“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” – Colossians 2:6-7
For the longest time, I’ve understood that, while it is easy to become a Christian, it is not easy to live as one. By this I mean, salvation is a gift; it is not something for which I had to work. It was given to me by God, and all that was required of me was to accept it. That was the easy part. Living the life of a believer has not been the easiest journey for me, and now in my latter years, as a work in progress (Philippians 1:6), I still have many struggles in my Christian walk.
One would think that living a life that is right, good, and kind would come easy, but it doesn’t. I thought that once a person had the understanding of what salvation meant, living a life to please God would naturally follow, but that’s not how it goes. Sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? But it’s not!
God knew that after accepting Christ as Saviour, Christians would struggle in their lives. The reason is because we live in a sinful world. We are surrounded by sin, and sin is designed to have outward and immediate pleasures that tempt us to do wrong, to draw us away from the Lord. To help us fight against sin, God sent Himself to us once again, but this time in the form of His Spirit. When Jesus was on earth, He told His disciples that when He eventually left them, He would not leave them alone; He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them (John 16:7). As Christians, the moment we accept Christ’s forgiveness of sins and His gift of salvation, we also receive the permanent presence of God’s Holy Spirit as He indwells our lives! Acts 2:38 states, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to help us resist the temptation to sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” This means that God will help us recognize the temptation for what it is, give us the means and the strength to resist it, and urge us to choose to do what is right.
It is only through the strength of Christ that I can even aspire to walk as He did. I could never do it on my own, and God knows that. His Spirit is my constant companion. No matter where I go, the Holy Spirit is with me. He sits with me when I am watching television; He is with me when I am listening to music. We play basketball together (a new exercise I’ve discovered), and He is with me when I cook dinner. Get the idea? No matter where I am, or what I am doing, God’s Spirit is with me. When I am tempted to watch a program that is ungodly, He urges me to change the channel or do something else. When I listen to the radio, He reminds me to tune in to a station that honors God. When I am playing basketball, He commends me for trying to keep His “temple” in shape. And dinner? Well, He’s with me just to keep me company! Maybe He’ll bring a song to my mind that I will hum as I’m cooking or a verse that I’ve recently read that I can think about while I tinker around the kitchen. The Spirit of God works in those “mysterious ways” we’ve all heard about for every Christian!
One of the most critical jobs of the Holy Spirit is His work to keep me from being entrapped by the temptations of sin. He works 24/7 to protect me because temptation doesn’t take a vacation. I never know when it will rear its ugly head and whisper those sweet enticements that lead to sin. In and of myself, I cannot resist, but with the Spirit of God helping me recognize the temptations for what they are, I can win the battle, choose to do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, and have victory through Jesus!
Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage,
Your mighty Defender is always the same.
Mount up with wings as the eagle ascending,
Victory is sure when you call on His name.
Put on the armor the Lord has provided
And place your defense in His unfailing care
Trust Him for He will be with you in battle
Lighting your path to avoid every snare.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord
And be of good courage for He is your guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord
And rejoice for the victory is yours.
(from “Be Strong in the Lord” by Linda Lee Johnson)
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” – Ephesians 6:17
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Need empowerment from the Holy Spirit? You’ll find it in God’s Word!