Your Sin is Your Choice.
“Temptation is too hard.”
“Everyone else is doing it.”
“It’s not like I am going all the way.”
“There’s free will.”
“There’s grace.”
“This is my life and I’m going to do what I want.”
Friend who is struggling with sin. Whether it’s something you are hiding or blatantly doing in public: it is your choice.
Yes, the world is crooked and messed up. Yes, the world is full of sin. Yes, the world tells you to do what makes you happy. And guess what? It’s your choice to do what the world says or what God says.
Philippians 1:15 says, “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
I do want to point out from this verse that God does not expect perfection from us. He knows we are broken aside from His Son, Jesus. We take refuge in Jesus’ perfection that covers the sin we do. So when you read the word’s “blameless” and “innocent” don’t freak out. Yes, there is healthy striving for righteousness, but don’t kill yourself over trying to attain an unattainable goal that has already been completed for yourself.
We are in a twisted generation. We always have been. There has always been opposers of God. There have always been lukewarm christians trying to reap the benefits of God, but still do what they desire to do. There always have been. This isn’t new. So we cannot use the excuse that times have gotten harder to follow Christ with your full heart. It’s HARD. I get it. But friend, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to be set apart SO THAT we could be a light to the world. We cannot be light if we are partaking in the disobedient acts of the world. Yes, we desire to be a light and to be used by the Lord, but we cannot do that with giving into whatever our flesh wants.
There HAS to be a choice that you make in your heart. There has to be a switch. The switch cannot simply be made from “willpower.” The switch is made by the Holy Spirit’s conviction in your heart that compels you to repent and turn away from your sin. (Acts 3:19)
Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” The greek meaning of “imitate” is to reflect. If we want to be like Jesus, love like Jesus, and be Jesus to others around us in this broken world, we can’t be doing things Jesus didn’t do. We cannot be doing things Jesus has said for us not to do. We cannot be giving into sin so easily. We have to guard our hearts and our minds towards temptation.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
You see that? Everything you do flows from it.
Meaning, if your heart is so consumed with the world’s ideology: you will live according to what the world says for you to do. If you fill your heart with God’s truth and protect your heart against lies, your actions will reflect righteousness. If you allow your heart to be filled with lies people have told you, insecurity will flow from your life and into your relationships. What you allow in is what you will produce. Again, it’s your choice. How you respond and what you allow in is now up to you.
If you keep feeding the temptation of sin in your life, you are going to keep cultivating the sin in your heart. If you repent, flee from that sin, and turn to Jesus that’s when you start living righteously. God never has asked us to live perfect, He asked us to be obedient to Him. To receive the grace when we mess up. To turn from our sin and follow Him. To pick up our cross DAILY and follow Him.
There is no excuse. Here is a verse to humble ya: Hebrews 12:4, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
There is hope, my friend. But it starts with your choice in giving into your flesh or wanting to be an imitator of Christ. Tangibly, this means setting strict boundaries to protect your heart. Not having certain relationships anymore. Breaking up with that boyfriend that leads you away from Jesus. Deleting certain people off your contact list or unfollowing people. Finding accountability and allowing yourself to be vulnerable with someone. These things are worth giving up if that means you will be closer to Jesus and doing His will for your life.
We are not here to have a good time and fulfill what our flesh wants. We are here to bring glory to God and to make disciples.