You can't be master over sin

Yesterday Chris was preaching on Nehemiah 13, the last book of Nehemiah. And this phrase he said has stuck with me 'You can't be master over sin' and it's really got me thinking. I've been a Christian for about 13 years, and sometimes I don't realise the power of what Jesus did for me on the cross. The power of Him dying for my sins.

I realise there are two options in life - you can be free from sin through faith in Jesus Christ or in bondage to sin. And you definitely cannot be master over sin. I was born into a sinful nature and it's like the gravity pull I described in other blog, I want to do God's will. I want to live a life that's pleasing to God, completely submitted and obedient to Him. But I fall short. Romans 4: 23 says: All have sinned; all for short of the God's glorious standard. One way in which I fall short from God's glory is that I do not spend as much time with God as I should. Chris had half-term off last week and it was wonderful spending the week with him, but my time with God went on the backburner. Everyday I noticed that time slipped away from me. I didn't make enough of an effort to read His Word and talk to Him in prayer.

Yesterday, Chris insisted that as we had a few minutes before we had to go out that we spend some individual quiet time with God. I was so grateful to him for that, because I was really missing my time with God. My study was on Galatians 5 and it was so appropriate for the way I was feeling. In verses 19-21 it says:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature,
your lives will produce these evil results:
sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure,
idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility,
quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group,
envy, drunkeness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.
Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life
will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

I read that and it just took my breath away! I could tick at least six of the activities off that list. Some that I struggle with every day! Some every minute of the day! But then the passage continues in verses 22-24:

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives,
He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Here there is no conflict with the law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires
of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

And that was when my eyes were opened to the power of what Jesus did for me. Jill Briscoe puts it wonderfully "Even after we become believers, we still have that sin nature, and it declares war on the Holy Spirit. The reason for this conflict of interests between the old and new natures inside a Christian is that the old nature wants to go on being sinful and selfish, while the new nature of Christ, imparted by the Holy Spirit, wants to be just like Christ!"

Sometimes as a Christian, and I've fallen into this trap, you think that you're almost untouchable when it comes to sin and temptation. But if you do it in your own strength, you will fail. I have. It's only by the power of the Holy Spirit and being submissive and obedient to God's will that we can be more than a conqueror. Even with the war going on inside of us, we will win the ultimate battle! I continue to pray and ask God to help me live a life that's pleasing to Him. Yes, I mess up and gravitate towards my sinful nature, but my heart's desire, my ultimate goal is to live my life through the power of the Holy Spirit, that's the only way that sin won't be a master over me.