Be Careful What You Let In

Romans 6:12-14 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
One of our small group lessons had a great illustration on the growth of sin. Have you ever heard of Kudzu? Have you ever tried to cut and clear land covered by Kudzu and keep it from coming back? It is not easy, is it?  Kudzu is known as the vine that ate the south, it is a nuisance, but it didn’t start out that way.

In the 1930s, the US government brought this vine in from Asia and paid farmers to plant kudzu to protect against soil erosion. But what started as a good thing grew out of control. The warm summers and mild winters caused it to flourish until by 2010, it had taken over seven million acres across the Southeast.  Likewise there are so many things that seem harmless, fun, or even helpful that do slow unseen damage to our lives. Before we know it, we have surrendered control to them and we start fighting for them against God in our life. (1)

Your life is a weapon of righteousness. By that I mean the way you live, the way you talk, the way you act is a weapon that is meant to show God’s grace, love and honor. It is meant to cut through the lies of this world with love and humility so that others see the mercy and grace of God. That is the last thing the devil wants the world to see. The devil would love to disarm any part of your testimony, to get a toehold in one part of your life so that he can try to tear down the rest of it.

Be careful what you let in.

In Romans 6, Paul shows us that sin is an invader and our mortal bodies are the battleground on which it is fighting.  We have a choice to make.  Do we let our Creator, the Rightful King who loves us and died for us rein in our lives or do we let this invader, sin, reign instead?  Paul helps us see that sin is not just an isolated thing we do, it is an active, growing power. 

You know I’ve never seen Kudzu grow. I have seen where it has grown and overtaken, but I’ve never watched the vines spread. It just seems like it is this size one day, manageable, but I wake up a few days later and it had grown to something so big I might as well not even try to fight it. Sin is the same way. It may look still and unmoving but it is not. It is growing and devouring.

The goal of sin is to wreck your life by attempting to dethrone God in your life.  It then can turn you into a weapon against those you love.  Sin must be in control and it must destroy.  Our job is to not let sin rule even one part of our life, to not let him even get a toehold. If sin does enter in we must be honest enough to go before God and ask Him to clear it out - we can not do it on our own.   We must strive to live a life that is used as a weapon of good - loving, helping others, and not a life under control of the one who only wants to destroy and kill.

Living under grace is pure freedom but it is not freedom from responsibilities. We must not only consider how our actions, addictions, and choices affect us, but how they affect others. Are your actions glorifying Christ or are they pointing your friends and family to seek answers in the world instead of in Christ?

What are you doing with this new life in Christ this morning? Who will be controlling you today?

To discover more, visit Oak Grove Baptist Church.

1. Bible Studies For Life https://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/extra-ideas-for-adults-engaging-culture-in-an-ever-changing-world-session-4/

Transformed In A Culture Of Conformity

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

It amazes me how a culture that prides itself on individuality, one that preaches the motto “You be you and I'll be me” truly stresses conformity. From our government to Hollywood we are taught that we can think what we want to think, as long as those thoughts line up with theirs. This pressure to conform comes in many ways, some more subtle than others. Perhaps it is the talking head on the news channel telling you that disagreeing is treason or maybe it is simply a coworker who keeps reminding you which people are worth something to society and which are not. The danger of this worldly conformity is that it blinds us to the beauty of God working all around us.

The one thing all of these influences have in common, no matter their source, is that they each believe their view is the right view and you must agree with them. I know the irony of typing that statement about the world is that many people will accuse Christians of the same thing. However, there is an important difference. I am not trying to convince you that my views and thoughts are the right views and thoughts. As a Christian I myself must first yield to a higher authority than me. I must yield to God - to His thoughts and His ways.

That is why the bible tells us to not be conformed to this age, to our societies teachings or influence, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our mind. How do we do this? By looking to God’s word first, by seeking out time with God first, and by training yourself in the spiritual discipline of hearing His still, small voice - the voice of truth.

One of my hobbies is magic, sleight of hand and illusion. One of the things I love about magic is it proves the lie that seeing is believing. With skillful manipulation, I can make you see many things that are not true. However, the Bible shows us that the opposite is true - believing is seeing. God does not have to prove Himself to us or put on a show for us. In fact, it is the utmost of human pride to believe that God has to show us anything! But the amazing thing is that when we believe and trust in Him we will begin to see Him at work not only in our life but in the lives of those around us. Our belief opens our eyes to the truth. Our faith is made sight.

When we seek Him first, when we shut out the clutter and noise of this world and let Him and His truth renew our mind then we will be transformed, renewed and able to see the work of God around us.

To discover more, visit Oak Grove Baptist Church.