Sin tries to creep into our lives on a regular basis. The devil is relentless. He does not give up. Just because someone decides to be a Christian and follow the things of God, does not mean that the devil backs off and says, “I’m not going to bother him any more. He is seeking God so I’m just going to give him clear passage.”
The devil doesn’t do that! The reason the devil doesn’t do that is because he sees every born again believer, who is turned on to Jesus, as a threat to his kingdom. He knows that one spirit-filled, excited, turned on Bible-believing Christian can deal a severe blow to his kingdom.
God’s plan is for everything to reproduce after it’s own kind (Gen. 1). In a way, this is what we all do in our daily lives with our lifestyle. Some people are strong and are not influenced by things around them, but many people are. In the world, leaders are few, but followers are many.
If you take a strong stand toward purity in your life, of course not everyone will be influenced, but some will see your lifestyle and feel a draw to attain it for themselves.
A Christian who is not living right, that has sin in their life will not influence the world; in fact, they will be a detriment to the Kingdom. The devil will cause people to look at you and point at you and say, “Look at them. They claim to be a Christian and look at what they are doing.”
The devil will use you as a good example of a bad example and people will be turned off toward Jesus. So as Christians we must live holy lives.
Living Above Sin
We can live lives that are above sin. Some people may say, “Well, I can’t do that because the Bible says that every one sins.” The Bible says that every one was born into sin, but the Bible also says that he who is in Christ is without sin.
You may say, “Well, how can that be?” It is because with the Spirit of God living in you, your spirit does not sin. We need to understand that we are three part beings if we are going to be able to understand that scripture.
Man is a three-part being. If he has received Jesus, he is a spirit that is born again, that is become new. The scripture says when we become born again, when we accept Jesus, that old things pass away, that all things become new. That’s talking about your spirit. When we are born again, we become a new creature, a new creation, a new being in Christ. The old man has died and we are resurrected into new life.
The scripture tells us, “Whoever is born of God does not sin” – because the Spirit of God resides in him. That’s talking about his spirit. The scripture also says that God renews our spirit day by day. That’s why we are without sin.
However, the scripture also says that we need to renew the mind daily through the washing of the Word. That’s because the mind is not born again. Even though the spirit is born again, the mind needs to be renewed on a daily basis.
The body is not born again. There will be a time when we will receive a new resurrected, glorified body. Paul talks about it. Paul says in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we will be changed. He’s not talking there about your spirit because your spirit has already been changed. Your spirit is already born again. Your spirit is already without sin. But our bodies are changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye and we become like Him.
Now with that in mind, we can understand that just because a man is born again and his spirit is fresh and new and clean, does not mean that his mind and body are. And the devil will work on him to try to get him to sin in his flesh. Even though he is born of God, he can still do things that are wrong that are sins.
This is why it is extremely important for Christians to renew their minds daily with the Word of God. Only then can we keep sin out of our lives and only then can we grow in holiness.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.