Or at least felt like you were wronged by someone?

Yeah, me too. It's a terrible feeling, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you cringe and wish to make things even or at least something within you screams for justice and something that would make up for the wrong?

It can be a very strong emotion, depending on how serious the injustice upon you is. Often times, it is easy to quickly judge the person for what they've done, to believe they deserve something in return that is utterly terrible, that you should get revenge and make SURE it hurts.

There is nothing wrong with anger, righteous anger--meaning your reason for being upset is one that is "legit". It really all comes down to what you do with the anger or feelings.

Leviticus 19:18

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."

Proverbs 24:29

"Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did."

It can be a very difficult thing to do but these verses call us to let go of those feelings of revenge or of anger.
Sometimes you wonder why you have to, as if the person is going to get away with what they have done against you. But this is not true! We, as Christians, know that God is the true Judge.

1 Peter 2:23 

"When they hurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

Did you catch that? Even Jesus (who was God) did not fight back, but rather he let it go to the Father, the true judge, the one who judges justly! 

Now, Jesus was perfect and could not sin, so therefore, it's not completely the same, but once again, we are called to be like Christ and to follow in His footsteps. 

My challenge to you: Let God be the Judge! In moments when you're first wronged, your emotions may be screaming for you to get revenge on the other person, but REMEMBER, God will take care of it. Perhaps this person is not a Christian, think about where they are headed in regards to eternity. Instead of seeing it as you must get back at them, see it as an opportunity to witness through shining as the light of Christ by example and your actions, pray for them, etc. because you know they are headed to a very dark and terrible place! Once again, God is the judge, you do not need to try to justify things for yourself. Usually, by seeking revenge or letting go of control of our anger or high raging emotions, we make poor and unwise decisions which just lead to other problems! I think Romans says it perfectly...

Romans 12:17-21

"Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."