There may be something on the inside that is gnawing at you to change. You ignore it or pretend that it is not speaking to you. You silence it with social media, friends, maybe a drink or two (or three). For a moment, it may not seem to speak to you. For a moment, you may get rid of that annoying little voice way in the background of your inner man. 

Suddenly, you can hear it again. You know that what you are doing is wrong. You know you should turn away. You don’t want to deal with depression and failure, but staying the way you are is still a big fail in your life. That voice won’t stop. You can hear it calling your name, whispering with a gentle sound of love. You know God is trying to call you into a better place, but how will that happen? Where do you start? 

The Evil Within

Sin will rob us all of God’s best life for us. Sin is that evil that sits within us, luring us to the attractions of this world and to carry out our fleshly desires. If we let sin reign, we will find ourselves in places we never thought we would go. So many have fallen into deep dark holes of depression, abuse, pain, loneliness and even suicidal thoughts and actions because they allowed sin to reign in their mortal bodies. 

The Only Remedy

Sin is that state of being that is totally against God. We were all born in sin and the only remedy is our acceptance of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus was the punishment paid by a sinless Savior to give each one of us access to God the Father and abundant life. We all fall short of this. Sin takes us further than we want to go and keeps us longer than we ever intended. Sin is that temptation that we yield to. It entices us and we curiously and almost robotically follow every lust and passion until we are tangled up in a mess.  

We can easily put a label on sin. We can call it lying or adultery. We can call the sin gossip or fornication. We can call the sin homosexuality or perversion. Sin has many labels. Some even glorify one sin over another, making some believe they are worse than others. The truth of the matter is, sin is sin no matter what label you put on it. The Bible says the wages of sin — every sin — is death. The payment for sin is total separation from God. Unrepentant hearts will find an eternity separated from a holy God. 

The Only Hope for Freedom

Stop believing the lies the dark cruel, world puts on us to tell us we have time. Stop believing you will get up one morning and the sin won’t bother you again. Unless Jesus washes it away by our acceptance of him as our Lord, the sin will remain, and the punishment will follow. The only hope for freedom is through Jesus Christ. 

Stop struggling with addictions, bad habits, low lifestyles that promote sin in various ways. Stop settling for living a life that keeps you depressed and less than who you are. That’s not the life God said you should have. Jesus said that he came to give life abundantly. Jesus comes to make us free and overcome the power and slavery of sin. Sin’s power is broken when we yield our lives to Christ. Depression and fear are powerless to a person that yields to the power of the Spirit of God. 

Sin is Not a Toy

We struggle when we are still not sure if we want to live for God or keep satisfying our flesh. We struggle when we still want to dabble with our sin and live an unyielded life. We stay in low places and always walk in defeat when we want to endlessly play with sin. Sin is not a toy. The intention is to rob us of a fulfilled life and eventually steal our soul and eternity with God. Don’t let this happen to you.

Give Him Your ‘Yes’

Today, if you hear that little voice calling you, don’t harden your heart. Just say yes to God. Just give him your yes. Turn away from sin by repenting and then submit to God and resist the devil. God will give you the power to stay the course. He will give you the ability to overcome. Every day, each moment, make Jesus the Lord of your life. It is a lifestyle you will never regret.

Janet Boynes founded Janet Boynes Ministries in Maple Grove, Minnesota, in 2006. She authored the books Called Out: A Former Lesbian’s Discovery of Freedom, God & Sexuality, and her latest: God & The LGBT Community. Janet is an ordained minister under the Assemblies of God and travels the U.S. and overseas sharing a message of redemption and hope through the power of Jesus Christ.