After an honest look at our lives, we should all be able to identify areas where the Lord is still at work. For all of us, there are negative elements in our lives that get in the way of what could be a better relationship with God, our family, or our friends. However, knowing what to change, why to change, and how to change can be very difficult.
Attempts are often made at reforming our lives that leave us discouraged as we find ourselves repeating the same sins. Sometimes we may wonder if we will ever gain victory in a certain area. If this is true of you, know that you are not alone, and “you have a great high priest who is able to sympathize with your weaknesses” (English Standard Version, Heb. 4:15).
Jesus has given you His Spirit to help you in the fight and to be with you in the battle. He will give you strength, and the victory will come from the Lord.
1) What is the negative in my life?
Sin is something that will cripple the Christian and drive him away from the Lord. Therefore, understanding this negative component will be important in our walk with the Lord. Scripture says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). Sin is the breaking of God’s law. Every time we do this, it is a direct attack on our Creator. The Bible also says sin is
• The transgression of God’s law. (1 John 3:4)
• Of the devil. (John 8:44)
• Unrighteousness. (1 John 5:17)
• Not doing what we know we should. (James 4:17)
• That which is not of faith. (Rom. 14:23)
• The devising of foolishness. (Prov. 24:9)
The Bible makes it very clear that we need to get rid of sin. However, the term sin is very broad, and sometimes identifying it in yourself can be very difficult. In the New Testament, Paul has given a number of sin lists that can be very helpful and should be approached with prayer for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Portions of Scripture such as Rom. 1:28-32, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, and Gal. 5:19-21 can help us to see what the Bible calls sin. Here we can read about attitudes and behaviors such as idolatry, anger, drunkenness, greed, pride, disobedience toward our parents, and more.
In an attempt to remove the negative from your life, knowing what that is will be important. Removing sin is absolutely necessary for anyone to grow in their relationship with the Lord. However, so often the motivation to do it is lacking, which brings us to our next point.
2) Why do I need to get rid of the negative in my life?
Sin will deprive you of the abundant life that can be had in Christ. Your faith in the Lord will dwindle as you continue to choose sin over your Savior. Many of us have experienced this the hard way. The Scriptures give us many reasons to turn from our sin that consist of, but are not limited to, the following:
• Sin hinders prayer. (Ps. 66:18)
• Sin limits God’s blessing. (Jer. 5:25)
• Sin brings shame. (Rom. 6:21)
• Sin defiles. (Prov. 30:12)
• Sin provokes God to anger. (1 Kin. 16:2)
Along with these reasons, sin will get in the way of sweet communion with God. Joy in the Lord is possible, and a life full of faith and the Spirit is offered to us. However, sin, like a weed, will strangle out the beautiful flowers of faith, joy, contentment, and peace in the Lord that God so persistently seeks to produce in our lives.
3) How do I get rid of the negative in my life?
We have seen what we need to get rid of. Hopefully we have also seen that it is worth it to get rid of these things. But the question arises concerning how to get rid of sin. Fighting against sin is frequently done in our own strength, and as a result we fail. We can get discouraged and find ourselves wanting to give up. Hudson Taylor was a man who did great things for the Lord, but who became exhausted as he tried to be holy and found himself failing in the fight.
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret records a definitive point in Taylor’s life in which a letter is sent to him from a friend. This letter contained a vital component that Taylor was missing in his life. He was worn out and discouraged. It seemed hopeless to him that he should ever gain any ground in his fight against sin. Over time, he was looking more at himself as the source of his sanctification rather than at Christ. He took his eyes off of Jesus, which so easily could happen to any of us.
In Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, we read, “It is defective faith which clogs the feet and causes many a fall… How then to have our faith increased? Only by thinking of all that Jesus is and all He is for us: His life, His death, His work, He Himself as revealed to us in the Word, to be the subject of our constant thoughts. Not a striving to have faith… but a looking off to the Faithful One seems all we need; a resting in the Loved One entirely, for time and for eternity” (Taylor, 1990, 175-176).
As Hudson read these words from his friend, we read of his experience: “As I read, I saw it all. I looked to Jesus and when I saw – oh, how joy flowed” (176). Hudson had little joy, and holiness eluded his grasp, but as he simply looked to Jesus, the power for holy living came rushing in.
A. W. Tozer says, “The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do” (2018, 297).
In your fight for holiness, look to Jesus. Don’t be discouraged; just look to the Savior, look at his death, look at his life, look at his grace, look at his compassion, look at his love, look at his nails and the length at which He will go so that you will be His.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You that Your Son died for me and for the promise that You will complete in me what You started. So often I take my eyes off of You and try to be like You in my own strength. Give me eyes to see you anew this day and a heart that responds to your call. In Jesus’ name, Amen.