Saturday Devotional

Overcomers

Lately, I’ve found the topic of overcoming sin popping up over and over again. I hear it on the radio. Friends are struggling with it. I’ve thought about it in my own life. Why does it seem that some can find success in a sinful area, but it doesn’t happen for everyone? This is a difficult question to ponder, one that I’ve heard some interesting responses to consider.

Consideration #1

My mother and I were discussing a new TV show the other day called Touch. The show is definitely fascinating and too complicated to thoroughly explain in a short devotional. I’m sure it’s even considered controversial to many for one reason or another. Our discussion focused on how each episode seems to show that certain events need to line up perfectly in order for the needed outcome to occur.

That statement may seem obvious, but when you see the events laid out before you, and how certain peoples’ lives need to cross or “touch” at just the right place and time in order for the events to be played out, and it happens right before your eyes all in an hour’s time, it makes you go, “Whoa!”

My mother’s observation was that God does that in our lives. He’s the one who sees all, hears all, and knows all. He allows things to happen so that the right people cross and touch at the right time and place. He makes sure all the events are lined up in order for the right outcome. Often, though, it takes a long time for everything to be lined up. It can’t happen in an hour’s episode in our life. Oh the patience we need as we wait for Him to complete a work in us.

Consideration #2

I heard a book discussed on the radio, and I’m definitely going to buy it even though the name is deceiving. It’s called, “Three Free Sins.” I barely heard the premise touched on in the short time this author was interviewed, but what I heard was interesting.

Some people appear to have overcome their sinful behavior, and we applaud them in their victory and even envy their success. However, have they truly conquered? Did they allow God to do the work in them, or did they do it themselves? The question is were they truly repentant because otherwise all that will occur is self righteousness and falling back on their faces. Ouch! That’s difficult to swallow, but I understood it.

In my life, there have been seasons where I’ve found victory over sin, but my attitude left a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose now I know why. I was full of self righteousness. The key is repentance which means a change of mind. It means to change your mind from your own to God’s. If your mind is focused on God, you can’t be full of self. You can’t give yourself the credit. You can’t think of yourself as holier than Thou. When you repent, your victory will be because of Him and not yourself…which means it will be lasting.

Consideration #3

As I reread a wonderful book on strongholds, I’m reminded that usually what’s manifested in our lives is the result of something much deeper that we don’t even realize is there. Bursts of anger, insecurities, pride, addictions, phobias, etc…these are the things that we see and others see. What’s not seen are our past experiences that may not even seem related to the behavior but are actually the root causes. Learning how to let God heal in these areas can make the behaviors easier to overcome. Again, this may seem obvious, but is it?

So, which one of these considerations is the right answer to the question? Is it all three? Life is complicated, and there is a force working against us all the time to make it even more complicated. I’m sure there are many more considerations, and the best answer would be to discover the right combination of them for each of us.

Even in these three, I can see how they’re related. How about patiently waiting for God to bring the right person into my life to reveal to me the root cause, and then repenting for holding onto that root, so that I can change my mind from my own to God’s?

None of this is revolutionary. It’s all contained in God’s Word. He promises answers if we seek them through Him and His Word wholeheartedly. If you’re seeking for answers, He’ll give them. He’ll give clear to this complicated question that fits us each individually because He loves. He loves so much that He not only desires this for us, but He made it possible for us to be more than overcomers.

Amie Spruiell

3-30-2012