The Voice of Sin

Note: This post is specifically addressed to Christian brothers and sisters in love

As humans we have to deal with 3 main types of sin:

1.) Inherited Sin from Adam (Romans 5:12)
2.) Inert Sin (lust, greed, envy, hate, wrath, pride etc)
(Inert means they reside in us but require an action by us to give them “voice”)
3.) Kinetic Sin (stealing, murder, fighting, arguing, adultery)
(Giving “voice to sin” – Adultery is lust in action. Stealing is greed in action)

Prime example of the “voice of sin”:

Matt 5:27: “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’;
Matt 5:28: but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The action: “Look with Lust” – It takes an action on the part of the Christian to give “voice” to sin

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD:

As Christians we have to be careful to avoid giving place to the “voice of sin” in our lives. We have to understand how God views sin. He cannot and will not abide it in His children. Repeating the same sin (even if we “feel bad about it”) is rebellion against God. Rebellion. God will not tolerate it for very long. First there will be minor explosions in your life. Troubles where before there was peace and joy. If you still insist on giving a place in your life to the “voice of sin”, eventually there will be a nuclear blast in your life. A failed marriage, public shame and scorn, prison, injured people, on and on.

I’m as guilty as anyone reading this. I underestimated God’s view of “kinetic sin”. There were things in my life I was holding on to. Areas of my heart I was refusing to surrender. Then God revealed His absolute abhorrence of all sin. Somehow I had made excuses and rationalized the “voices of sin” in my life as inconsequential at best, or perfectly natural at worst.

I now know what it means to go through the “refiner’s fire”. I now understand what it means to surrender everything. I still sin as I am still human. I have inert sin, and often it becomes kinetic. But I refuse to give kinetic sin a permanent place in any area of my life now. For example, today, there was someone at work whom I don’t get along with very well. They did something unprofessional and I found myself overreacting. But it was unintentional. But I’m aware of it. We all sin. But we don’t have to choose to continue to sin.

The only advice I can give you to help you overcome the strongest/repetitive “voices of sin” in your life is to study God’s word and try to understand (just try) God’s view of sin. How sin is revolting and abhorrent to a HOLY God.

But you know something? The crazy flipside of this is that when you start to muzzle the repetitive voices of sin in your life, God will start working in ways you cannot imagine. His Spirit will be able to move in your life and through your life to accomplish His work. Search the scriptures and make God’s word alive in your heart.

Most of all, lean on your brothers and sisters! You are NOT ALONE! If something in your life seems to big, kick your pride to the curb and talk to another Christian you trust. No man (or woman) is an island someone mentioned to me recently and its very true.

Some scriptures that will give you something to think about:

Col 3:4: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Col 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

1 Cor 3:16: Do you not know that you are a temple of God and {that} the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Cor 3:17: If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are

Isa 63:08: For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior.
Isa 63:09: In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
Isa 63:10: But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.

Hbr 10:26: For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Hbr 10:27: but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

1 John 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Update on Jonathan

He called me and he did indeed make it home.  And he sounded very happy.  I pray that he gets involved with a church close by and that the church will help take care of him and his family because they need some help.

 I contacted a Baptist church that is very close to him and his family and hope they will continue the ministry to this family.

I hope that those of you reading this will keep him and his family in your prayers.

Thanks for reading!

Check out the story of Jonathan

This is a true story of what happened last night.  Its on the right side under pages, or you can click HERE (CLICK ME).

Tradition! (Imagine Fiddler on the roof)

It amazes me how little I know about God’s workings.

I read and study and invariably I come across some extra information that sheds additional light on God’s amazing plan.
For example, today I was reading and I came across the “IVP Bible Background Commentary”.  I was studying 2 Thessalonians and I ran across 2 Thessalonians 2:15:

“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”

Paul is encouraging the church (Thessalonica then, us now) to stand firm!  Hold to the traditions we are taught, by word of mouth or by letter.

So I asked myself, what are the traditions? What did Paul mean by this?  Did he mean sacraments? Did he mean communion? What’s he getting at here?

I came across this note in the “IVP Bible Background Commentary” that says:

“Pharisaic Judaism emphasized the careful passing on of traditions from earlier teachers. Paul passed on to the Thessalonian believers the teachings of Jesus, many of which he has alluded to in this chapter. “
-from IVP Bible Background Commentary

I knew that the Pharisees passed down their traditions.  And I knew Paul was a former Pharisee but I had never considered the idea that God used one of the key Pharisaic practices to help build the early Christian church. 

How big is God?

A recent post over at Voice Of The Sheep has gotten me thinking.  

How big is our God?

How many times does God have to prove His message in total disregard of the person who brought it?

We tear down other believers because they don’t dress like we expect them to.

We tear down other believers because they don’t talk like we expect them to.

We tear down other believers because they believe something a little different than we do (but yet are brothers in Christ).

I’m so tired of the negativism, and the infighting among God’s people.

I think people miss so much of God’s working because they expect God to work in a certain way.  How many times does God have to surprise us before we finally learn this lesson.

The Holy Spirit of God led me back to these scriptures today and I would like to share them.

(NASB)

Ecc 12:13     The conclusion, when all has been heard, {is:} fear God and keep His commandments, because this {applies to} every person.
Ecc 12:14    For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

1Cr 3:1     And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
1Cr 3:2    I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able {to receive it.} Indeed, even now you are not yet able,
1Cr 3:3    for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
1Cr 3:4    For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not {mere} men?
1Cr 3:5    What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave {opportunity} to each one.
1Cr 3:6    I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
1Cr 3:7    So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
1Cr 3:8    Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1Cr 3:9    For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

The fields are ripe for harvest and we stand in the fields quarreling about the tools we should use while our containers stand empty.

 Who are we to judge the other workers in the field?

 As an alternative, I find myself encouraged by reading Mike’s FBC blog over at blogspot.  While, I’m not sure I agree with him on everything, I definitely agree with him about keeping Jesus Christ the “main thing”.