Friday, January 17, 2020
Trapped by Sin
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 nlt)
I love the story of David and Goliath. Goliath, nine-feet-six-inches of solid muscle, came down to the Valley of Elah to face off with young David.
He saw David with his slingshot and effectively said, “What am I, a dog that you come at with a stick?”
But David replied, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45 nlt).
Then David started running toward Goliath. I love that. David didn’t simply hold his ground; he gained ground. Then he whipped that sling around, building momentum, and let the stone fly like a guided missile.
That stone planted itself into Goliath’s forehead, and he collapsed to the ground with a tremendous thud. David walked over, pulled out Goliath’s sword, and cut off his head.
That is how you face the giant of sin in your life. You have to call it out, and you have to cut off its head. You were trapped by sin before you were a Christian. But then one day you came to Christ. You know what God can do and has done for you.
But then you walk back into your old, sinful patterns, and you’re miserable. That’s because you’re trying to live in two worlds. You have too much of the Lord to be happy in the world and too much of the world to be happy in the Lord.
So how do you get out of that place? Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 nlt). You don’t have to be a slave of sin. No giant should be overpowering you or taunting you. You can live in the victory that Jesus purchased for you on the cross.
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