Pastor’s Corner: “ONE FOOT IN & ONE FOOT OUT”
Psalm 78:32 (NLT) – “But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite His wonders, they refused to trust him.”
Commentator Warren Wiersbe has pointed out that “many of God’s people are betweeners. They believe that Jesus died on the cross, but they are not living in the power of His Resurrection.” Some people believe that Jesus has saved them and justified them, but they enter into a lifestyle of sin. They don’t live like they’re saved; they live like they’re spiritually dead.
Do you have “One foot in and one foot out”? Are you a betweener? Do you believe in Jesus but find yourself still bound to a certain sin that has a hold on you? You have seen how it steals from your life. You have had others call you on it. You have half-heartedly tried to leave it behind but keep finding it lurking at every doorway. It is your favorite sin. Not that you love it, you may even despise it, but somehow you can’t shake it. We sometimes settle for calling them vices, weaknesses, or flaws, but Christ has far more in mind for us than captivity. He desires freedom for His people, and giving life to the spiritually dead.
God can break that pattern of sin in your life. You can live a sanctified life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that you’ll be sinless, because we all sin. But I am saying you can sin less. Maybe you’re thinking, “I can’t stop sinning. It’s just human nature. I can’t control it.” You are right, you cannot do it. Most of us are walking in our faith in our own strength and become frustrated when we fail. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, (NLT) “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” For every temptation in life that we face and give into, God always provides a way out. And there is power from God to give you the resolve to take that way out if you are willing to humble yourself and ask for help. This is where we stumble and fall. In our pride, we fail to ask for help.
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 said, “What am I, a dog that you come at with a stick?” (1 Samuel 17:45 NLT) – 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” 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, 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, (John 15:5 NLT) “Apart from me you can do nothing”. No giant should be overpowering you or taunting you. You can live in the victory that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. Stop trying to do it in your own strength, but face the giant of sin in your life in God’s strength and power like David. There’s always a way out. We make our choices and then our choices make us. Trust Him – GO ALL IN!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton & Family