“Let not one of them escape.” 1 Kings 18:40 ESV
When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer—that is, when fire from heaven had consumed his sacrifice in the presence of all the people—he called on the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal and sternly cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took all of the pagan priests down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there. We must do the same thing with our sins—they are all doomed, and not one must be allowed to live. Our favorite sin must die—don’t spare it, even if it cries out for mercy. Strike it down, even though it’s as dear to you as Isaac was to Abraham. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid on His own Son. With a stern, unflinching purpose, you must condemn and kill the sin that was once the idol of your heart. How are you supposed to accomplish this, you ask? Jesus will be your power. In the covenant of grace, you have been given grace to overcome sin; you have strength to gain victory in the crusade against inner desires because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you to the very end. If you want to triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well suited to the discovery of sin, or to recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to kill sin half as well as he did when his eye of faith rested on God—and then he hated himself, repenting in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is often becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume our impurities. Let us run to our God, for He is a consuming fire—He will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God compel us to sacred jealousy, and to holy revenge against those sins that are so hateful to God. Go forth to battle in God’s strength, and utterly destroy those accursed sins. “Let not one of them escape.” C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Forgive us our debts. MATTHEW 6:12
Some people don’t pray as they should because they feel unworthy to come before a pure and holy God. But Jesus taught us to include confession as a part of our prayers: “Forgive us our debts.” When we pray in obedience, we must confess our sins; and when we pray in faith, we must trust God to fully forgive. If you’re having trouble with this, utilize some Bible visuals. Isaiah 1:18 tells us that when God forgives us, we are whiter than snow. Micah 7:19 says He casts our sins into the depths of the sea. Psalm 103:12 says He removes them as far from us as east from west. Isaiah 38:17 says God casts our sins behind His back. In Matthew 18:21–35, Jesus compared our sins to a great debt canceled by a gracious king. Psalm 51 talks about being washed and cleansed, and about God’s hiding His face from our sins and blotting out our transgressions. God provided this assortment of images because we need to visualize the vast, many dimensions of His grace. So when you pray, confess your sins specifically and claim God’s forgiveness. Then go on and pray as one who is righteous in God’s sight through the grace of our Lord Jesus. He doesn’t want you to continue feeling guilty. He wants you to pray. Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening
The hardest things in my day have nothing to do with the work of my hands nor the words of my mouth. Nothing to do with the world around me, but rather the world within me.
It's dealing with sin in me. It's seductive, it sly, it's crafty, it's appearance is that of things most desirable at times to the eye, ear, nose and mouth. It's a daily, hourly, minute by minute, struggle. Our sin nature is with us 24/7. Our lives cannot be lived without an awareness of it. We either give in willingly or fight against it. To take up our own cross and follow Christ is a choice with intentionally making ourselves go and do what is contrary to our sin nature.
When Paul spoke of fighting the good fight, he wasn't only speaking about the altercations that others saw him involved in with the jealousy of his kinsmen. It wasn't the being shipwrecked or the beatings or the being stoned. It was the battlefield of his mind and his heart.
My greatest daily battles that wear me out more than physical labor are the mental ones.
My mind isn't like many whom I know that I am envious of. Those who can recall Scripture quickly when situations occur. Those who recognize a behavior by the passages they have read.
It's a hard war in the battlefield of the mind some days. No amount of coffee or peaceful life can separate you from your sin nature, nor my own.
Being a nice, good person isn't enough. The enemy of God will use everything about you against you in overt and subtle ways. He will whisper enough to convince you of things.
He will entice you by your environment. He will push your buttons.
So you see the attacks come from without and within. Ignorance of the war doesn’t exempt you from it. Many, during the world wars, tried to be neutral. One side or the other often would not accept that of people. They often were made to choose.
You must choose to fight. I must choose to fight. Ephesians 6 is the hallmark chapter in the Bible about our warriors clothes. Just as Scripture says that we battle not against flesh and blood. So is our weapons and protection.
My fights with sin are often not long but they are ugly.
Those who are reading this who are not saved in Christ Jesus, you cannot fight it and win. If that were possible then there was no need for Christ Jesus to come to earth and be crucified.
You cannot, I cannot, fight the powers of darkness, the sin within, without the power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. If, my Dear Reader, you do not have that, you are in a fight you will never win. You will be convinced of your own goodness, of the merits of your life, which without Salvation in Christ Jesus, amounts to nothing in the eyes of God.
Read in Revelation of Jesus separating the people. He asks no questions, He isn't permitting a defense, He has no need to hear arguments. He already knows. In Christ, those who sin can ask Him for forgiveness of sins and He does. The Bible says He remembers them no more. Without Christ your sins cling to you as filthy rags. You can stand before Christ all prim and proper on your day of judgment but your stench of your sin will still come from you.
My days go back and forth in the battle. Some days better than others. I pray often for forgiveness, for strength in this fight. I have, according to the Bible, help from God in this fight. Rest only comes when He says it's time to come home.
Sin with have countless millions of disguises. Our enemy prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. Without Christ you are easy prey.
Prayer is essential in this battle. Reinforcements are only a prayer away.
Be aware of the reality of sin in your life. Be even more aware of whether or not you are saved. If you are not, you can resolve that and respond to His call to you today.
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