Seek Forgiveness And Repent From Your Sin
Seek Forgiveness And Repent From Your Sin
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6 v 12-13)
Sin is often used to mean an action that is prohibited or considered wrong. Sin can refer not only to physical actions taken, but also to thoughts and internalized motivations and feelings. Colloquially, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, shameful, harmful, or alienating might be termed sinful.
Sin is also viewed as a relational problem. Sin alienates the sinner from God. It has damaged, and completely severed, the relationship of humanity to God. That relationship can only be restored through acceptance of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross as a sacrifice for mankind's sin.
Sin is also viewed in terms of its effects on relationships, both among people and between people and God. Sin is seen as the refusal to follow God's plan, and the desire to be like God and thus in direct opposition to him. To sin is to want control of one's destiny in opposition to the will of God. Sin is disobeying God.
We are therefore required to put away our fleshly nature and shortcomings and to live a life in-keeping with God’s expectations and not ours, by abstaining from:-
Lust, inventions of evil, sexual immorality, greed and depravity, idolatry, envy, criminal behaviour, homosexuality, strife, adultery, deceit, fornication, malice, wrath, gossip, disputing, palm-reading, boasting, arrogance, fighting, horoscope, disobeying parents, lying, swearing, self-centredness, witchcraft, pride, hatred, contention, jealousy, anger, foolish-talking, selfish ambition, filthiness, drunkenness, sorcery, vulgar speech, spiritism, complaining, moaning, murmuring, stealing, murder, slandering.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6 v 23)
In order to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we need to turn from our sins and willingly surrender our natural evil desires to the cross. This does not mean, however that we will never see traces of those desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set from its power or stronghold over us, and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendency to God’s control, daily crucifying them, and moment by moment drawing on God’s power to overcome them.
Trying to be right with God by our own human effort will not achieve much dividends. Good intentions such as ‘I’ll do better next time’ or ‘I’ll never do that again’ usually ends in failure. By trusting God, believing in his provision for our sins, and living each day in his power we can break this cycle of failures and live a victorious life, no longer enslaved by sin.
Repentance is required by each person implying a change in behaviour. Repent means to relent; to change mind and heart; to be sorry; to make a moral u-turn. It is turning from sin toward God. Have you repented of sin in your life? Can others see the difference it makes in you? A changed life with new and different behaviour makes your repentance real and visible.