Several years ago, I was blessed to be part of a special Bible study program at my church called the Discipleship program. The way it worked is each group would have only two members, the mentor and the one to be discipled. I am most sure both were being discipled in the process.
Everyone wants to be a disciple of Christ, but without the discipline. You cannot have it both ways. Jesus taught, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV).
One of the important components of this program was to memorize a scripture that went with each of the thirteen areas for growing in Christ. Though it has been several years since I was in this program, I still have those verses memorized yet to this day. There is power in memorizing the Word of God.
You can always tell a man or woman immersed in God’s word, because their life will show it. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV).
One verse in particular jumped out at me in this course because it was an area that I was struggling so hard in. The verse was from 1 Corinthians 10:13 and addressed the most wonderful subject: how we can overcome sin. We were meant to walk in victory.
God always provides the escape route from your temptation, but will you look for it? “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV).
We all struggle with sin, and we need to lift each other up in our battles. Our sin may be different, and the degree to which it rules us may be different as well, but we all have areas that we must overcome. God knows this. God gave us a way of escape because He knew we would need it.
So long as you justify your sin, God can’t help you escape from it. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9 NKJV).
Overcoming sin is not a one and done experience, but a lifetime of peeling back the layers of all that is yet wrong within us. The nearer we get to God, the more His shining glory light exposes all that needs to be forgiven. God knows the depth of your sin and that is why only the precious blood of Christ could ever pay for it.
When Jesus paid for your sins with His blood, it wasn’t a down payment but a payment in full. “You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way…But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, but not with something that ruins like gold or silver. You were bought with the precious blood of the death of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb.” (1 Peter 1:18-19 ICB).
Too often, we worry more about how others might see us than about what God knows about us. Be sure that man will never judge you in the end, and God will never fail you along the way. Still, consider that your confession to others might be the very thing that you and they need to overcome truly.
Stop confessing the sins of others and just confess your own. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16 NKJV).
God allows temptation that we might grow stronger in the process. He does not want you to fail, but He knows you cannot get stronger apart from trials and temptations. When you are tempted, learn to seek what God is strengthening you for in the days ahead.
Temptations are meant to build you, not destroy you. “We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT).
Whenever you fall, get back up. Fall seven times, get back up seven times. Never give up because God will always be there to help you. Run to Him in your failures and learn from Him in your mistakes. Seek that person whom God will send to help you in the things you’re struggling in.
Where streams meet, rivers begin. We need each other. “Two are better than one…For if they fall, one will lift up his companion…” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV).
Overcoming is not only for you but for those who are around you. You will do more for the kingdom as the world has less of a hold on you. You will have a greater witness to others as they witness the change in you. Never stop trying. God has a purpose and a plan for your life.
There are some things you can’t teach with words but only by the way you live your life. “Above all, set yourself apart as a model of a life nobly lived. With dignity, demonstrate integrity in all that you teach” (Titus 2:7 TPT).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius