It is a distraction! The definition of bondage is definitely a life of sin. It all starts with the same old evil desire. You had thought about it a couple of times. Your heart already warmed up to it. All you have learned or heard from the Word of God does not matter. It’s all about what makes you feel good at that particular time. You hear that still small voice within you, but all you have ever considered right seems shuttered instantly when you decide not to listen to it. A seed in your heart finally grows into what you had avoided. It’s only a matter of time and you feel completely stuck in a dark hole of self-condemnation and self-hate. Only two choices stand in this situation. Will you make things right with God by confessing it and allowing your heart and mind to be renewed? Or, stay in sin until you are dead to God’s voice and leading.
I’ve been here, I know you have as well. Being involved in sin keeps us in a dark place. We become distant from the revelation that Jesus died for us on the cross and dealt with sin, diseases and all that was birthed out of our fallen nature. Sin is simply anything that is not right or pleasing in the eyes of God. When God created the whole world, everything was perfect and beautiful. I mean, he saw that everything was good which means that life before sin was perfect and good. No diseases, no fungal infections, no poisonous plants… simply great harmony among all creatures. Allow me to digress a little and mention that, all animals were given vegetation for food. Genesis 1:30 states:
And to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the ground — “to everything in which there is the breath of life — “I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.
No lion, eagle, shark or any other predator was meant to feast on other animals, fish or people. All that we see within the animal kingdom was as a result of the fall.
We need to understand that there are a couple of things to see here concerning sin:
God is holy, and he expects us to be holy just as he is holy. God has called us a holy people, who should live and walk by the spirit of God (Gal 5:16-18). Truth be told, our default setting is thinking and living in sin. It is normally so easy to fall back because that is where we were before redemption. We, therefore, have to ensure that we are always in God so that we can be more like him. He has raised us to his level by imputing his righteousness in us and had even called us a holy people. We are called to rise to his level of holiness; it can never be the other way around.
2. Separation of man from God
One interesting thing to note here is that sin makes us feel like God is far from us, but it does not separate God from us. Please understand me here.
Romans 8:38 states;
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
The fact is, God never draws away from us when we mess up. He is the God who leaves the 99 and comes looking for us when we have wandered off. In most, if not all cases, we draw back or move away from God whenever we find ourselves in a messy situation. We shy away from God’s presence feeling unworthy and, thus, become an easy target for the Devil. The Devil likes such people. He isolates them just as a predator isolates the weakest in the pack i.e. a believer who turns away from fellowship and from God. In such moments, never allow yourself to stay down. Rise up, dust off the ashes and flee from the false sense of comfort that is there when caught up in sin.
3. Lack of confidence in approaching God
Sin causes us to wallow in a state of self-condemnation, guilt, and shame. Condemnation robs us of our confidence in God, even after we have been told to approach his throne of grace with confidence so that we may obtain mercy (Hebrews 4:16). The word in 1 John 3:19 states that:
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
Let us, then, be those that are bold to approach God in order to grow our individual relationships with Him.
4. Limits the work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the promised helper that Jesus talked about when he was about to leave the earth to be with God (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit has been the most underutilized member of the Trinity since most believers do not know how to engage him in communion. Moreover, any time sin is present in our lives, the Holy Spirit is grieved. I like how the New Living Translation puts it…
Ephesians 4:30
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit has a specific task to guide us through our daily walk of life and to ensure that at the end of our days, we are redeemed from this earthly life. Living in sin makes this difficult, which means that we need to hear his voice and leading.
God is interested in our RELATIONSHIP and INTIMACY with him above serving him. Living a godly life actually helps us to hear God and have a vibrant relationship with him. A life of sin is a hindrance and a real obstacle to having an effective and functional walk with God. Many may not want to believe the fact that heaven and hell is real. The fact that we will account for every right and wrong thing when our life on earth ends. We constantly need to be aware of this; our life on earth is very brief. We spend a great number of our days trying to make it big in this earthly life and forget that it will come to an end. For it is indeed appointed for a man when he shall die, and after that judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There are no 40 virgins in heaven, no purgatory and any other twisted teaching out there concerning life after death. All men will stand before the Lord and account for all their deeds.
This is not meant to scare anyone into salvation. It is not meant to portray God as a mean supreme being who is out to kick out all who refuse to believe that Jesus is Lord into hell. He is not forceful, he is not violent. He is a good father, one who is interested in relationship and nothing more. People may wonder, ‘If God is good, why does hell exist?’ Shouldn’t heaven be the destination of all mankind? The real question, however, is why would someone refuse to accept the message of salvation and getting to know Christ and expect to get into heaven? How do you expect God to equate the life of an unrepentant murderer, rapist, and sinner with the life of one who has walked closely with Him? It doesn’t work that way! In our own human wisdom, we have built prisons and cells to keep away the evildoers from our society. This is because they upset the balance and peaceful life that we constantly crave for. Why then, shouldn’t God keep away all those who have refused to accept him and live away from a relationship with him?
Romans 2:5 states that:
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Let this remain a reminder to all of us. WE SHALL ALL DIE!!! Our life and decision to have a relationship with God will count and matter for judgment shall follow. God is a fair judge, and he will give each one of us exactly what we deserve. This is only meant to encourage us to pursue a life of godliness which begins only through salvation. It is beautiful on this side of life. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. It is in a life of loving Christ that we continue to die to our fleshly nature and seek God even when we fall. I could go on and on, but this is sufficient for now.
I look forward to your feedback below. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I pray that your eyes may be opened and that the revelation of God’s goodness will flood your life so immensely. If you are not born again, I pray that this has ministered to you. I pray that you will open your heart to receive Christ, just as you are. He wants you exactly as you are, because of his grace. I realize I have so much to write here, but trust me, it is beautiful on this side of life. 😉
Looking forward to more interactions with you.
With love,
Mumbua 💞💞
© 2018 - 2024. Call me Mumbua. All Rights Reserved.
Great, edifying read. Baraka!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Horace. I really appreciate this.
“Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.” This statement really touched my heart and is so true. Thanks for the read😊
For sure…thank you so much for reading.