Struggling with Sin

As long as we are in this body of death, the flesh, we will struggle with sin. The key is that we do struggle, we hate it, we confess and are cleansed and then another sin surfaces that we need to confess and be cleansed of. God is showing us our inability to be good, that He must continually cleanse us to the very end of our life, while His blood covers our sinfulness. We only grow in holiness if we confess each sin as it emerges.

Many people remain spiritual babies, even though they are born again, because their pride prevents them from openly confessing their sin. We grow in direct proportion to how freely we confess.

In the mean time as all this is going on, the Lord's shed blood covers our sinfulness so that we can approach the throne of grace boldly, not because we are without sin, but because we belong to Christ.

Christ is before the Father all the time saying, "Father this one is mine", "that one is mine."

1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.…"

God wrote the words of 1 John to born again believers. This life is a battle with sin for believers. It is not a battle with sin for non-believers, they love their sin, refuse to say what it is and continue with it without conscience.

When we have grieved the Holy Spirit with our sin, we hate it, we are tormented in our soul until we confess. The non-believer doesn't do this, they have no sense of compassion for those they hurt and even justify it.

Ephesians 4:30-31 " 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"

God will not cleanse us of a sin we refuse to confess, either to Him or to the ones we have wronged. Relationships in the body of Christ continue to be broken and remain so because of the refusal to own their own sin.

There is amazing blessing in being able to freely and openly tell on ourselves. The sense of relief that comes when the sin has been removed and we continue on in greater fellowship with Christ. The freest person in the world is the one who keeps close accounts, confessing each wrong attitude or action as it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

There is no peace in the one who will not confess, nor is their peace in relationships that are not healed for lack of confession.

The goal for the believer in this life is to honor and glorify God. We should not be concerned about the creature comforts or the pleasures of this world. We enjoy those blessings from God, but they are not our goal, our goal is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our brethren as much as we already love ourselves.

Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”