Choice Not Destiny - Martin Wiles

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 NLT

With a grunt and a heavy sigh, he asked, “Do we have to do this?”

Teaching students who have little interest in learning is challenging. I know; I do it five days a week with a handful of students who could care less about school.

One student comes in every morning just before the late bell rings with a look on his face that says, “I just got out of bed, and I really have no desire to be here.” Five hours later when he arrives in my class, his attitude hasn’t changed much. Now he’s tired of the work he has been doing for the last five hours. When he asks if he has to do a particular assignment, I say, “Yes.” The law dictates that he attend school, and the school dictates the curriculum he must pass to move from one grade to the next.

Sin sometimes feels like a dreaded assignment I have to do, but Paul says otherwise. As a believer, I should consider myself dead to sin and alive to Christ. 

The questions, “Do I have to complete this assignment,” and “Do I have to sin” are similar, yet different. The answer to the first is “Yes,” and “No.” Yes if you want credit, no if you don’t. Whether I have to sin depends on my situation as well. 

If I’m a believer and have the presence of God’s Spirit empowering me, then no I don’t have to sin. 

Sinning is a choice, but it’s not my destiny. 

If I haven’t trusted Christ as my Savior, then yes I do have to sin. My nature controls it, and I have no one to help me avoid it. As a believer, I choose to sin. 

God doesn’t tempt me; Satan does. 

God will give me the power to say no regardless of what the temptation is. And He will never allow the temptation to be so great that I’ll be able to say, “I had to sin.” 

My destiny is purity and holiness. 

While this won’t be achieved completely until I’m in heaven, I can make great strides toward that state of existence while on earth when I allow God Spirit to control my decisions and desires.

Let God give you the power to choose holiness and purity.

Prayer: Father, help us understand that sinning is a choice and that You can give us the power to say “No” to any temptation. 

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