Christian Living

A Matter of the Heart

by Charla Knight
02/22/15
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Through his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus guaranteed believer’s salvation along with a place in the heavenly realms as kings and queens. As Christians, we may feel like slaves; however, sin is no longer our master. Instead, we answer to Christ and his righteousness. We are being transformed into Jesus’ likeness. As we grow in righteousness through sanctification by the truth of God, there are times when we may feel stuck in a sin, when we are unable to resist temptation. During those times, when we struggle with a particular area, God will help us to move forward in accordance with his grace.

Because of his grace, God truly doesn’t give us as Christians what our sins deserve—when we turn to what Jesus did on the cross and admit our sins, we are forgiven and free. We are dead to sin and alive to be messengers for Jesus. He wants to keep the sinner and get rid of the sin. Romans 6:11 (MSG) says, “…You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.” When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he also rose again to deliver us from the death that sin would carry. He wants us to live too but he wants our sins within us to die as we receive new life in him.

 “But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6 NLT).

 As the Holy Spirit moves us to new life, God wants us to move up his spiritual ladder to greater maturity in order to achieve his plan and fulfill our purpose created by him in order to bring him glory. However, in doing so, we must turn to God as his love and grace embrace us and we are able to turn away from sins that may keep us from fulfilling our purpose. 

Sometimes, this process of seeing and identifying our sin in order to turn to God is much more difficult to do than we think, but it is the work of the Holy Spirit. With our inability to accurately discern our true character, those hidden sins rooted in pride can be present and bring forth rebellion, arrogance, and dividedness toward God, creating a sense of hostility toward him. And unquestionably, in those instances, we will do more harm for the Kingdom of God than good. 

There are occasions when we may choose to live in legalism and are blinded to the very fact that we are drowning in that sin…that is what sin does. Undeniably, when we turn our backs to God during those times, our willingness to stay there only brings trouble. When we set ourselves against God in opposing his ways, our spiritual insight gets cloudy. It’s like trying to look in a mirror covered with steam—we just don’t see ourselves clearly. Thankfully, God’s laws are written now on our hearts in love and he is faithful to bring them alive in us without our own efforts through legalism. 

Legalism contradicts grace and is, therefore, an abomination to God. Legalism can take many forms, whether it’s us looking at others’ sins while ignoring our own or harshly enforcing God’s law without love; it’s all a sin. Adherence to the law alone doesn’t save or change someone’s heart. 

A few years ago, I was hurled into a work environment that was plagued with legalism and I had to work there for a season to endure the very thing that I was inflicting on others. However, on my best day, I couldn’t perform perfectly. Too much work and too many rules made it impossible to measure up, and I was miserable. When we choose to live under the law instead of grace, God can place us as slaves to the very thing we are honoring. Inevitably, our behavior is a reflection of our worship. Humbled after several months of what I considered hard labor and desperate to be released from that position, God delivered me (2 Chronicles 12:7). I finally chose to live under grace by simply keeping my eyes on Jesus instead of on my performance. I gave my two-week notice and decided that I would serve the God of Israel instead of the god of legalism.

Sometimes, in these seasons that we are stuck in sin, God might pass us in a particular testing because of time restraints. Not time restrictions on God’s part necessarily, because time to him is not pressed. He is in a place where it is timeless—where time never ends and he is not in a hurry. But we mustn’t forget that our days on earth are limited and there is a day coming that we will all die if Jesus doesn’t come back first. In retrospect, our time needs to be in sync with God’s ultimate plan and when we don’t hear clearly from the Holy Spirit and follow immediately when he speaks; he has ways of moving us on.

My six year old daughter and I were discussing the Holy Spirit of God and how he is like the air that we breathe (John 3:8). We can’t see him but he is there moving in our lives as believers because he resides in our hearts. The Bible says, “Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water” (Genesis 1:2b NCV). God lives in Heaven but his Spirit is constantly moving and doing his work in and throughout the universe and in the lives of born-again Christians.

There are outpourings of God’s grace and mercy I believe, that in his sovereign character he will step in to help us hurdle past a sin we are trying to rise above and will cause us to pass the test instead of repeatedly being overwhelmed by it. He might have had enough with us trying to pass it on our own efforts. Or perhaps when we are faced with a test to see if we really want to come away from the sin, we rely on our past experience instead of the power of the Holy Spirit. God can help us get beyond our weaknesses by his power alone. Yes, God is a very patient God—I will Amen that. But at the most difficult times in our lives, he seems to graciously come and either pass us, by giving us a one-hundred percent on a test that we didn’t completely pass so we can get to the next level according to his will and purpose, or he will do what he spoke of in Leviticus 26:21, that says he will “multiply your afflictions seven times over”. When we don’t listen or give ear to the Holy Spirit toward God, he will dissuade us to not sin through the bread of adversity and the water of affliction (Isaiah 30:20 NKJV) as a way to exhort us to rise up higher in our commitment to follow him. Even though this scripture is in the Old Testament, we serve an unchanging God who does have an end to his patience. This will be fully demonstrated on the day he comes forth in finality to take Christians to Heaven very soon. We might think he is continually delaying or doing nothing to eliminate sin and its consequences, but there is a day already in the mind of God that he will put an end to his patience and will bring the wrath that is due all unrepentant sinners (Zephaniah 1:15-18). But until that day, as believers, those made clean by the blood of the Lamb; we must keep moving forward in step with the Spirit of God. Then as he might purpose to afflict us now with many hardships and sufferings for a period of time, he also will deliver us out of all our troubles (Psalm 34:19). Present-day comfort of the believer isn’t necessarily the goal; God wants a better resurrection for us. In his affectionate love for us now, he is continually helping us exonerate sin, self, and rebellion, comforting us in the midst of our difficulties.

The good news is that Jesus came to save the world, not condemn it (John 3:17). In his graciousness, Jesus planned to save us from our sins and rescue us from our wasteland. Because he saves us, we should be continually motivated to hate evil and shun anything that is contrary to God’s word. It should plunge us into a mindset to love God and others and serve the Lord our God only, no matter what comes our way. 

Sin never makes sense, but in the fullness of Christ, our sins are forgiven. We are free from the bondage and slavery to sin and are free to live for Christ and to do what is right. It is truly a matter of the heart when we allow the Holy Spirit of God to move us to new life, up that ladder of truth so that we can rest in the heavenly realm, dazzling in the mirror of his grace and salvation.