power of sin

I just completed another session in the Blue Letter Bible Institutes course on the attributes of God. This one was about the holiness of God and our need for holiness. There is so much to be said on the subject of the holiness of God and so many different implications in our life. The thing that struck me the most is the power of sin in my life and I'm sure in other people's lives.

Firstly, 1 John 1:9 states:
 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."
  This is a huge struggle for me. So often when I feel far from God simply confessing my sin brings so much peace. I can't cover up my sin, I can't hide it. This only empowers sin's hold over me. I try to combat my sin by myself, thinking I can overcome it when I desperately need the strength of God, and this comes with confession and repentance.


James 1:13-15
  ^"13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death "
   We are tempted by our own desire. Satan knows our desires, our weaknesses. He knows I would rather sleep than have time with the Lord. I would find myself with a 2 hour break, tell myself I would take a nap then wake up and spend an hour in the Word. Never happened. I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning. This is probably the least of my desires but it is a strong one. We need to recognize our personal weaknesses, what trips us up, and holds us back so that we can be more aware of those temptations. David Hocking on BLBI states "We can be tempted and baited and enticed by the enemy, but we sin."


God calls us to "be holy because I am holy" 1 Peter 1:16 and the first step is to recognize the sin in our lives. Personally, I need to remember to look for the sin in my life and bring it before God, to lean on His strength in overcoming temptation. 


"³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30