Years ago, I came across a prayer that captured my need for Christ perfectly. I printed out its words and tacked it to the bulletin board beside my bunk bed in my college dorm room.
“Dear Lord,
So far I’ve done all right.
I haven’t gossiped,
haven’t lost my temper,
haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I’m really glad about that.
But in a few minutes, God,
I’m going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I’m going to need a lot more help.”
On my own, I am a victim of my selfish humanity. I’m born in sin and a slave to my fleshly passions. No matter how hard I try to live a righteous life, I will always end up defeated and discouraged.
Thankfully, Christ extended His mercy to us all.
While we were still stuck in the mire of sin, He took our place on the cross and paid the penalty for the sins of all humanity. Our Champion rose victoriously from the grave to defeat sin and death forever.
On the day that you surrender your life to Jesus as Savior, the Spirit of the resurrected Christ comes to live in you (Romans 8:11). His overcoming power dwells in your life constantly. You no longer have to live a life weighted down by guilt, doubt, and shame.
Of course, we are not perfectly sinless. We will still stumble sometimes, but we are no longer habitually captive to sin’s power. Faith in Christ unshackles us because we are no longer fighting against sin’s strongholds in our own strength. Every sin is covered by the blood of Christ. As we look to the cross and acknowledge our need for His forgiveness each day, He cleanses us afresh. His overcoming power helps us to say no to our flesh and continue walking forward with full freedom and joy.
D.L. Moody described our new position in Christ beautifully:
“He that ‘is born of God overcometh the world’; rising above the storms, and disturbing elements of flesh and nature, and all out of which Christ has risen, it seeks its own native element springing up into everlasting life, like the frigate bird which, when the storms agitate the surface of the ocean, when winds and waves rage in contempt of life on every side, rises aloft into the calm above the storms, and floats securely and tranquilly in that peaceful atmosphere, where it finds itself at home and at rest!”
So, I don’t need to cower under the covers today. Yes, I am going to face tribulation. Yes, I will still mess up and fail miserably sometimes.
But, greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world (I John 4:4).
My sister, in Christ you are more than a conqueror. Sin no longer has a permanent hold on you.
Keep looking to Jesus. Faith is the victory that overcomes every obstacle.