Swallowing Sin

This was not an easy post to write.  It was more difficult than most because it speaks of sin and no one wants to hear about sin today.  Sin is seen to be negative and uninspiring, so often talking about it, is swept under the rug along with the truth, in fear of offending somebody. In fact it's unlikely that I will get many comments on this post due to it's message.

Did you know that carrying around sin is toxic?  Carrying around sin is like swallowing a bitter pill.  It spreads throughout your system quickly causing chaos in spirit, soul, and body.

Spirit (Faith, Hope and Love- Our most inner being which connects with God.)
When you are born again, and a child of God, Jesus has freed you from the bondage of sin.  However the choices you make determine how you will live.  Holy Spirit guides you, but if you choose to walk outside His counsel, your hearing will become clouded and your spirit darkened as you move away from light and truth.  People often say 'God can't hear my prayers' or 'I don't hear God's voice'.  Remember back to the last time you did hear him clearly.  Did you do what he asked? If not, you may find that disobedience could be causing the dull hearing.  He hasn't left you but you may have left him.

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.(Romans 8:2)

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) (Romans 8:9)

Soul  (Our imagination, memory, reason and emotions)
Our soul is a battleground.  We long to live as Holy Spirit guides us and yet we struggle with the day to day tasks that are put before us.  This is why knowing God's Word is vital.  The truths contained therein are not suggestions, they are essential to you making the right decisions.  Choices that will both honour God and prosper your soul.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (Romans 7:23)

Body (Our soul and spirit's current home)
The body is where all of the telltale signs of sin manifest.  And often is is through the pain our bodies feel that we are alerted to the imbalance within.  The aim is to recognise sin in our soul before it becomes reality in our bodies.  As Paul so aptly puts it " Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.(Romans 12:2)

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. (Romans 8:10)

When I refused to confess my sin,my body wasted away,and I groaned all day long.(Psalm 32:3)

Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;my health is broken because of my sins.(Psalm 38:3)

Here is an example from my life in the past week:

Diagnosis:
I notice that I have really tense shoulders and the beginnings of a migraine headache. Holy Spirit reminds me that I have been worrying about all of the things I need to do and get done.  I realise that I have been sleeping with tension in my shoulders, not able to sleep because my mind won't rest.  My mind is a part of my soul, which is under a barrage of thoughts that do not originate with God but with my own desire to get the job done.  I have effectively walked away from God and chosen to do things my own way.  The origin of my pain is sin.

Remedy
The remedy is not Asprin alone.  I need to get to the root of the problem, confess my rebellion, spend some time with God, ask for his peace and direction and place everything back in his hands.  I need to control my mind and trust God.

Result
The result is more sleep, relaxed shoulders, a pain free head and a heart full of peace, knowing that I am in the will of God.

All illness is a result of sin, the original sin in the garden of Eden. Before then, there was no illness.  I am not saying that all of the pain and disease in our life is a direct result of our personal sin, Jesus never said that.  In fact when he healed the blind man, he shot that suggestion down in flames. 

What I am suggesting is that we begin to take responsibility for our sin.  Ask God's specific forgiveness and let him cover us with his love and grace.  Not only will it draw us closer to him but it may allow us to walk a life that is less of a slave to sin, and more a life of victory that God intended us to have.

Are you ready to walk in victory?  I know I am

No I can't jump like this.  But you get the idea, right?