September 11
“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the house forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)
I listened to an excellent message today by Dick Woodward (deceased) whose recordings are found on the website of International Cooperating Ministries www.icm.org. Dick’s teachings are part of an entire through-the-Bible series that is ministering to many Christians throughout the world. It was the message on Moses (I believe number 12 in the series). He was reviewing Moses’ objections to God sending him to the Israelites. Dick concluded his message with this excellent exhortation:
“I am not ________, but He is, and He is with me.
“I can’t ________, but He can, and He is with me.
“I don’t’ want to _________, but He wants to, and He is with me.
“I didn’t do __________, but He did it, because He was with me.”
Fill in the blank with whatever shortcomings you see in yourself and whatever challenge is before you. Overcoming temptation, especially temptations of immorality and lust, which can seem almost deeply and hopelessly ingrained in us at times, is the hardest things each of us will ever do. We stumble in many ways every day. In short, we can’t do it. We in our own strength, determination, and will-power cannot overcome sin. Our well-entrenched fleshly desires, especially when bombarded constantly by the world and at times targeted by Satan’s specific attacks, are just too strong.
But He is more than able and more than willing to overcome them when we cooperate with Him and are obedient to Him. Only He can give us the power to overcome this great evil in us and which surrounds us.
“I am not victorious in this area of immorality and lust, but He is, and He is with me.”
“I can’t overcome my sinful passions and desires, but He can, and He is with me.”
“I don’t always want to stop my habit of viewing pornography, but He always wants to, and He is with me.”
And after much diligence in pursuing Him and the things above and obeying His Spirit, we will say, “I didn’t gain the victory in my own strength, but He did, because He was with me.”
For those of us struggling to overcome sins of immorality, lust, pornography, etc., seeking His glorious and total transformation into the image of Christ, we are not able, we can’t do it, and we are not even willing at times. But He is able, He can do it, and He is willing. And when we see some success, let us never forget that we didn’t do it, but He did, for He is with us. Praise God!