Has your religion helped you curb your appetite for sin?

Smoking, alcohol, illicit sex, cursing, gambling, drug abuse and many more - these images are thrust in front of our eyes every day, wherever we go. It is not by accident.

It is Satan’s goal to either destroy a marriage through sin…

Or corrupt the hearts of single people before a relationship starts.

 

Satan knows that religion is man-made. Here’s the difference: Religion is man reaching up to God, with man’s methods. But God will always reach down to man, His way.

 

How do you know if you are following a religion, instead of following God?

 

The world’s religions offer no solution for sin, which is why religious people suffer in a cycle of sin. That’s because religion’s answer to sin is like a PARKING METER you find on a city street: it allows you to pay to park legally, much like the Muslim who makes a pilgrimage, or the Catholic who pays an indulgence. Bit, nothing changes. After your religious payment, like a “parking payment”, you continue life’s journey EXACTLY as you were.

 

Religion and parking meters! It’s almost funny. Here’s another similarity: if you park your vehicle, and don’t put coins in the meter, your car will eventually be towed. Pay or be punished! But in reality, religion never pays the bill of sin: payment after payment after payment, and you are still in debt.

 

Sin takes you further than you want to go…

Sin keeps you longer than you want to stay…

And sin costs you more than you want to pay.

 

There is a way that washes the sinner clean, or pays the fine. Sin brings a horrible penalty, called DEATH. And no world religion will pay that penalty for you - they only require payments.

 

As you travel in a vehicle called life, there is a special roadmap for you to consider. If you follow this map, you can be washed clean of sin.

 

Even the Prophet Muhammad endorsed this special map. Because he said in Surah 5:68 that the Bible - the Law, the Gospel and the Revelation found in it - are to be followed! In view of that, I would like you to look at a “written map” that, if followed, can deliver you from sin…and the penalty of death.

 

A) What is SIN?

 

1) Sin is a violation of God’s law.

• “ALL unrighteousness is sin…” (1 John 5:17)

• “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)

Understand, The New Testament cannot be heeded if the Old Testament is rejected:

• “Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” (Numbers 15:29 - 30)

 

WE SIN WHEN WE KNOWINGLY OR IGNORANTLY VIOLATE GOD’S LAW.

 

2) Sin is missing the mark of God’s divine perfection.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

 

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

 

3) God calls sin rebellion.

The Prophet Moses told the Hebrews a fact about them; the same face applies to ALL of mankind, without exception: “Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.” (Deuteronomy 9:24)

 

“But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.” (Jeremiah 5:23)

 

I ASK YOU: do pilgrimages, prayers and payments remove rebellion from the human heart? Clearly, no they do not. We cannot change ourselves.

Isaiah 14:12-15 shows the heart of Satan himself: he fell from Heaven as an angel full of pride and rebellion against God! In many ways, we are just like him:

 

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

 

This is where he is, and this is where he belongs. And he is eager to take an unbelieving world with him.

4) Sin is anything that is not of faith.

“…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

 

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

 

SIN is not trusting God. Sin is willful independence. When we trust in a work that we do, or a payment that we make, we are telling God that WE have a BETTER way.

How do we have victory over sin? We MUST understand that there is no payment we can make that will satisfy the One Who holds the key to Heaven.

 

B) To have victory over sin, WE MUST FIRST KNOW WHERE SIN COMES FROM.

 

1. SIN comes from our heart. We don’t have to learn it; it comes naturally. This is why all of struggle, and religion fails to set us free.

 

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

(Mark 7:21-23)

 

DOES THIS DESCRIBE YOU? IF YOU ARE HONEST, YOU WILL ADMIT THAT THIS DESCRIBES ALL OF US. IT IS NATURAL FOR A MAN TO BE SINFUL.

 

“For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

(Luke 6:43-45)

 

Our heart is the root of our sinful nature.

Our behavior is the fruit of our sinful nature.

 

2) Our sin is inherited from Adam.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

 

When Adam chose to sin, his sinless nature became a sinful nature. We have inherited Adam’s sinful nature.

 

 

C) What Is The Nature Of Sin?

 

1. Sin is DECEITFUL.

 

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

 

SIN DECEIVES US BY APPEARING DESIRABLE. WHEN A MARRIED MAN LOOKS AT ANOTHER WOMAN LUSTFULLY,  IT IS NOT BECAUSE SHE IS UGLY - SHE IS ATTRACTIVE! WHEN THIS DESIRE FOR PLEASURE IS AROUSED, THE SINNER NEVER COUNTS THE COST OF MAKING HIS TEMPTATION A REALITY.

 

CAN YOU NAME ONE TIME THAT A RELIGIOUS WORK ERASED SUCH A SIN? 

CAN YOU NAME ONE TIME A RELIGIOUS PRACTICE EXTINGUISHED SUCH A DESIRE?

 

“For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” (Proverbs 6:26-27)

“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. “ (Hebrews 3:13)

 

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

 

2) Sin is POWERFUL.

 

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psalm 19:13)

 

“His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” (Proverbs 5:22)

 

WHEN WE BELIEVE SATAN’S LIES, WE ARE OVERCOME BY THE POWER OF SIN. THIS IS WHY THE “RELIGION” OF GOOD WORKS AND PAYMENTS IS ONE OF HIS GREATEST WEAPONS.

 

THE BIBLE DESCRIBES FOLLOWERS OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS AS, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7)

 

3) Sin is DESTRUCTIVE.

“And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” (Isaiah 1:28)

 

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

 

HAVE YOU NOTICED THIS IN YOUR LIFE? THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF SIN COMPLICATES OUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND US.

 

C) How Can I Have VICTORY OVER SIN’S POWER?

 

• First, we must AGREE with God about our condition.

• Secondly, we must BELIEVE that God has made a way to be SET FREE from the penalty of sin, but it might be something brand new to us. It might challenge previously-held beliefs.

• Thirdly, you must consider that God said it, because He loves us.

 

IF WHAT YOU HAVE READ UP UNTIL NOW TESTIFIES TO YOU AS TRUE, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING WITHOUT PREJUDICE:

 

 

1. You must first recognize that victory over sin has been Made possible by GOD’S WORK ALONE.

 

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11)

 

JESUS CHRIST CAME TO PAY A PRICE THAT RELIGION COULD NOT PAY FOR. YOUR GOOD WORKS, YOUR OBEDIENCE TO EVERY CALL TO PRAYER, YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO EVERY ASPECT OF THE FAITH OF YOUR UPBRINGING CANNOT BRING US IN FAVOR WITH GOD.

 

THIS IS WHY THE CREATOR GOD OF THE UNIVERSE CHOSE TO REDEEM US THROUGH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, NOT OURS:

 

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:6-14)

 

WHEN WE RECEIVE CHRIST’S PAYMENT BY FAITH, WE ARE LIBERATED FROM RELIGION, AND FREE TO WORSHIP GOD! THIS ALSO LIBERATES US FROM THE POWER OF SIN OVER US. HAVING THIS LIBERTY WILL AFFECT OUR ACTIONS AND OUR DECISIONS.

 

2) I Enjoy Victory Over Sin’s Power By Obtaining His Grace, Which Sets Me Free.

 

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…” (Romans 5:20)

 

GOD’S GRACE IS AN ACT OF DIVINE INFLUENCE UPON OUR HUMAN HEARTS. NO RELIGION CAN GIVE US THIS! IT IS A SUPERIOR POWER OVER SIN. GRACE GIVES US THE POWER TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN OUR LIVES. IN ANY SITUATION, TO RECEIVE GRACE, WE MUST HUMBLE OURSELVES.

 

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

 

3) I Enjoy Victory Over Sin’s Power By Establishing Disciplines In My Life That Will Not Allow Sin To Gain An Advantage.

 

“But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”

(1 Timothy 4:7)

 

THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST RECEIVES HIS SPIRIT TO HELP, TO GUIDE AND TO STRENGTHEN THEM, INTERNALLY.

 

THIS MEANS YOU HAVE A HELPER WHO CAN HELP YOU PRACTICE GODLINESS, SOMETHING A PERSON NEVER HAS WITH RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.

 

“GODLINESS” means to behave as God Himself would want you to behave. This will give you a joy and peace that religion NEVER provides. It’s a peace that every soul craves and desires:

 

 

• When we exercise godliness, we CONTROL OUR MINDS

(“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” - 2 Corinthians 10:5)

 

• When we exercise godliness, we SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM THE WAYS OF THIS WORLD

(“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you…2 Corinthians 6:14, 17)

 

• When we exercise godliness, we BECOME A DOER OF GOD’S WORD

(“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” - James 1:22)

 

• When we exercise godliness, we AVOID TEMPTATIONS THAT LEAD US TO SIN

(“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14)

 

 

• When we exercise godliness, we OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD

(“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21)

 

AND FINALLY,

 

4) The Believer In Christ Will Overcome Sin By Using The Word Of God - The Bible - As A Powerful Weapon To Overcome Sin.

 

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

 

WATCH CLOSELY: GOD’S WORD IN THE BIBLE PENETRATES THE INNER MAN AND PREVENTS US FROM LYING TO OURSELVES AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR LIVES.

 

NO RELIGION CAN DO THAT, NO RELIGION HAS EVER DONE THAT. THAT’S WHY RELIGION - ALWAYS CONCEIVED BY MAN, NEVER BY GOD - ALWAYS FAILS.

 

“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” (Matthew 4:3-11)

 

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:9,11)

 

In closing, I must share the bare facts: our ignorance of truth is Satan’s greatest advantage over us. Satan has confused and deceived the world with religious practices - but he is no match for the powerful and perfect truth of Scripture.

 

People continue to engage in sin because they overestimate their power to control it, and underestimate the damage it will cause. God hates sin because He knows fully how much it will limit our potential and damage our lives in so many ways.

 

In closing, I invite you to message me to request further studyon this lesson, “What Should I Do When I Sin?”. It will be a great help to you. All contacts will remain anonymous.

 

Finally - The most important step to receiving the freedom I just spoke about begins with God’s SPECIAL GIFT. You’ll find it here on our home page, just below this article. Watch it completely, the full 14 minutes if you can, without noise or distraction. It will introduce you to the greatest blessing ever given. It’s 100% free, and 100% God given TRUTH.