Promises of God for Power over Sin

Under the Old Covenant there were very few who rose to such a high standard of living that it could be said that they consistently overcame the power of sin. But there was Enoch, a rather cryptic figure who lived in the time before the flood.  It says of Enoch, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch was an example to us all of someone who was able to live faithfully in fellowship with God even before the advent of Christ. Enoch wrote some prophetic writings referred to in the Book of Jude, but we can’t be sure we have a 100% reliable record of what they were. In any case, there were prophets in the Old Testament who lived remarkable lives and had remarkably accurate  and clear communication with God. But they were very much the exception, and not the rule.

The Bible tells us that under the New Covenant we have BETTER promises.

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

The promises are better, not because they promise us health, or prosperity, or success – because all these promises existed in the Old Covenant! The promises are better not only because there is a path to forgiveness of sin – that existed under the Old Covenant also, but not to the same extent as now. It is simpler now through Christ. Nevertheless, the most amazing and powerful promises of the New Covenant are not simply concerned with forgiveness of sins. They actually relate to the coming of the Holy Spirit and His ministry of writing the law on our hearts and empowering us to live above sin in fellowship with God.

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” (Hebrews 10:16)

I suspect that we are just now beginning to learn how to receive and apply these promises by faith.

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

The Bible does seem to indicate that we can perfect holiness in the fear of God. I would like to do this, I hope you also would like to. It seems to indicate that we need the promises of God for this, and we should consider what these promises are.

It seems that if we are to cleanse ourselves then this work must be a co-operation between man and God. We know that this won’t happen without God’s work, because it needs God’s promises. On the other hand, this verse is telling us that there is something for us to do also. If God did everything, all we would need to do is ask Him once to do it and the result would be guaranteed. The reality however, is that there are many struggles on the way. We will not be entirely unopposed by Satan and his demons. Yes, there will be a fight. But praise God, through God’s promises and power, we CAN overcome.

I think it is very important for us to give fresh attention to this in these last of the Last Days.

The promises most recently referred to in 2 Corinthians 7:1 must be from 2 Corinthians 6:16

“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”

and in verse 17-18

Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
¹⁸ “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.

The indwelling of God Almighty within us is what we need in order to perfect holiness in the fear of God. We need to worship Him as OUR GOD and touch not spiritual uncleanness.

It seems to me that God does not force His agenda on anyone. Sanctification and holiness is the will of God, but not all are willing to go after it. We cannot do it without Him, but He will not do it without us.

God may live in your life through the Holy Spirit. If you have truly surrendered to Christ then He is not only working on you and around you, but actually IN you. However, it is up to us to keep on paying attention to this VERY IMPORTANT GOD living inside us. We have to be diligent and also quieten our souls from distraction because the world, the flesh and the devil always would like to fill our minds. Even now as I write this article, I am at a roller skating rink to give my girls some fun, and in the background the latest worldly pop music is belting out. But I can basically tune that out, and trust the Lord to help me write something of spiritual value to help people. We cannot entirely escape the presence of the world, the flesh and the devil in this age, but we can be overcomers, and we can carry the presence of God and the powerful Word of God into any situation.

I believe that in order to overcome sin we must become more God conscious. Just because He is in us does not mean we are conscious of His holy presence. One way to become more conscious of Him is to focus the attention of our minds on Him and His love. We can do this through meditation on the Word, through various forms of worship, through God-centred music and through praying in the Holy Spirit.

It is also important to keep our normal physical appetites under control if we want to be more God conscious. I find that overeating dulls my sensitivity to God. It does help to eat healthy food and to eat only in moderate quantities, if that is possible for you. Drinking plenty of water can help you. Bodily exercise does profit a little as well. But more important than all these things is our commitment to FOCUS on the Word of God and what it says.

God as our Father

There is a promise that if we touch not the unclean thing God will be a Father to us. The love of the Father for us is always there, but we need to turn back to God like the prodigal son if we want to experience the Father’s embrace and manifest favor (see the parable of Luke 15). The Bible also declares that if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in Him (1 John 2:15). By, “the world” the Scripture means “the lust of the flesh”, “the lust of the eyes” and the “boastful pride of life”. It is primarily these spiritual sins we are “not to touch”. Then we will experience a great fellowship with the Father.

Jesus said, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is He who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father. and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21).

He also said: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)

It is when we learn to consistently obey the Lord through the Holy Spirit that the nature and person of God begins to fully take residence in us. This is the only way to perfect holiness. It is NOT something we can have independently of God. It happens through unity with God alone.

When we are conscious of God as Father we think more in terms of us being sons and daughters, loyal and permanent members of God’s family, rather than as slaves or servants only. However a careful study of the Bible reveals that both descriptions are actually true of us when we submit to God.

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is referred to as “The Helper” and it is He who makes Jesus and the Father real to us. It is HE who actually comes to live within us. We need to meditate on and get a good handle on the reality of who is dwelling in us. This will help us to stay away from sin. The Holy Spirit is also known as “the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2). Being filled with this Holy Spirit will cause us to reverence God deeply and depart from evil. If we have a casual attitude towards godly living, it shows that we are only casual in our relationship with God. You can’t expect God’s highest and greatest blessings with that kind of attitude.

The Bible commands us not to be drunk with wine, but instead to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18.

This filling with the Holy Spirit naturally impacts not only our minds but what we refer to as our “emotions”. It is interesting that the Bible does not use the term emotions, for emotions are really part of our hearts and minds and souls.

Psychologically, it has been demonstrated that people are moved into action more by emotion than by rational thought. For us, truth that is FELT is truth that transforms. If you really FEEL the truth of something, then it has entered your heart.

The Holy Spirit, when He fills us, wants to engage with our whole being, and that includes what we call our emotions. The Holy Spirit’s influence on our emotions becomes a POWERFUL inducement to Holy living! Instead of being inwardly repelled by the idea of submitting to God, we can actually delight in the very thought of it – all due to the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

Christians who reject any aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit are fools. The thing that God specifically promises is something we should go after. And then, if God says that “Whatever you desire in prayer, really believing, you shall receive” (Mark 11:24) He certainly includes the manifest presence of the sanctifying Holy Spirit under that category of “Whatever you desire”. Desire, actually, it turns out, is key. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

I pray that Christians everywhere will grow in their desire for God, whether they agree with me theologically or not. When we are getting filled with the HOLY Spirit, we are going to be enabled to stay on the path of life, the path of truth.

What is dangerous is any theology which tells you “you’ve got it all” and which leaves you unmotivated in the things of God. Some of these people who think “they’ve got it all” cannot be happy without antidepressants, without worldly movies and a host of other things. Its very sad really.

The truth is, God has GIVEN us everything that pertains to life and godliness, but we still need to RECEIVE what God has given. The only way to do that is to stay on the path of life. We need to let the Holy Spirit LEAD US into all truth, including the truth about what God has freely given us in Christ. Until we are led into the truth, we are not free in that area, and we do not benefit from the truth.

This is why we need Spirit-led, Spirit-filled Bible teachers in the world today.

I pray that you will take time to read the Bible more, and I hope you will find plenty of encouragement on this site to help build your faith for all that God wants to establish in your life.