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I just finished reading Billy Graham’s The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power. Toward the end of the book, after talking in depth about the work of the Holy Spirit and the resulting gifts and fruits of the Spirit, Graham encourages us to “let the searchlight of God’s Word scan us to detect the abiding sins and fruitless qualities that impair our personal growth and fruitfulness”.

Turning Away From the Old

One of my favorite Bible passages is Psalm 139: 23-24 which states "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139 shows how repentance requires us to look directly and honestly at our sins, name and confess them, and then through prayer, Bible study, and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives turn away from our sin and toward a new behavior that pleases God.

In order to move from a fruitless life to one that produces much fruit, we must look directly at the sins in our lives rather than avoiding thinking about them. The more we avoid addressing our recurring sins, the more power they will have over us. Instead we must have the courage to honestly face our mistakes and ask God for His forgiveness. We do not need to be afraid to tell God our sins. He already knows them anyway and is eager to forgive.

1 John 1:9 states that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness".  And Isaiah 30:18, which we addressed a few weeks ago in the article 

“Does God Have to Wait for Us to Come to Him”, states "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion". 

When we take a look at our besetting sins and ask God to forgive them we should also look at what needs or desires we are trying to meet through a particular repeated sin and ask God to show us how He can meet those needs instead or whether those desires are even legitimate.

This is a staple of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Several of the 12 Steps challenge the addict to look at things he or she has done wrong. In fact steps four through 10 all encourage an honest look at oneself and a willingness to admit our faults to God and others.

Testing the Limits

Sadly it is often the case that when confronted with our sin we think something like “How far will God let me go?” about a particular area of life. 

Teens often ask “How far can I go?” about being sexually active. Some might ask how far they can go when deciding whether to watch a certain movie or read a certain book. Others might ask how far we can go when it comes to drinking alcohol or regarding what or how much we eat. Billy Graham makes the point that one of the most besetting sins of Christians is gluttony. We avoid many other “worse” sins and then fill their place with overeating. 

We want to know how far we can go with certain questionable activities without suffering the consequences from God. Shouldn’t we rather say “I’m not going to go near the line that distinguishes between good and evil behavior in this particular area so that I can please God.”?

Turning Toward the New

In 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Paul explains: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever…. I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Serious athletes are not focused on how much they can get away with. They instead follow a very strict diet and work out regimen. Any athlete who is asking how little he or she can get away with practicing or how much junk food he or she can eat is not seriously working to win the prize or be the best.

Instead of lamenting what we have to give up in order to serve God well, we should be focused on the good that lies ahead if we seek after godliness. The closeness we will experience with Jesus when we make choices that lead to greater fruitfulness should motivate us toward greater holiness.

In Philippians 3:13–14 Paul states “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

And in 2 Corinthians 5:17 he reminds us that "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here."

Therefore let us turn away from the old sinful habits that hold us back from a stronger relationship with God and others and turn toward new fruitful habits brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit. This fruitfulness will benefit both ourselves and those we love and bring praise to the God of the Universe.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”