Have you ever noticed how sin often leads to another sin, which leads to another, and so on? Lying is a good example. We do something wrong (sin #1) then tell a lie to cover the sin up (sin #2). Before long we tell another lie to cover up the first lie so that that lie doesn’t get found out which would lead to the discovery of the sin we did in the first place. Some sins are addictive, such as pornography, overeating, sexual sins, drugs, and alcohol. Some sins are emotional such as anger, bitterness, jealousy, murder, physical abuse. Other sins are habitual such as cursing. Some sins occur out of laziness such as a Christian not attending and being active in their church or not being committed to regular Bible study and prayer. Regardless of the sin, all sin holds us in bondage and makes us slaves.
In John 8:34, Jesus uses the analogy of a master and his slave to demonstrate how sin owns us and keeps us in chains. Because the master owns the slave, the slave has no choice or will in what happens to him. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist the sin. In some instances, we might even nurture the sin because we enjoy it. Just as a slave lives in chains of bondage, our sin becomes the chains that hold us in bondage to them.
The simple truth is that everyone of us is a slave. We are either a slave to Satan and our sin or we are slaves to Christ and His righteousness. In speaking to Christians, Paul writes in Romans 6:18, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” The moment we accept Christ as Savior and repent of our sin, we receive His forgiveness and the chains of sin are broken because the Holy Spirit moves in and gives us the power to resist Satan’s temptations and sin. In that moment we become dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus.
The choice is ours. We can choose to be slaves to sin or we can be slaves to righteousness. The one that we choose to obey, is the one we become a slave to. Paul wrote in Romans 6:16-18, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
What will you choose? Will you be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness?
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel
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Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.
Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.
Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.
With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.
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