August 17th
3For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:3-8 NKJV
This passage captures the wonderful truths about what Jesus did for us. We are saved and justified by God’s grace, and we are heirs of eternal life through Jesus. Part of our inheritance includes the Holy Spirit, whom God sends to literally live in us. The Spirit helps us walk in obedience to God and renews our minds, cleansing us from the old habits we used to practice. When we allow sin to continue in our lives after placing trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit’s work in us is slowed down or even stopped.
That is what happened in my life. I accepted Jesus at age 6, but then drifted into carnality in my high school and college years. I wanted to enjoy all the pleasures the world had to offer, even though I knew they were wrong. The Spirit’s work was effectively stopped by my sin habits, but thankfully God didn’t give up on me. He drew me back to himself and healed me of sex addiction at age 31.
I know that God offers that same mercy, love and healing to anyone who comes to him in sincerity. God desires to heal and renew you. If there is sin in your life that is blocking the Spirit’s work in you, you can turn from that sin today and invite God to start working in you again. God longs to meet with you in a daily, personal relationship with him. If you are interested in getting started on the road to freedom, I invite you to go through our online study Freedom Journey.
Questions for further thought:
Why can we re-approach God after backsliding into sin? (Romans 5:1)
How does the Holy Spirit help us in the battle against sinful desires? (Romans 8:11,13)
How is faith a key element in our partnership with the Holy Spirit in this battle? (Romans 6:11-14)
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I accept your sacrifice for me. Thank you for dying for my sin and giving me peace with God. Please forgive me for my rebellion against you and cleanse my conscience from the dead works of sin. Holy Spirit, please revive me in righteousness and re-ignite a passion in me for holiness. Thank you, Lord! I praise you now and forever, Amen!”