The secret to breaking the power of sin - Romans 8:2

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:2

Sadly what many Christians don't realize is that sin enslaves you.  They’ll see sin as something that’ll be fun, it’ll feel good, and they’ll only do it for a little while.  But soon they discover that sin is like Rumpelstiltskin, the deal seems like a good one, until they enter it, then they discover they’ve been fooled!  Sin has captured them, and there will be a price to pay. There’s an old proverb that holds true:

Sin will take you take you farther than you want to go, 

keep you longer than you want to stay, 

and cost you more than you want to pay.

Sin seems cool and fun, but after a while you look down and there’s a chain around your ankle. You want to get out of it, but you’re stuck, and you realize the truth of Romans 6:18:

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?  Romans 6:18

But for the person who’s placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, a new power is in play:

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:2 

In other words, the power of the cross destroyed the power that sin had over the Christian, the chains have been removed, the prison door has been thrown wide open! You’re free!

“But,” you ask, “what about the Christian that still sins? Why does that happen?” I’ll tell you why: Yes, the cross destroyed the power that sin had over us, but it didn’t destroy our free will.  So while a Christian is no longer controlled by the power of sin, they can still choose to sin.  And the cycle starts all over again.

So what do I do?

The key to defeating sin isn’t to try harder, the key to remaining free from the power of sin is to remain in the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us! 

One Word:  SURRENDER.  Each and every day, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, to guide you, and then surrender to His leading. 

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  Romans 8:13-14

This Sunday, we’ll be taking a closer look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Don’t miss it!