HOW TO LIVE ABOVE SIN

If you want to live a successful Christian life on earth, you must continually soak your mind in God's Word. You must be willing to get into the Word and get it into you. That's the only way to get serious about living in victory over sin and carnality.

Reference: Psalm 119:11 English Standard Version (ESV)

'I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.'

To live above sin, we must learn what sin represents. What is sin? Sin is characterized by the misdeeds of the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites. It is sensual: carnal pleasures and worldly leanings. Sin is evil and it denotes all manner of wrongdoings. To live above sin, you must be born again. That's the main criterion. This is because, during new birth, your spirit is recreated and you are made a New Creation on legal grounds.

Spiritually, it means that God has imparted you with His life and nature. He raised you together with Christ (Ephesians 2:6 NIV) with a brand new life. You are no longer in previous state of separation from God, controlled by a sinful nature which caused you to commit sin at will or subjected you to spiritual death. With God's nature in place, you have the ability to live a righteous life. That's what your new nature transmits. It is the nature of righteousness, holiness and divine reality. But now, you need renew your mind and keep washing it with the Scriptures, in order to walk by the dictates of your new nature.

According to Romans 12:2 (ESV), 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.' If your mind is not renewed by God's Word, you can't live above sin successfully. Are you a Christian and you feel discouraged because you keep committing a particular sin over and over again? Here's your answer: soak your mind in God's Word, just like you soak a sponge with liquid and it comes out dripping and filled to capacity.

When you soak your mind in the Word consistently, you'll be inundated and instilled with the fear of God, such that when you're tempted to do wrong, the Spirit behind God's Word will empower you to say no. The Bible says, 'How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word' (Psalm 119:9 NIV). That means the Word has the ability to keep you from sinning.

The Word of God is a cleansing agent. No wonder in John 15:3 (AMPC), Jesus said, 'You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you...' The Word sanctifies and cleanses you as you take it in and digest it. This is because it is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

As a born again Christian, you are no longer sin-ruled or held in bondage by the unseen forces of spiritual darkness. That's why the Bible says, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace' (Romans 6:14 NKJV). Be obedient to the leading of God's Spirit at work in you; listen to and follow His voice; store up God's Word in your heart and let it dominate your mind so you can always walk in righteousness and live above sin.

Scripture Reading - Psalm 17:4; Titus 3:5; Matthew 5:48; Romans 6:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:34; Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:1-2; 1 John 3:6-7.

Exuberant Declaration:

The Word of God is quick and powerful. It is the cleansing agent that sanctifies my mind and purifies my soul. It empowers me to live above sin and destroys the power and plan of the devil against my life. It is the refining tool that discerns, filters and defines the inner thoughts of my heart, such that my recourse and approach to temptation is always a 'Spirit and Word' empowered response. The Word is the light that transforms me as the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person in my world. Glory be to God!