Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 50we played it in our house, hour after hour.” That was the secret –-- expelling angry andanxious thoughts by filling the mind with the Word of God.What is the best way to take air out of a bottle? Someone might build some kindof elaborate vacuum pump to suck out the air – that might be one way! However, asimpler solution is to fill the bottle with water --- and the air has to leave.The point is --- to diffuse the power of sin, we need to have our thought patternsreplaced by the Word of God. Every temptation, vice, or sinister motive comes to us byour thoughts – and, it is these that must be brought under the control of the HolySpirit. Paul wrote, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by therenewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good andacceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The difference between worldliness and godlinessis a renewed mind. The adage puts it succinctly –- “You’re not what you think you are; butwhat you think, you are!”Let’s suppose we could flash all the thoughts we had last week on a giant screenfor everyone to see. Wouldn’t it reveal how we are doing spiritually? Our thoughts notonly shape our life --- they are our life!A man released from prison was having difficulty adjusting to his freedom. Hetried this experiment: he took a glass bottle with a distinct shape and crammed it full ofwires -- some of the wires were small and some were large. After some time had pasthe smashed the bottle with a hammer. What was the result? Most of the wires retainedthe shape of the bottle. In order to get those wires straight again they had to bestraightened out, one by one.The man had established his point: it is possible to be technically free and stillretain the traits of bondage. Even though a man is liberated, he must adjust to hisfreedom and carefully dismantle the habits of the past.As believers, we were legally free “in Christ,” but we can still be enslaved by thefantasies of the flesh and the vices of the world. We can yield, surrender, and “praythrough,” but our mind will revert to familiar territory as soon as our experience wearsthen. To leave this self-defeating cycle, we need to outline a specific strategy forexperiencing the freedom we have in Christ, and accept the victory that is legally ours.Prepare for BattleHow does a believer prepare for battle? It cannot be accomplished withoutlocking horns with wicked spiritual forces.“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to theflesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, butdivinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We aredestroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the