We look out upon a world that has gone mad committing every manner of sin. Don’t think for a moment that the ravages of sin are not affecting the believer in Christ. Sin has grown so powerful through the instigation of Satan that it permeates every area of society from the highest to the lowest amongst us. From the cradle to the grave it’s great power has cast most into a life of bondage. Many who claim to know Christ are stuck in the old sin nature. It has driven millions into counseling and drug addiction or to a life of unchecked lawlessness. The horrific pain and suffering caused by sin are both shocking and devastating. Our courts and prisons are bursting at the seams while the world cries out, “What is sin?” Tragically this increasing sin also affects the earth bringing forth one calamity after another. As diseases and epidemics sweep the planet many of them have a direct correlation with sin. It’s so sad that everything is being blamed for the problems of humanity and the destruction of our planet, but no one is blaming sin.

So, in a world ravaged by sin, how can God’s beloved children escape the power of sin and its consequences? A simplistic answer is to say no to sin and to withdraw from those who commit sin, but we will need to be much more detailed in our answer. We will begin our explanation with the negative by saying that the world as a whole or fallen humanity has a very difficult time saying no to sin. What’s so alarming is many believers claim they have no power in themselves to stop the habit of sinning. They try every conceivable method from godless meditation to drugs and counseling with no great success. Many in desperation finally give up and become servants to their sin or sinful habits. This is also proved by the number of their counselors that teach them non-ending techniques to supposedly help them to overcome their many emotional and psychological problems caused by the consequences of their sin or the sin committed to them by others. As a rule, the concept of sin is never discussed among the world’s counselors. On the other hand, only it’s devastating consequences are discussed at length. They always attempt to deal with the effect and not the cause.

This inability to say no to sin is also proved by no longer recognizing sin as a trespass against a Holy God. For the most part, it’s simply recognized as a personal choice. They typically see it as an acceptable routine or social norm that others must accept. They gleefully say, “Why must I say no to something that I don’t see as being wrong in the first place.” That is the tremendous power that Satan has wielded in the last days. He has set about to convince fallen humanity that it’s not sin, nor is it a trespass against a Holy God. The lukewarm church teaches that God winks at their sin and is always ready to forgive with no accountability. To fulfill his satanic agenda he also convinces fallen humanity to destroy the Ten Commandments by removing them from public buildings and the schoolhouse. Then he attacks prayer in school and outlaws bible study in the schoolhouse or in public buildings. Moreover, if he can convince those in leadership to legalize the trespass then in the minds of fallen humanity it must be okay even if it produces dire consequences.

Therefore, the first step in learning how to say no to sin is to learn that the sin, that’s no longer called sin, is a trespass against a Holy God. The Holy Bible has recorded many of these trespasses that fallen humanity has either completely ignored, explained away, or was convinced by the lukewarm Church that it’s not really necessary to keep the commandments of Christ. Yet, it’s these beautiful commands that help the believer to experience the fullness of their new life in Christ. It helps the new believer in Christ to stay away from those things that will pull them down or keep them in bondage to the old life. For example, the law stipulates that we should bring no harm to our bodies (see I Corinthians 3:16-17). So, if certain foods, drinks, drugs, or even cigarettes have been proven to be harmful to our bodies then why do we ignore the commands of God and destroy our bodies? Why do we subject ourselves to the tragic consequences of our sin? Obesity, alcoholism, and lung cancer to name a few is ravaging fallen humanity because they sin against God. So many in our day who claim to know Christ needlessly suffer because they fail to obey the beautiful commands of God, which is sin.

We need to learn how to say no to all sin which is a trespass against God. The second essential step is to make sure that we have completely surrendered our life to Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of the old man that is crucified with Christ and if we truly allow the old sin nature to die then it no longer has power over us. We have been set free from the power of sin. Praise God! Through faith we believe that God raised Him from the grave. Through faith we also believe that we have been raised with Him to become a new creation, who now has power over sin. (See II Corinthians 5:17; and, Romans 6:6-7). Quite simply we can say no to sin. We can confidently say if the old man died with Christ then it no longer has power over the new man in Christ. While the world struggles with putting off their old sin habits with great agony and frustration, the putting off of the old man has been made easy through faith and dependence upon God through the indwelling Spirit that gives us both courage and peace.

A sure test of our faith: will you be willing to give up every sin and every habit when you discover that it is a trespass against God? This knowledge of God’s Will comes through the personal study of God’s Word, in the Bible. Our personal study of His Word will be brought to life by the indwelling Spirit giving us both a warming and conviction in our heart as we discover each command or the knowledge of His Will. As this happens the indwelling Spirit writes God’s Will and His beautiful commands on our hearts. Once God brings His conviction to our hearts then He also gives us the sufficient grace through faith to obey His Will and His commands. We have the power to say no to the sin! The Bible says, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (I John 3:6). How glorious it is to be freed from the power of sin. Dear children, as we draw closer to the end every day, it is essential that we say no to sin and say yes to our new life in Christ. Amen

Rev. Blair has recorded this Blog Article as a Tribulation Radio Show in HD Video with local vocalists, prayers, and much more to the glory of God. Please Check Here

This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2019. All rights reserved.