sin

Sin that has become a habit can feel like an impossible mountain to climb. But here’s what you need to remember—when you were born again, you instantly became an overcomer (1 John 5). You are an overcomer. That’s who you are. That’s what you are.

The devil would give anything he’s got to keep you from finding that out. Jesus already overcame him for you and gave you the authority to knock him down anywhere, anytime. All you have to do is pull the sword of the Spirit on him.

Sin is what separates man from God. This chasm between God and man happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate the forbidden fruit, thereby giving the authority and dominion they possessed on earth over to Satan. Because of that original sin, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, KJV). 

God is not the author of the curse or anything related to the curse, such as sickness, poverty and death (John 10:10). According to Genesis 8:22, God established the law of seedtime and harvest. This law is also referred to as sowing (choosing an action) and reaping (the results of an action). Therefore, when we choose to do wrong, we should expect negative consequences. Galatians 6:7-9 says, “ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

First of all, let me make a very important correction. God didn’t deliver me from a weight problem. He delivered me from a food problem.

It is vital for you to understand that. Because as long as I was simply trying to lose weight, I experienced repeated failure just as you have. I lost literally hundreds of pounds, only to gain them right back again.

I would go to God and complain about it and ask for help time after time. But I still wasn’t able to experience victory in that area as I had in other areas of my life.

The short answer is: Yes! There is hope for anyone lost in addiction. The longer answer is more complex. When we’re believing for someone’s deliverance from an addiction, we must place our faith in God’s promises to us. Truth and hope for the future live in His Word.
 
The Bible is not naïve about the nature of addictions. God recognizes the ways in which sinful choices can enslave us, but while He holds us responsible for our actions, He has provided deliverance through Jesus Christ. Just look at what the Bible says Jesus’ sacrifice did for us in Isaiah 53:4-5:

Everything with God comes down to the same thing—the heart. For example, you can tithe, but if you do it grudgingly, it doesn’t count in His eyes (2 Corinthians 9:7). You can prophesy or be a great preacher, but if you are harsh and unkind to others, it doesn’t count for anything (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 

So, when it comes to forgiveness, it’s the same thing. If you plan a sin with the idea that you can go to God and get forgiven and be in the clear, you’re missing it. Only a truly repentant heart receives forgiveness. 

Lucifer was Satan’s name before his fall from heaven. It literally means “morning star.” Ezekiel 28:13-15 gives us this picture of Lucifer before his rebellion against God:

You’re not alone. The Apostle Paul once faced the same dilemma! In Romans 7 he said, “I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh....For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing” (verses 18-19).

In verses 24-25, Paul asks (and answers) the same question you’ve been asking. “O unhappy man...that I am! Who will deliver me...? O thank God!—He will! through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, our Lord!”

Paul found his deliverance in Jesus and so will you!

There is great power in agreement and a spirit of unity. That’s why the devil tries to bring strife into the homes of believers. But you don’t have to tolerate it! You can keep your home strife-free and filled with victory when you do these things.

Our God, who is Love, doesn’t want anyone to die in their sin. Yet since the beginning of time, man has chosen to follow his own way instead of the way of life in God. Because of man’s tendency toward evil, God established a fair system of justice for our protection very early in time—a system that included a sentence of death for some crimes and immoral behaviors.

Ezekiel 33 reflects this:

Borrowing money is not a sin. 

But it isn’t God’s best either. 

Everything in God’s Word is designed to keep you at the top in every area of life—including financially. You are called to be the head, not the tail; above, not beneath; and the lender, not the borrower (Deuteronomy 28:12-13). In other words, borrowing money is not the goal!

If you want to move to the top as God intended, make debt freedom your aim. Build your faith to receive cars, houses and anything else debt free. And make a decision to stop using credit cards! 

There is a reason we call the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Good News! That’s because the Bible tells us that when we are born again, we become new creations, our past is gone and our sins are washed away, making us white as snow (Luke 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 1:7)

No matter what you’re struggling with right now, know this—God wants you totally and completely free from every bondage. It’s why He sent Jesus!

No matter how long you’ve struggled with addiction to alcohol or how strong you feel the addiction might be, nothing is more powerful than the bondage-breaking, yoke-destroying power of the Name of Jesus. You might feel alone right now, but there are countless testimonies of people who have been just where you are who are perfectly free of all addiction today. Freedom belongs to you!

If you struggle with having inappropriate sexual thoughts and feelings, know that your struggle is no different than struggling with any other perversion or deception that resulted from Adam’s fall. We have great news! You have been made free by the blood of Jesus! John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

Since Jesus already forgave our sins on the cross, on Judgment Day we will be judged and rewarded for our acts of righteousness, not for our sins. That’s not to say sin has no effect on us. Sin can still affect us by opening the door for Satan to attack us as long as we are still on this earth. When we do not walk by faith, we give Satan the right to destroy our lives (Romans 14:23). Through sin we can separate ourselves from God’s protection.

Years ago, Kenneth Copeland weighed 263 pounds. He doesn’t hesitate to share his testimony about how he was delivered from food addiction and from fueling his body with wrong food choices. Once he got revelation from God and allowed His supernatural power to help him crucify the flesh, he was delivered from all food addiction, lost the weight, and never looked back. He has maintained his healthy weight for decades through a determination to stay fit for the Kingdom.