9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
If verse 9, or 10, talks about a situation that you are involved in the only way to be cleansed is through Jesus. But you must repent. You must confess what you did wrong as sin and forsake it. Then as the Bible says you will receive mercy. It is a combination of the two. One who is sorry but does not forsake the sin is not truly sorrowful. According to this one verse in Proverbs 28 it doesn't look like they will receive mercy from God....
How can someone receive mercy if they don't forsake what is sin but instead just says oh i'm sorry but continues in it?... They wont....
Proverbs 28:13
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
It is a combination of the two that one will receive mercy. Not one or the other. How can forsaking be enough without being sorrowful that you participated? An appropriate godly sorrow is what leads to salvation.
So in order to be cleansed like some people in verse 11 one must forsake, confess, and believe in Jesus and make Him the Lord and Savior of their life...
If you are struggling with a certain sin whether it be being a drunkard, living in sexual immorality, cheating people, worshipping idols, or any of the others listed above you can receive forgiveness through Jesus. Steps to avoid the sin is important to make. For now though lets understand what the deeds of the flesh are. It's effective to know what they are so that you can prepare what needs to be put to death in you if there is something listed.
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So the deeds of the flesh are listed above. Now lets go through some steps so that you can be living a life of victory and not defeat.
It's important to know that God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bare. This is a promise and it is found in the Bible. It's found in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Notice something here. It says the temptations in "your" life are no different from what others experience. This is common to be tempted then. So common in fact that the Bible also says that Jesus was even tempted just as we are but is without sin. That's located in Hebrews if you wish to read that verse.
Notice something else as well. It says God is faithful and that "He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. He will show you a way out so that you can endure". So there is hope. It's not always easy to spot that way out though. It's very important that you identify what areas in your life that are vulnerable or hard for you to remain faithful in. Whether that be home alone, in the shower, with friends, or a celebration with family. The Bible says to love God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. It's not about the celebration of "any" kind. It's about loving God with who you are and not just your words. To have a fear of God is amazing. It can keep you from sinning, Exodus 20:20, and it is the beginning of wisdom. You have "begun" to be wise when you fear God... Psalm 111:10
Psalm 111:10
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!
So lets get to another step. Ask yourself, "Is there anything that i can do to minimize the temptation that comes my way?". Is there something that you can throw away? Is there something that you can burn? Is there something that you can block? Is there anything in your life that will keep you from being in the presence of God? If so get rid of it immediately. As the Bible says, put to "death" the deeds of the flesh. When you throw something away, block, burn, etc.., you can be putting to death those deeds. Each "no" you say to sin you are putting it to death. That "split moment" when you say "no", you are obeying a commandment of God. Don't take lightly the power of your words. You are created in the image of God. God spoke life by His words. You can speak things like that! But you must respect your no in order for you to live holy in Christ...
There was something that bothered me when I came across this. I was bombarded with, "this is a lot. How can I do this? It's so hard!". What I came to realize was that it wasn't about the amount of days that one has been clean from something as much as it was a moment by moment fight. This life is not fought a day in advance but moment by moment. Each choice you make in that moment may bring you to God or further away. Which choices are you going to make?...
So lets have one more scripture of encouragement before this ends.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Have a "victorious" day!...
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