Avoiding Sin

By |Published On: August 29, 2017|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with help if you want to stop sinning.

All of us (hopefully all of us) want to avoid disappointing God. And the best way not to disappoint Him is to make it your ambition to please him. Of course there are many ways we please God, but the most important way is to avoid sinful choices. I found though, that many Christians have a hard time with just saying no. Or perhaps, we’ve said yes to sin so many times, we don’t know how to say no.

Boy that was me back in high school, for sure. Back then, I knew my relationship with my boyfriend was anything but pure. I also knew that I professed Christ as my Savior and Lord. The thing was, every weekend when temptation came calling, I kept choosing the wrong path. I seemed to lack the power to say ‘no,’ and I was right. I had chosen the wrong course so many times, that I had enslaved myself worse than before I knew Christ. It was the summer of my high school graduation, and I knew that my boyfriend and I were heading to the same college. There would be no mother or father looking over our shoulders once I got on campus. I did not want to go off to school and only make things worse. So I prayed right after graduation. I said, “Lord, I have no moral strength to do the right thing. I am trapped spiritually, emotionally, and physically. So please would you take over? Take control. Help me start a new chapter in my life this fall when I go to college!”

About two weeks later I broke my neck, and you know the rest of that story. I’m not going to get into whether or not my diving accident was God’s answer to that prayer. But I will address the problem of Christians who find themselves in the habit of constantly sinning, and sinning over the same thing by making the wrong choice over and over. Because I believe if you can remember just one vital truth in the moment of heat of trial and then seek your God, you can be different. When you actually remember God, we won’t sin. David Powlison says, “The only way we ever sin is by suppressing God, by forgetting, by tuning out His voice, switching channels, and listening to other voices. But when you actually remember Him, you actually change.” Here’s an example: God says many times, “I am with you.” So, when you face temptation, for starters, nothing is private. God is with you. No secrets are possible with Him. Remember that God is there, and say to yourself, “He is with me.” Powlison says to say it ten different ways. Say it back to Him, the way Psalm 23, verse 4 does: “You are with me.” Then slow it down; speed it up; say it out loud. You’ll find that you immediately need to say more: “Oh God, You are with me. Help me. Make me know that. Have mercy on me. Don’t forsake me. I need You right now. Make me understand.” You will find that the lying, tempting voices will become fainter and less obvious. Those voices are sly and argumentative. They will try to drown out God’s reality. They will scoff at what God says. They will scoff at you. Well, to the degree that you remember that your Lord is with you and you seek Him, then those other voices will sound hostile to your welfare. How did they ever sound so appealing? You’ll think to yourself. You will turn around in order to find help. And God who loves you says, “I am with you to awaken and encourage you.” Whatever your struggle, God’s saying “I am with you.” Oh my goodness, that really changes the terrain of battle. Your choices count, and you can choose life. Remember, a good road runs uphill toward the light; a bad road leads you down to a dark abyss. Remember that when God whispers, “I am with you” when you’re being tempted.

© Joni and Friends

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